The official 2024 top 30 prospects for the Braves dropped earlier this week by MLB.com, and there are several names worth highlighting as the season approaches.
Braves Top 10 Prospects
4. JR Ritchie
5. Owen Murphy
6. Nacho Alvarez Jr
7. Jose Perdomo
8. Cade Kuehler
9. Luis Guanipa
10. Drue Hackenberg
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By now, every Braves fan should be familiar with the top two prospects in the organization. Smith-Shawver and Waldrep are high-powered arms with frontline starter potential. Pitching prospects are volatile, but both have the makings of being serious contributors in Atlanta as early as this year.
Three more right handers follow Smith-Shawver and Waldrep. Of them, Owen Murphy is the guy I’ll be keeping a close eye on. He was the 20th overall pick in the 2022 draft and features a legitimate four-pitch mix. This time next year, we could be talking about him competing for a roster spot.
Nacho Alvarez fills in the sixth spot on these rankings, which I would consider a little low. He belongs in the top five as the Braves top position player prospect. Alvarez, who impressed last year defensively at shortstop, could be a potential Orlando Arcia replacement in the future.
At #7 and #9 are the Braves latest top international signings. Guanipa was signed in 2023 for $2.5 million, and Perdomo was signed this year for double that. Both have a long way to go before they are considered for the majors, but they will be exciting prospects to watch in the coming years.
Braves Prospects (11-20)
11. Drake Baldwin
12. David McCabe
13. Jhancarlos Lara
14. Darius Vines
15. Dylan Dodd
16. Douglas Glod
17. Adam Maier
18. Sabin Ceballos
19. Diego Benitez
20. Luis De Avila
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Several of these middle tier prospects could turn out to be quite exciting. Drake Baldwin has had some good moments in major-league Spring Training and is coming off a season in which he posted an .844 OPS between three levels (A+-AAA) as a catcher. Travis d’Arnaud isn’t going to be around for much longer, and Baldwin very well could be next in line to back up Sean Murphy.
David McCabe is a slugging prospect I was really giddy to see this season, but a torn UCL will keep him out for most of the year. Jhancarlos Lara has one of the biggest arms in the system, touching 99 at times last season, and Adam Maier is someone we will get a first look at this season after the Braves signed him for $1.2 million as a seventh round draft pick.
Braves Prospects (21-30)
21. Ambioris Tavarez
22. Isaiah Drake
23. Garrett Baumann
24. Lucas Braun
25. Allan Winans
26. Jesse Franklin V
27. Blake Burkhalter
28. Geraldo Quintero
29. Seth Keller
30. Mario Baez
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This is where things start to get a little bleak and the lack of depth in the Braves farm system really begins to show. Of these guys, Isaiah Drake is intriguing because of his athleticism. Brother of former NFL running back Kenyan Drake, he has 70-grade speed and was taken by the Braves in the fifth round of last year’s draft. Keep an eye on Blake Burkhalter as well, who is returning from Tommy John surgery and was taken in the second round of the 2022 draft.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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