MLB.com’s Updated Top 10 Braves Prospects

With each passing season, the Braves depth on the farm continues to improve, and MLB.com recently updated their list of the club’s top prospects. Let’s take a look at the top 10:

Braves Top 10 Prospects (According to MLB.com)

1. Cam Caminiti
2. AJ Smith-Shawver
3. Hurston Waldrep
4. Nacho Alvarez Jr.
5. Drake Badwin
6. Owen Murphy
7. JR Ritchie
8. Jose Perdomo
9. Drue Hackenberg
10. Cade Kuehler

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The folks over at MLB.com didn’t waste any time making the Braves 2024 first-round selection, Cam Caminiti, the top prospect in the organization. That might be a bit overzealous, but he was the best high school arm in the draft and has the potential to be a frontline starter in the future, featuring an impressive four-pitch mix with a fastball that is already touching the high-90s.

AJ Smith-Shawver was previously the Braves top rated prospect, a spot he’s occupied for quite a bit of time. The potential is evident, which he’s showcased at times in the majors. However, he hasn’t been able to quite put it all together and stick around for more than a few starts. The hope is that happens in 2025.

Hurston Waldrep was the Braves 2023 first-round pick out of Florida, and in just a calendar year, he worked his way up to make his MLB debut. It didn’t last long, but it tells you exactly how the Braves feel about the young man. His fastball/splitter combination is elite, but he’ll need to develop a couple of more reliable secondary offerings if he is to become a starting pitcher at the major-league level.

Nacho Alvarez Jr. also experienced a cup of coffee in the majors this year. It was short-lived due to his offensive inconsistencies, but he was a star in Gwinnett. The real concern about his future with the organization is figuring out where he will play. If he can prove he can handle shortstop defensively, it shouldn’t be too much longer before he replaces Orlando Arcia. But if he can’t, there might not be a spot for him in Atlanta, much like Vaughn Grissom before him.

MLB.com has Drake Baldwin as the Braves 5th best prospect. I would have him first. He’s a toolsy catcher that has the potential to be fantastic defensively and offensively. Baldwin can hit with power to all fields, and he walked nearly as much as he struck out in Gwinnett. With Travis d’Arnaud leaving in free agency, there’s a path for Baldwin to make his MLB debut this year.

Owen Murphy looked as if he was on his way to a breakout season, posting a 1.54 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 41.0 innings over seven starts. Then, the dreaded Tommy John injury bug struck. That will likely force him to miss most of 2025 as well, but at just 21-years-old, there’s still plenty of reason to be excited about Murphy’s future.

Another 21-year-old from the 2022 MLB Draft, JR Ritchie returned from Tommy John surgery this year and appeared in 12 games (11 starts), recording a 2.90 ERA and 56 strikeouts over 49.2 innings. 2025 will be a massive year for his development.

Jose Perdomo was the crowned jewel of the Atlanta Braves 2024 international free agent class. He received a $5 million signing bonus, nearly taking up all of the Braves international bonus pool money. It was the largest deal handed out to any international prospect in the class, as the Braves hope Perdomo will be the future at the shortstop position in a few years.

A second-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, Drue Hackenberg could make his MLB debut as early as 2025. He made 25 starts this year across three levels, pitching to a 3.07 ERA and ending the year in Gwinnett, where he posted a 1.52 ERA across four starts.

Rounding out the Brave’s top 10 prospects is Cade Kuehler, a hard-throwing right-handed arm that was the 70th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He features a wide array of pitches headlined by a fastball that tops out in the high-90s. Next year could be the season where he really establishes himself as one of the top prospects in the Braves organization.

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Photo: Photo: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire