The Braves have one of the lowest-ranked farm systems in baseball, yet the club consistently yields top-end talent year after year.
Most recently, it was Spencer Schwellenbach who rocketed through Atlanta’s minor leagues to become a staple of the Braves rotation. Now, he’s primed to establish himself as a frontline starter, and someone I believe can seamlessly replace Max Fried.
Drake Baldwin is on the cusp of making his MLB debut, and he could be the Braves’ long-term DH following Marcell Ozuna while also backing up Sean Murphy behind the plate. AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep are a couple of highly touted arms, but Drue Hackenberg is one I’m keeping an eye on.
Those are four prospects that could contribute in Atlanta this year, but what about tomorrow? Kiley McDaniel had a couple of candidates to be the top prospects of tomorrow — JR Ritchie and Cam Caminiti.
Caminiti was selected 24th in the 2024 MLB Draft out of high school but didn’t turn 18 until after the draft. The kid has incredible stuff, already topping out at 98 MPH with a slider and curve to bode. We didn’t get to see much of him in 2024, making only one appereance in Low-A Augusta, going three innings and allowing one earned run while striking out four. This projection is strictly based on his potential.
JR Ritchie is another prospect a lot of Braves fans are excited about. Tommy John surgery halted his development early in his professional career, but he returned last season, showcasing a good fastball, curveball, changeup, and a dynamic slider.
Ritchie quickly moved to Augusta after three appearances in Orlando, which is where he took off. In his first start, Ritchie threw five no-hit innings with only one walk and seven strikeouts.
He accumulated a 1.95 ERA with the GreenJackets while limiting Low-A hitters to a .197/.277/.316 slash line before being promoted to High-A Rome, appearing in three games for the Emperors, putting together a 3.60 ERA, with a 7.20 K/9 rate while walking just 1.80 per 9 innings.
Nobody should be surprised if JR Ritchie finishes this season in Triple-A. The Braves have never been shy about pushing prospects through the farm system if they’re succeeding.
—
David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.