Despite prospect gurus consistently ranking the Braves farm system in the bottom five of the league over the last half-decade, a new star seems to join the major-league club every season. A few years back, the Braves produced two of them in Spencer Strider and Michael Harris II. Most recently, Spencer Schwellenbach emerged out of nowhere and now looks like an arm with frontline starter potential.
No organization is better at evaluating talent and developing it than the Atlanta Braves. So while most prospect outlets are still down on the Braves farm system, odds are another star is lurking in the shadows, ready to make an impact in 2024.
Drake Baldwin
Some prospect outlets will disagree, but Baldwin is the best prospect in the organization right now. He has the tools defensively to be above average behind the plate and is already a polished product offensively. Baldwin flashes effortless power to all fields with elite plate discipline and is ready to make an impact in Atlanta as soon as the Braves need him.
However, with Sean Murphy in the fold, it will be interesting to see the Braves plan with Baldwin. They likely would rather him play everyday in Gwinnett than serve as the backup catcher in Atlanta. However, at some point, he could force the Braves hand, and if an injury arises, we could see a lot of him in 2025.
Nacho Alvarez Jr.
The Nacho Alvarez hype train took off last year as the 21-year-old got off to a fiery start to the season, which even earned him a cup of coffee in the majors. However, his struggles in Atlanta seem to have led many people to cool on his potential. That’s a little foolish, considering it was just an eight-game sample size. This is still a very young prospect performing at an elite level, getting on base at nearly a .400 clip in the minors last season. If Alvarez can continue to show improved defensive play at shortstop, it’s possible he finds himself serving a very critical role for the Braves at some point in 2025.
AJ Smith-Shawver
With Charlie Morton and Max Fried departing in free agency, internal options are going to have to cover a lot of starts for the Braves. Many have pointed to Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson, two others that will compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster, but this year feels like sink or swim for AJ Smith-Shawver. Eventually, the Braves need to bring him up and give him a lengthy look to evaluate his long-term standing with the organization. It would be very disappointing if that didn’t happen this season.
Hurston Waldrep
Waldrep is another prospect that received the call last season due to injuries and really struggled. But again, that shouldn’t take away from his potential. Prior to his MLB debut, he had not even pitched a full season of professional baseball after he was drafted out of Florida in 2023. The mere fact the Braves were even willing to throw him into the fire so quickly is a sign of what they think Waldrep can be for the team in the future. Development, especially for pitchers, is not linear. Hurston Waldrep has elite stuff. Once he harnesses his control, he’ll be a mainstay in Atlanta.
Drue Hackenberg
Drue Hackenberg is my dark horse to make an impact for the Braves in 2025. He’s not a top-five prospect and only has one full professional season under his belt, but that season was pretty incredible. Hackenberg began last year in Rome and ended it Gwinnett, where he posted a 1.52 ERA over four starts. In total, he made 25 starts, posting a 3.07 ERA and 10.0 K/9. With so many unknowns in the rotation and the Braves willingness to trust their young arms, there’s a chance Hackenberg is the next Spencer Schwellenbach.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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