Over the past few years, the Braves have focused their player acquisition strategy on pitchers. It’s worked, as they’ve created a nice pipeline of pitchers moving quickly through the minor leagues and onto Atlanta.
This strategy has come at the expense of positional players. Except for Drake Baldwin, they have few positional players that will help them in the next few years. Their highest upside player is Jose Perdomo, who turned 18 in September.
I guess when you have cost-controlled positional players on your Major League roster, you can do this. However, at some point, you’ve got to have some viable hitters in your system – don’t you?
Prospect Snapshot
- Top Prospect: AJ Smith-Shawver
- Biggest Mover: Drake Baldwin
- Biggest Disappointment: The lack of hitting prospects
- Emerging Prospect: Jose Perdomo
1. AJ Smith-Shawver (RHP)
- Highest Level: Majors ETA: 2023 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 45 SP with upside
- Last Updated: 11/08/2024
- Tools Summary: He has a solid arsenal, and with better control, he should be able to pitch as a number three starter, if not more.
AJ Smith-Shawver got six starts with the Braves in 2023 and was even put on the postseason roster. With all the Braves’ acquisitions in the off-season, he started the 2024 season back at Triple-A. On May 23, he was summoned to Atlanta to pitch. In 4.1 innings, he gave up three hits and no runs, striking out four. Unfortunately, he pulled his LAT and spent the next two months on the IL. He did pitch again, but it was in Triple-A.
Smith-Shawver has good stuff: a fastball that averages 96.2 (T 98), a plus change-up with an impressive fade, and a serviceable slider. The change-up is his nasty, getting a whiff rate of 45% against LHB. He doesn’t always throw strikes, but if he can improve his control, he’s at least a number three starter. Remember, he’s young. He only turns 22 in November.
2. Drake Baldwin (C)
- Highest Level: Triple-A ETA: 2025 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 20 Catcher
- Last Updated: 11/08/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s improved offensively and defensively in 2024.
Drake Baldwin made significant strides offensively and defensively in 2024. He split his time between Double and Triple-A, slashing .276/.370/.423, with a strikeout rate of 17% and a walk rate of 13%. His approach has some chase, but when he swings at strike, he hits it (z-contact 85.4%). I don’t think he’ll be a .300 hitter, but he could hit .270ish with 80 points on top of that for his OBP. It’s average power, so expecting 12 to 15 home runs seems reasonable.
Defensively, he’s improved his game-calling and blocking skills. It’s not a great arm, so that might present some problems. Otherwise, there’s a lot to like. I’ll put his ceiling just behind a starting catcher in a 15-team fantasy league.
3. Hurston Waldrep (RHP)
- Highest Level: Majors ETA: 2024 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 40 SP
- Last Updated: 11/08/2024
- Tools Summary: He has a solid fastball-splitter combination, and with some tweaks to his delivery, he could develop into a top-of-the-rotation starter.
Hurston Waldrep was the Braves’ first-round pick in 2023. He has many building blocks, including a fastball that will touch 98 (95.8 average) and a wicked splitter with tremendous fading action. Statcast data would suggest a 70-grade pitch. I was worried about his control after watching him pitch in 2023, but the Braves have cleaned up his delivery, and he threw more strikes in Double-A to begin 2024. The Braves were so impressed that they promoted him to Atlanta in mid-June. He lasted two outings and hit the IL with elbow inflammation. When he returned, he was sent to Triple-A, where he walked 23 in 34 innings.
I’m unsure what is happening, but his recent performance suggests his elbow is still a problem. If he’s healthy, you can project a number three starter.
4. Jose Perdomo (SS)
- Highest Level: DSL ETA: 2027 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 SS/3B
- Last Updated: 11/08/2024
- Tools Summary: He has the bat speed and feel for the barrel to hit for power and average. He’s also a plus runner and has a chance to light up the box scores.
The Braves spent $5 million to land Jose Perdomo, one of the premier talents in the 2024 International class. His season started late because of a hamstring injury, but he finally got on the field on July 16.
Perdomo is first and foremost a hitter. He is short to the ball and has plenty of bat speed to catch up to velocity. As with most 17-year-olds, he needs to get stronger, but once he does, he projects to hit for 12 to 15 home run pop. He’s currently a plus runner and should be able to steal 20+ bases annually through the middle of his career. Defensively, he should be able to stay at shortstop, but he has the arm to move to third.
5. Nacho Alvarez (3B)
- Highest Level: Majors ETA: 2024 Fantasy Ceiling: Middle Infielder
- Last Updated: 11/08/2024
- Tools Summary: High floor player with a potential plus hit tool and modest power. There could be 15+ stolen bases.
Ignacio “Nacho” Alvarez can really hit. He’s always posted excellent strikeout and walk rates throughout his minor league career. In 2024, he walked nearly as much as he struck out between Double and Triple-A. The Braves noticed, and when Ozzie Albies went down in July, Alvarez got the call. Unfortunately, the promotion was brief, and he was sent back to Triple-A after eight games.
There’s not a ton of fantasy goodness in the profile. He has above-average speed but doesn’t impact the ball very well. He’s a singles/doubles hitter who will get on base and score a lot of runs. It’s the definition of a high-floor player who could fit nicely as a middle infielder in a deeper fantasy league.
6. Drue Hackenberg (RHP)
- Highest Level: Triple-A ETA: 2025 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 60 SP
- Last Updated: 11/08/2024
- Tools Summary: His stuff has improved in 2024. He could quickly rise in the rankings if he can throw more strikes.
Drue Hackenberg came on my radar after an impressive seven-inning, 16-strikeout performance on July 21st. After I dug into him, I realized that there was more to Hack than being a one-game wonder.
He has a four-pitch mix with a fastball that will scrape 96 MPH. It has an excellent carry through the zone and sets up his slider and change-up. His slider, really a slurve, has improved throughout the year and has become his primary outpitch. His change-up is average and still needs work. His cutter, the main animal in his 7/21 game, could be a game-changer for him. You could see him reduce the use of his fastball and use his cutter more.
He’s intriguing and has a chance to be a number four starter, particularly if he can improve his control, which is below average (4.4 BB/9).
7. Cam Caminiti (LHP, #24)
- Highest Level: Low-A ETA: 2027+ Fantasy Ceiling: Top 30 SP with risk
- Last Updated: 11/08/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s athletic with a fastball that will touch 97 and promising secondary pitches.
The Braves selected Cam Caminiti with the 24th pick in the 2024 Draft. He’s the nephew of 15-year veteran Ken Caminiti, who, unfortunately, is no longer with us.
The Braves like taking pitchers with their first pick, and Caminiti is now the fifth pitcher taken in a row in the first round. While many previous picks have been high-floor pitchers, Caminiti has a lot to dream on. He’s athletic, with a fastball that will touch 97 MPH, a well above-average curveball, and a change-up. If it all comes together, he profiles as a top-of-the-rotation pitcher.
A lot can go wrong with high school pitchers, but Caminiti also brings a lot to the table and would be an excellent pick late in the second round in an FYPD.
8. JR Ritchie (RHP)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2025-26 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 45 SP with upside
- Last Updated: 11/08/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s finally back from TJS. The arsenal is solid, with a simple and repeatable delivery.
JR Ritchie returned from Tommy John Surgery in June and looked good. His stuff looks mostly back, but there will likely be an additional mile or two on his fastball as he gets stretched out.
He has a three-pitch mix: a fastball that sits 92 to 94 (T 95), a slider, and a change-up. His slider is the better of the two secondary pitches, but both look like solid offerings. Even his control looks back, as he only walked 12 in 42.1 innings across Low and High-A.
There’s a lot to like here, with a chance of being a mid-rotation starter, if not more.
9. Owen Murphy (RHP)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2027+ Fantasy Ceiling: Top 50 SP
- Last Updated: 11/08/2024
- Tools Summary: He was having a breakout season, but in late May, he hurt his elbow and needed season-ending TJ surgery.
Despite the Braves moving slowly with Owen Murphy, their first-round pick in 2022, he hurt his elbow in May and had Tommy John surgery shortly afterward. In 41.0 innings, he pitched to a 1.54 ERA, striking out over 13 per nine and walking 2.6 per nine.
He doesn’t have the big fastball; instead, he sits 91 to 93 MPH (T 94). It has a great spin and is a big reason for his success. His best secondary pitch is his curveball, which projects to be a plus pitch. He looked like a solid number-four starter, but elbow surgery adds uncertainty. He’ll likely miss the entire 2025 season.
10. Luis Guanipa (OF)
- Highest Level: Low-A ETA: 2026-27 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 60 OF with upside
- Last Updated: 11/08/2024
- Tools Summary: He improved his contact rate in 2024 but is still aggressive at the plate. He has average speed and power potential.
Luis Guanipa was the Braves big international signee in 2023 ($2.3 million). He got off to a slow start in 2024 due to a hamstring problem but looked solid in his 20 games in the Florida Complex League (.282/.346/.451). The Braves moved him to Low-A to finish the season, where he only hit .185 in 32 games.
He has average power and speed potential and a chance to become a 12 to 15 HR/SB player. His ceiling will depend on how much he hits, and I’m bullish on his improvements in making contact (12.5% strikeout rate).
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