<img alt="Atlanta Braves Workouts" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wSk2JAAuE20HPveFkqT3ATyIEEo=/0x0:6938x4625/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73474665/1705847736.0.jpg">
Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
We open our list up with an interesting group of talents, many of whom seem to be on the rise. If you were around this morning then I’m sure you’re already anticipating this, as it is time once again for us to roll out another Top 30 Atlanta Braves prospects list. It has already been an exciting season for the Braves farm system, with each of our top three prospects from the preseason getting major league call ups. With the MLB draft now in the rearview mirror there has been a fresh influx of talent into the system. Thus this is the strongest list the Braves have had since the Matt Olson trade at the beginning of 2022. There are as many as four players that we think should be in top 100 consideration.
This list is a composited ranking of myself (Garrett Spain) and the crew that covers the minor leagues of Gaurav Vedak, Brady Petree, and Matt Powers. We each differ pretty significantly in our rankings, though I can say there is a distinct top nine guys in the system. Thus, the system should be seen as more of a series of tiers rather than hard-and-fast rankings, and we expect you to have differences in your own personal opinions. This will be the first list featuring the international free agents of the January period, which is only Jose Perdomo, and also features the recent draftees. There has only been one graduation so far this season, as Spencer Schwellenbach hit the 50 innings mark on Sunday.
To catch up on where we are:
Honorable mentions
- Allan Winans - RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2021 Rule 5 MiLB phase
Getting major league success out of the Rule 5 draft is pretty rare. Getting it during the minor league phase is even rarer. The Braves selected Winans back in 2021 and have gotten a quality arm that has put up good innings, for the Gwinnett Stripers as well as making seven starts for the big league team. Last year, Allan went 9-4 with a 2.85 ERA in 23 games - while making his MLB debut and appearing in six games. After appearing to have a blister issue earlier in the season, Winans turned it on in June, winning Pitcher of the Month in the International League and has now appeared in 15 games and has a 2.74 ERA, 8.2 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9 rates.
As seen by his walk numbers, Winans gets it done with his plus changeup, and fantastic command. His fastball sits in the low 90s and has good sinking action to it resulting in strong ground ball rates that typically sit near 50%. At 28, there isn’t really any projection from Winans, and this is who he is as a pitcher, but there are still Major League qualities in his arm and he is of good value to the organization whether it be in providing stability in Triple-A, or making some starts in the majors.
- Ambioris Tavarez - SS
How he got to the Braves: 2021 International Free Agent
Tavarez was the key signing from the 2021 international free agent signing period, commanding $1.5M which was most of the bonus pool the Braves had at the time due to the penalties levied against the organization and then GM John Coppolella. While it hasn’t quite worked out exactly the way the Braves envisioned with they signed the ultra athletic shortstop (.654 OPS across three seasons), he has shown flashes as to why the Braves inked him to that contract.
So far in 2024, Tavares has appeared in 41 games for the High-A Rome Emperors, hitting .194/.308/.326 (.634 OPS). While the batting average is way down, his walk rate improved resulting in a 11.8% walk percentage. There has also been a small improvement in his strikeout rate (40.8% in 2023, 36.7% in 2024) which you could attribute to his improved approach which saw him seeing the most pitches per plate appearance in the Braves organization.
There were a lot of things trending positively for Tavarez before he suffered a fractured hand. Combine that with the thoracic outlet injury from a couple of years ago it’s just unfortunate to see so much of his development stalled by random injuries. But still at just 20 years of age, there is plenty of time to give him to develop. There is a lot to like about his potential offensively, especially with him tapping into good raw power, to go along with dynamite defense at short.
- Luis De Avila - LHP
How he got to the Braves: Minor League Rule 5 draft, 2021
It’s been a unique road to the top for Luis De Avila. The Braves took D Avila in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft in 2021 and immediately got dividends from that insignificant investment. De Avila put together two great seasons and reached Gwinnett at the end of 2023. The Braves made some mechanical tweaks to start off 2024 that impacted his production early in the season, but he has bounced back significantly and now seems stronger than ever. Over his past five starts, De Avila has put up a 1.41 ERA while striking out 24% of his batters faced and walking a mere 5.8%.
De Avila is a product more of location and sequencing than raw staff, as none of his pitches on their own really jump off of the page. De Avila sits in the low 90’s, though with his low release point, his fastball does play up in the zone a bit better than you would expect. He can vary the location and shape of the pitch a bit to get swing and miss in the top of the zone and ground balls in the bottom half. His slider has bumped up to flashing average this season, which has helped improve his swing and miss in the second half of the season. De Avila’s changeup is fringy and is more of a change-of-pace than a quality pitch and below his fastball and slider combination.
De Avila’s slight bump this season to average command has made a huge difference in his projections. Now we are looking at a guy with the arsenal to provide some depth on the rotating wheel of pitching that Atlanta uses. He could also provide some meaningful relief innings if his fastball ticks up in short stints.
- Isaiah Drake - CF
How he got to the Braves: 2023 5th Round Draft Pick
Isaiah Drake was an exciting overslot pick for the Braves in the 2023 MLB Draft. A raw, but tooled up local hitter prospect from North Atlanta HS who had impressed at both the MLB Draft Combine and MLB Draft League prior to being selected. Drake is a four-tool prospect, with plus-plus speed, plus power, and is an above average defense in center with the arm to play anywhere in the outfield. Of course the one tool in question is the hit tool, but he just turned 19-years old last week so there is plenty of time.
Judging by the results this season he may need that time. He was a fairly surprising inclusion on Augusta’s roster in that he has always been considered raw as a hitter. The results so far have shown that, when he has been available to play, as he has also missed some time due to injury. So far he has played in 55 games in Low-A and is hitting .164/.242/.261 with six doubles, four triples, two homers, 17 steals, and 22 walks to 85 strikeouts over his 232 plate appearances.
Drake is a kid who has as high a ceiling as pretty much any hitting prospect in the entire system, but just how much of that ceiling he reaches will depend completely on how much of his hit tool he can unlock. He is years away, but certainly a player to keep a close eye on.
- Garrett Baumann - RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 4th Round Draft Pick
Standing at 6’8” and 245 lbs, you might expect Baumann to be a fireballer with poor command. The exact opposite turns out to be true, as Baumann repeats his mechanics remarkably well for a player of any size and has had no problems throwing strikes. The 19-year old has excelled in Single-A with a 3.07 FIP and only a 5.5% walk rate this season, though one with concerns over his 17% strikeout rate. Baumann struggles to miss bats at this stage in his career, and there is quite a bit left for him to develop to reach his potential.
Baumann sits in the low 90’s with his fastball, and from his high release point, he has a steep downhill plane with sinking action on the pitch. As a result he doesn’t miss bats with his fastball, but hitters do have a tendency to drive the pitch straight into the ground. Baumann is adept at getting weak contact, and his ability to locate all of his pitches leads him to being a pitcher that can consistently keep his team in games. Baumann features a changeup that is surprisingly advanced for a player his age, and could be an above average to plus pitch at maturity. It is the lone pitch in his arsenal that produces whiffs at a high rate, and as a result, Baumann has maintained even splits between left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters.
What we really want to see out of Baumann is the development of his slider, or the switch to a completely different secondary pitch altogether. Baumann struggles to spin his slider and it is not very effective, currently grading out well-below-average. Baumann is young so there is plenty of time for the Braves to be patient with their development. Baumann could be a back-of-the-rotation workhorse starter if everything clicks into place.
- Sabin Ceballos - 3B
How he got to the Braves: 2023 3rd Round Draft Pick
The Braves went to Oregon to draft one of the better pure college bats in the 2023 MLB Draft when they selected Sabin Ceballos in the third round. Ceballos was thought to be a good bet to hit for average with some power after posting a 1.069 OPS that spring with just two more strikeouts than walks. His biggest question coming in was where he would play defensively, similar to now former Braves prospect Justyn-Henry Malloy.
Ceballos got his feet wet with 14 games between the FCL and Augusta after signing and posted a solid .815 OPS. He began 2024 at High-A Rome and was a player considered likely to hit his way to the upper minors at some point this year. That hasn’t happened yet. Through 78 games, he has hit for average and gotten on base, though his power hasn’t really shown up in games. He is hitting .262/.354/.361 with 19 doubles, three homers, and 34 walks to 66 strikeouts in his 350 plate appearances.
Ceballos is still a guy with power in his bat, he just needs to get it to play in games. There is still time. It might not be the season that everyone had hoped for with Ceballos, but it is important to remember that this is his first full professional season.
<img alt="Atlanta Braves Workouts" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wSk2JAAuE20HPveFkqT3ATyIEEo=/0x0:6938x4625/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73474665/1705847736.0.jpg">
Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
We open our list up with an interesting group of talents, many of whom seem to be on the rise. If you were around this morning then I’m sure you’re already anticipating this, as it is time once again for us to roll out another Top 30 Atlanta Braves prospects list. It has already been an exciting season for the Braves farm system, with each of our top three prospects from the preseason getting major league call ups. With the MLB draft now in the rearview mirror there has been a fresh influx of talent into the system. Thus this is the strongest list the Braves have had since the Matt Olson trade at the beginning of 2022. There are as many as four players that we think should be in top 100 consideration.
This list is a composited ranking of myself (Garrett Spain) and the crew that covers the minor leagues of Gaurav Vedak, Brady Petree, and Matt Powers. We each differ pretty significantly in our rankings, though I can say there is a distinct top nine guys in the system. Thus, the system should be seen as more of a series of tiers rather than hard-and-fast rankings, and we expect you to have differences in your own personal opinions. This will be the first list featuring the international free agents of the January period, which is only Jose Perdomo, and also features the recent draftees. There has only been one graduation so far this season, as Spencer Schwellenbach hit the 50 innings mark on Sunday.
To catch up on where we are:
Honorable mentions
- Allan Winans - RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2021 Rule 5 MiLB phase
Getting major league success out of the Rule 5 draft is pretty rare. Getting it during the minor league phase is even rarer. The Braves selected Winans back in 2021 and have gotten a quality arm that has put up good innings, for the Gwinnett Stripers as well as making seven starts for the big league team. Last year, Allan went 9-4 with a 2.85 ERA in 23 games - while making his MLB debut and appearing in six games. After appearing to have a blister issue earlier in the season, Winans turned it on in June, winning Pitcher of the Month in the International League and has now appeared in 15 games and has a 2.74 ERA, 8.2 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9 rates.
As seen by his walk numbers, Winans gets it done with his plus changeup, and fantastic command. His fastball sits in the low 90s and has good sinking action to it resulting in strong ground ball rates that typically sit near 50%. At 28, there isn’t really any projection from Winans, and this is who he is as a pitcher, but there are still Major League qualities in his arm and he is of good value to the organization whether it be in providing stability in Triple-A, or making some starts in the majors.
- Ambioris Tavarez - SS
How he got to the Braves: 2021 International Free Agent
Tavarez was the key signing from the 2021 international free agent signing period, commanding $1.5M which was most of the bonus pool the Braves had at the time due to the penalties levied against the organization and then GM John Coppolella. While it hasn’t quite worked out exactly the way the Braves envisioned with they signed the ultra athletic shortstop (.654 OPS across three seasons), he has shown flashes as to why the Braves inked him to that contract.
So far in 2024, Tavares has appeared in 41 games for the High-A Rome Emperors, hitting .194/.308/.326 (.634 OPS). While the batting average is way down, his walk rate improved resulting in a 11.8% walk percentage. There has also been a small improvement in his strikeout rate (40.8% in 2023, 36.7% in 2024) which you could attribute to his improved approach which saw him seeing the most pitches per plate appearance in the Braves organization.
There were a lot of things trending positively for Tavarez before he suffered a fractured hand. Combine that with the thoracic outlet injury from a couple of years ago it’s just unfortunate to see so much of his development stalled by random injuries. But still at just 20 years of age, there is plenty of time to give him to develop. There is a lot to like about his potential offensively, especially with him tapping into good raw power, to go along with dynamite defense at short.
- Luis De Avila - LHP
How he got to the Braves: Minor League Rule 5 draft, 2021
It’s been a unique road to the top for Luis De Avila. The Braves took D Avila in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft in 2021 and immediately got dividends from that insignificant investment. De Avila put together two great seasons and reached Gwinnett at the end of 2023. The Braves made some mechanical tweaks to start off 2024 that impacted his production early in the season, but he has bounced back significantly and now seems stronger than ever. Over his past five starts, De Avila has put up a 1.41 ERA while striking out 24% of his batters faced and walking a mere 5.8%.
De Avila is a product more of location and sequencing than raw staff, as none of his pitches on their own really jump off of the page. De Avila sits in the low 90’s, though with his low release point, his fastball does play up in the zone a bit better than you would expect. He can vary the location and shape of the pitch a bit to get swing and miss in the top of the zone and ground balls in the bottom half. His slider has bumped up to flashing average this season, which has helped improve his swing and miss in the second half of the season. De Avila’s changeup is fringy and is more of a change-of-pace than a quality pitch and below his fastball and slider combination.
De Avila’s slight bump this season to average command has made a huge difference in his projections. Now we are looking at a guy with the arsenal to provide some depth on the rotating wheel of pitching that Atlanta uses. He could also provide some meaningful relief innings if his fastball ticks up in short stints.
- Isaiah Drake - CF
How he got to the Braves: 2023 5th Round Draft Pick
Isaiah Drake was an exciting overslot pick for the Braves in the 2023 MLB Draft. A raw, but tooled up local hitter prospect from North Atlanta HS who had impressed at both the MLB Draft Combine and MLB Draft League prior to being selected. Drake is a four-tool prospect, with plus-plus speed, plus power, and is an above average defense in center with the arm to play anywhere in the outfield. Of course the one tool in question is the hit tool, but he just turned 19-years old last week so there is plenty of time.
Judging by the results this season he may need that time. He was a fairly surprising inclusion on Augusta’s roster in that he has always been considered raw as a hitter. The results so far have shown that, when he has been available to play, as he has also missed some time due to injury. So far he has played in 55 games in Low-A and is hitting .164/.242/.261 with six doubles, four triples, two homers, 17 steals, and 22 walks to 85 strikeouts over his 232 plate appearances.
Drake is a kid who has as high a ceiling as pretty much any hitting prospect in the entire system, but just how much of that ceiling he reaches will depend completely on how much of his hit tool he can unlock. He is years away, but certainly a player to keep a close eye on.
- Garrett Baumann - RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 4th Round Draft Pick
Standing at 6’8” and 245 lbs, you might expect Baumann to be a fireballer with poor command. The exact opposite turns out to be true, as Baumann repeats his mechanics remarkably well for a player of any size and has had no problems throwing strikes. The 19-year old has excelled in Single-A with a 3.07 FIP and only a 5.5% walk rate this season, though one with concerns over his 17% strikeout rate. Baumann struggles to miss bats at this stage in his career, and there is quite a bit left for him to develop to reach his potential.
Baumann sits in the low 90’s with his fastball, and from his high release point, he has a steep downhill plane with sinking action on the pitch. As a result he doesn’t miss bats with his fastball, but hitters do have a tendency to drive the pitch straight into the ground. Baumann is adept at getting weak contact, and his ability to locate all of his pitches leads him to being a pitcher that can consistently keep his team in games. Baumann features a changeup that is surprisingly advanced for a player his age, and could be an above average to plus pitch at maturity. It is the lone pitch in his arsenal that produces whiffs at a high rate, and as a result, Baumann has maintained even splits between left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters.
What we really want to see out of Baumann is the development of his slider, or the switch to a completely different secondary pitch altogether. Baumann struggles to spin his slider and it is not very effective, currently grading out well-below-average. Baumann is young so there is plenty of time for the Braves to be patient with their development. Baumann could be a back-of-the-rotation workhorse starter if everything clicks into place.
- Sabin Ceballos - 3B
How he got to the Braves: 2023 3rd Round Draft Pick
The Braves went to Oregon to draft one of the better pure college bats in the 2023 MLB Draft when they selected Sabin Ceballos in the third round. Ceballos was thought to be a good bet to hit for average with some power after posting a 1.069 OPS that spring with just two more strikeouts than walks. His biggest question coming in was where he would play defensively, similar to now former Braves prospect Justyn-Henry Malloy.
Ceballos got his feet wet with 14 games between the FCL and Augusta after signing and posted a solid .815 OPS. He began 2024 at High-A Rome and was a player considered likely to hit his way to the upper minors at some point this year. That hasn’t happened yet. Through 78 games, he has hit for average and gotten on base, though his power hasn’t really shown up in games. He is hitting .262/.354/.361 with 19 doubles, three homers, and 34 walks to 66 strikeouts in his 350 plate appearances.
Ceballos is still a guy with power in his bat, he just needs to get it to play in games. There is still time. It might not be the season that everyone had hoped for with Ceballos, but it is important to remember that this is his first full professional season.
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