<img alt="All-Star Futures Game" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/k4BBz3_F4Bn3mcGmhk6vKj33tkM=/0x0:4806x3204/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73709098/2161920524.0.jpg">
Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
Baldwin is Atlanta’s number one prospect heading into 2025, while Vargas had a break out season thanks to a velocity increase The 2024 edition of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation’s Premier 12 tournament will start up on Saturday, where a number of current and former Atlanta Braves players and prospects will be in action. I’ve compiled a list of these players from the roster announcements, but the biggest name to watch will be catching prospect Drake Baldwin on Team USA. Premier 12 is an international tournament that faces the top 12 in the WBSC rankings against each other.
Group A
United States
Full Roster
Drake Baldwin is one of three catchers on Team USA’s roster, though veteran MLB catcher Chris Okey could be a threat to take away Baldwin’s chances at playing time. Baldwin had a terrific season in 2024, setting himself up as Atlanta’s top overall prospect and a Top 100 prospect in baseball, partially due to his performance at the Futures Game. Baldwin had a home run as well as another hard hit sacrifice fly, helping the National League to a win. In Triple-A Baldwin had his major breakout, posting a 135 wRC+ with an on base percentage of .407, and now looks poised to take over as a potential backup to Sean Murphy in the next couple of seasons.
Touki Toussaint was once one of Atlanta’s biggest pieces, a terrific athlete with top 100 rankings that featured on the 2021 World Series team. Toussaint never broke out with Atlanta as his command never progressed towards making him a starter, and in four seasons with the Braves he posted -0.4 fWAR and an ERA of 5.46. Toussaint most recently pitched with the Chicago White Sox, where he has continued to struggle to find his footing.
Mexico
full roster
Alejo Lopez spent part of three seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, compiling 76 games played and a -0.2 career fWAR, before joining Atlanta on a minor league contract over the 2023-2024 offseason. Lopez had a monster season in Gwinnett with a 114 wRC+ fueled by a .392 on base percentage, but never got a chance in Atlanta even when injuries took a toll on the roster. He is currently a free agent.
Manny Banuelos started his career as a massive prospect in the New York Yankees system, but never quite found his footing and was ultimately shipped to Atlanta in 2015 where his stuff never recovered following a slew of injuries. Banuelos spent two seasons in Atlanta’s system, mostly in Triple-A Gwinnett, but did make seven appearances where he posted a 5.13 ERA/5.37 FIP/5.14 xFIP across 26 1⁄3 innings. Banuelos hasn’t pitched in affiliated ball since 2022, but has a 2.93 ERA in 15 1⁄3 innings in the Mexican Pacific Winter League this season.
Netherlands
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Hendrik Clementina spent three years in the Atlanta Braves system splitting his time between Gwinnett and Mississippi, and proved himself a capable depth catcher with plenty of raw power. Injuries unfortunately derailed him in 2023, and with the emergence of Drake Baldwin and return of Chadwick Tromp there was little reason to keep Clementina around as depth. He was not picked up on an affiliated contract for 2024, but has been terrific in the Venezuelan League this winter with a 1.016 OPS.
Ray-Patrick Didder will remain fondly remembered for his participation in the 2016 Rome Braves championship, where his outfield defense and propensity for being hit by pitches helped fuel the Braves offense. Didder maxed out at Double-A for the Braves, where his hit tool was never good enough to get over the hump, and has since bounced around through three professional systems. He played this past season in Double-A with the Padres, but struggled with a .610 OPS. He is still a master of free bases, however, getting hit by 21 pitches to bring his career total to 176.
Panama
full roster
Johan Camargo has a World Series ring with the Braves, and had a respectable career in Atlanta with 4.0 fWAR. Camargo’s best season came in 2018 when a power surge to 19 home runs fueled a 115 wRC+ and 3.2 fWAR, but he soon after lost his job to Josh Donaldson, then Austin Riley, and never had a major league impact after 2018. Camargo joined the Phillies in 2022, and last played in the major leagues with the Giants where he struggled in eight games in 2023. Camargo did not play professionally in 2024 and is currently a free agent.
Puerto Rico
full roster
Sabin Ceballos’s time in Atlanta was short, as he was drafted in 2023 and traded at the deadline to acquire Jorge Soler. Ceballos has a future now with the San Francisco Giants organization, where he had a huge rest of 2024 hitting .295/.364/.549 over his final 32 games.
Dereck Rodriguez pitched only 4 2⁄3 innings with Atlanta in 2023, and hopefully you don’t remember them. Rodriguez was fantastic for San Francisco in 2018, making 19 starts and putting up a 2.81 ERA/3.74 FIP/4.56 xFIP but has yet to repeat any of that success with -1.4 fWAR since. Rodriguez did not pitch in affiliated ball after the Braves granted him free agency, and across the summer and winter seasons in Mexico posted a 4.83 ERA.
Venezuela
full roster
Ehire Adrianza has carved out a solid major league career as a utility player, spending parts of three seasons with Atlanta from 2021 to 2023. Adrianza became a well-liked member of the organization after providing solid bench play during the 2021 World Series season, though he hasn’t come near to the playing time in subsequent seasons. Adrianza played eight games with the Angels in 2024, hitting .192/.250/.346, and is currently a free agent.
Hernan Perez played over 600 games in a major league uniform, compiling 1.6 fWAR, but he never played in Atlanta. Instead his Braves career is limited to 86 games with the Gwinnett Stripers in 2022, where he posted a 91 wRC+. Perez last played in the major leagues in 2021 and spent last season in Triple-A with Cincinnati where he struggled to a 67 wRC+. He is currently a free agent.
Enderson Franco had a three season run in the Braves system, getting as high as Triple-A where he had a 1.89 FIP in nine innings. Franco never missed enough bats as a professional to make an impact, but did get a cup of coffee with the Giant in 2019 where he put up a 3.38 ERA/4.71 FIP/5.63 xFIP in 5 1⁄3 innings. He has not played affiliated ball since 2019, but in 61 appearances in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 2024 he had a 2.34 ERA.
Anthony Vizcaya joined the Braves on a minor league contract last season, and put up okay numbers in Mississippi’s bullpen. Vizcaya, now 31, was released by the Braves in August and has never played in the major leagues.
Group B
Australia
full roster
Jon Kennedy is a towering lefty reliever who joined the Braves system in 2016 and pitched on the Rome championship team. Kennedy spent four years in the Braves system but only had a cup of coffee past High-A, where he wasn’t able to miss enough bats to advance past the Florida Fire Frogs.
Steve Kent had a circuitous route to a professional career, first signing with the Braves in 2006. After playing with them until 2011 he was released, but eventually rejoined the Braves in 2016 after five years away from affiliated action. Kent had a solid season with a 3.36 ERA in 41 games with Mississippi, but returned to Australia over the winter and has spent the past eight years there.
Cuba
full roster
Yoan Lopez, who pitched with Gwinnett in 2021, was initially on Cuba’s roster, but has since been removed due to health issues.
Dominican Republic
full roster
Luis Vargas is a top 30 candidate for Atlanta, following a season that saw his velocity jump to him sitting in the mid-90s and topping out at 98 mph on his fastball. Vargas features a three pitch mix with a major league quality slider, though his command is still in question. Vargas has been a part of the Braves system since 2018, but still hasn’t advanced past High-A where he had a 4.08 ERA/4.18 FIP/3.97 xFIP in 2024. Vargas is still only 23 years old though and seems to be a late bloomer, who could have a bright relief future.
Luis Vargas with 12 strikeouts for Augusta. Lost velocity towards the end but sat 96-97 T98 in the first 3-4 innings pic.twitter.com/uRfwB56ewB— Garrett Spain (@BravesMILB) May 23, 2024
Jorge Juan joined the Braves in minor league free agency after five seasons with the Athletics, and spent the entire season in Mississippi. The 6’8” tall lefty is a formidable presence with a big fastball, and he racked up a 29.9% strikeout rate last season. Unfortunately his command is borderline hopeless, and he is currently a free agent.
Japan
full roster
South Korea
full roster
Chinese Taipei
full roster
There are no Braves or former Braves on these rosters. If I missed anyone on any of these rosters please let me know in the comments.
Schedule
Premier 12 group play starts on Saturday in Guadalajara, Mexico, where Panama and the Netherlands will get underway at 2:00 PM EST, 1:00 PM local time. All six teams in Group A will play back to back games over the weekend, and will finish out group play with USA vs Mexico on Thursday, November 14th at 7 PM EST.
Group B plays in Taipei and will be started by an Australia vs Japan matchup on Wednesday, November 13th, and will run until Monday November 18th where Cuba vs Chinese Taipei concludes group play. After this the top two from either group will advance to the super round, played in the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Each team will play each other from November 21st to November 23rd and the top two will advance to the Championship final on November 24th, to be proceeded by the Bronze Medal game.
We will have daily recaps of the action on Battery Power, which we will post each morning starting with a preview of tomorrow’s games tomorrow morning. We will focus on the performances of Baldwin and Vargas as they are the most relevant to our coverage on the site, but I also want to give some love to international baseball as well and get us all involved in the fun.
<img alt="All-Star Futures Game" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/k4BBz3_F4Bn3mcGmhk6vKj33tkM=/0x0:4806x3204/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73709098/2161920524.0.jpg">
Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
Baldwin is Atlanta’s number one prospect heading into 2025, while Vargas had a break out season thanks to a velocity increase The 2024 edition of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation’s Premier 12 tournament will start up on Saturday, where a number of current and former Atlanta Braves players and prospects will be in action. I’ve compiled a list of these players from the roster announcements, but the biggest name to watch will be catching prospect Drake Baldwin on Team USA. Premier 12 is an international tournament that faces the top 12 in the WBSC rankings against each other.
Group A
United States
Full Roster
Drake Baldwin is one of three catchers on Team USA’s roster, though veteran MLB catcher Chris Okey could be a threat to take away Baldwin’s chances at playing time. Baldwin had a terrific season in 2024, setting himself up as Atlanta’s top overall prospect and a Top 100 prospect in baseball, partially due to his performance at the Futures Game. Baldwin had a home run as well as another hard hit sacrifice fly, helping the National League to a win. In Triple-A Baldwin had his major breakout, posting a 135 wRC+ with an on base percentage of .407, and now looks poised to take over as a potential backup to Sean Murphy in the next couple of seasons.
Touki Toussaint was once one of Atlanta’s biggest pieces, a terrific athlete with top 100 rankings that featured on the 2021 World Series team. Toussaint never broke out with Atlanta as his command never progressed towards making him a starter, and in four seasons with the Braves he posted -0.4 fWAR and an ERA of 5.46. Toussaint most recently pitched with the Chicago White Sox, where he has continued to struggle to find his footing.
Mexico
full roster
Alejo Lopez spent part of three seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, compiling 76 games played and a -0.2 career fWAR, before joining Atlanta on a minor league contract over the 2023-2024 offseason. Lopez had a monster season in Gwinnett with a 114 wRC+ fueled by a .392 on base percentage, but never got a chance in Atlanta even when injuries took a toll on the roster. He is currently a free agent.
Manny Banuelos started his career as a massive prospect in the New York Yankees system, but never quite found his footing and was ultimately shipped to Atlanta in 2015 where his stuff never recovered following a slew of injuries. Banuelos spent two seasons in Atlanta’s system, mostly in Triple-A Gwinnett, but did make seven appearances where he posted a 5.13 ERA/5.37 FIP/5.14 xFIP across 26 1⁄3 innings. Banuelos hasn’t pitched in affiliated ball since 2022, but has a 2.93 ERA in 15 1⁄3 innings in the Mexican Pacific Winter League this season.
Netherlands
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by TeamNL HonkbalSoftbalNL (@honkbalsoftbalnl)
Hendrik Clementina spent three years in the Atlanta Braves system splitting his time between Gwinnett and Mississippi, and proved himself a capable depth catcher with plenty of raw power. Injuries unfortunately derailed him in 2023, and with the emergence of Drake Baldwin and return of Chadwick Tromp there was little reason to keep Clementina around as depth. He was not picked up on an affiliated contract for 2024, but has been terrific in the Venezuelan League this winter with a 1.016 OPS.
Ray-Patrick Didder will remain fondly remembered for his participation in the 2016 Rome Braves championship, where his outfield defense and propensity for being hit by pitches helped fuel the Braves offense. Didder maxed out at Double-A for the Braves, where his hit tool was never good enough to get over the hump, and has since bounced around through three professional systems. He played this past season in Double-A with the Padres, but struggled with a .610 OPS. He is still a master of free bases, however, getting hit by 21 pitches to bring his career total to 176.
Panama
full roster
Johan Camargo has a World Series ring with the Braves, and had a respectable career in Atlanta with 4.0 fWAR. Camargo’s best season came in 2018 when a power surge to 19 home runs fueled a 115 wRC+ and 3.2 fWAR, but he soon after lost his job to Josh Donaldson, then Austin Riley, and never had a major league impact after 2018. Camargo joined the Phillies in 2022, and last played in the major leagues with the Giants where he struggled in eight games in 2023. Camargo did not play professionally in 2024 and is currently a free agent.
Puerto Rico
full roster
Sabin Ceballos’s time in Atlanta was short, as he was drafted in 2023 and traded at the deadline to acquire Jorge Soler. Ceballos has a future now with the San Francisco Giants organization, where he had a huge rest of 2024 hitting .295/.364/.549 over his final 32 games.
Dereck Rodriguez pitched only 4 2⁄3 innings with Atlanta in 2023, and hopefully you don’t remember them. Rodriguez was fantastic for San Francisco in 2018, making 19 starts and putting up a 2.81 ERA/3.74 FIP/4.56 xFIP but has yet to repeat any of that success with -1.4 fWAR since. Rodriguez did not pitch in affiliated ball after the Braves granted him free agency, and across the summer and winter seasons in Mexico posted a 4.83 ERA.
Venezuela
full roster
Ehire Adrianza has carved out a solid major league career as a utility player, spending parts of three seasons with Atlanta from 2021 to 2023. Adrianza became a well-liked member of the organization after providing solid bench play during the 2021 World Series season, though he hasn’t come near to the playing time in subsequent seasons. Adrianza played eight games with the Angels in 2024, hitting .192/.250/.346, and is currently a free agent.
Hernan Perez played over 600 games in a major league uniform, compiling 1.6 fWAR, but he never played in Atlanta. Instead his Braves career is limited to 86 games with the Gwinnett Stripers in 2022, where he posted a 91 wRC+. Perez last played in the major leagues in 2021 and spent last season in Triple-A with Cincinnati where he struggled to a 67 wRC+. He is currently a free agent.
Enderson Franco had a three season run in the Braves system, getting as high as Triple-A where he had a 1.89 FIP in nine innings. Franco never missed enough bats as a professional to make an impact, but did get a cup of coffee with the Giant in 2019 where he put up a 3.38 ERA/4.71 FIP/5.63 xFIP in 5 1⁄3 innings. He has not played affiliated ball since 2019, but in 61 appearances in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 2024 he had a 2.34 ERA.
Anthony Vizcaya joined the Braves on a minor league contract last season, and put up okay numbers in Mississippi’s bullpen. Vizcaya, now 31, was released by the Braves in August and has never played in the major leagues.
Group B
Australia
full roster
Jon Kennedy is a towering lefty reliever who joined the Braves system in 2016 and pitched on the Rome championship team. Kennedy spent four years in the Braves system but only had a cup of coffee past High-A, where he wasn’t able to miss enough bats to advance past the Florida Fire Frogs.
Steve Kent had a circuitous route to a professional career, first signing with the Braves in 2006. After playing with them until 2011 he was released, but eventually rejoined the Braves in 2016 after five years away from affiliated action. Kent had a solid season with a 3.36 ERA in 41 games with Mississippi, but returned to Australia over the winter and has spent the past eight years there.
Cuba
full roster
Yoan Lopez, who pitched with Gwinnett in 2021, was initially on Cuba’s roster, but has since been removed due to health issues.
Dominican Republic
full roster
Luis Vargas is a top 30 candidate for Atlanta, following a season that saw his velocity jump to him sitting in the mid-90s and topping out at 98 mph on his fastball. Vargas features a three pitch mix with a major league quality slider, though his command is still in question. Vargas has been a part of the Braves system since 2018, but still hasn’t advanced past High-A where he had a 4.08 ERA/4.18 FIP/3.97 xFIP in 2024. Vargas is still only 23 years old though and seems to be a late bloomer, who could have a bright relief future.
Luis Vargas with 12 strikeouts for Augusta. Lost velocity towards the end but sat 96-97 T98 in the first 3-4 innings pic.twitter.com/uRfwB56ewB— Garrett Spain (@BravesMILB) May 23, 2024
Jorge Juan joined the Braves in minor league free agency after five seasons with the Athletics, and spent the entire season in Mississippi. The 6’8” tall lefty is a formidable presence with a big fastball, and he racked up a 29.9% strikeout rate last season. Unfortunately his command is borderline hopeless, and he is currently a free agent.
Japan
full roster
South Korea
full roster
Chinese Taipei
full roster
There are no Braves or former Braves on these rosters. If I missed anyone on any of these rosters please let me know in the comments.
Schedule
Premier 12 group play starts on Saturday in Guadalajara, Mexico, where Panama and the Netherlands will get underway at 2:00 PM EST, 1:00 PM local time. All six teams in Group A will play back to back games over the weekend, and will finish out group play with USA vs Mexico on Thursday, November 14th at 7 PM EST.
Group B plays in Taipei and will be started by an Australia vs Japan matchup on Wednesday, November 13th, and will run until Monday November 18th where Cuba vs Chinese Taipei concludes group play. After this the top two from either group will advance to the super round, played in the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Each team will play each other from November 21st to November 23rd and the top two will advance to the Championship final on November 24th, to be proceeded by the Bronze Medal game.
We will have daily recaps of the action on Battery Power, which we will post each morning starting with a preview of tomorrow’s games tomorrow morning. We will focus on the performances of Baldwin and Vargas as they are the most relevant to our coverage on the site, but I also want to give some love to international baseball as well and get us all involved in the fun.
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