With the Minor League season opening this week, here's where the Braves¡¯ Top 30 Prospects are projected to start:
- Drake Baldwin (MLB No. 61), C -- Atlanta (MLB)
- Cam Caminiti (MLB No. 87), LHP -- Extended spring training
- A.J. Smith-Shawver, RHP -- Atlanta (MLB)
- Hurston Waldrep, RHP -- Gwinnett (Triple-A)
- Nacho Alvarez, INF -- Atlanta (MLB) -- Injured list (wrist)
- Drue Hackenberg, RHP -- Columbus (Double-A)
- Owen Murphy, RHP -- Injured list (Tommy John surgery)
- JR Ritchie, RHP -- Rome (High-A)
- Garrett Baumann, RHP -- Rome (High-A)
- Jose Perdomo, SS -- Extended spring training
- Lucas Braun, RHP -- Columbus (Double-A)
- Didier Fuentes, RHP -- Rome (High-A)
- Jhancarlos Lara, RHP -- Columbus (Double-A)
- John Gil, SS/3B -- Augusta (Single-A)
- Luis Guanipa, OF -- Augusta (Single-A)
- Blake Burkhalter, RHP -- Columbus (Double-A)
- Diego Tornes, OF -- Dominican Republic complex
- Carter Holton, LHP -- Injured list (Tommy John surgery)
- David McCabe, 3B/1B -- Columbus (Double-A)
- Cade Kuehler, RHP -- Injured list (Tommy John surgery)
- Luke Sinnard, RHP -- Augusta (Single-A)
- Rolddy Munoz, RHP -- Columbus (Double-A)
- Herick Hernandez, LHP -- Rome (High-A)
- Nick Montgomery, C -- Augusta (Single-A)
- Ian Mejia, RHP -- Columbus (Double-A)
- Ethan Bagwell, RHP -- Augusta (Single-A)
- Raudy Reyes, RHP -- Dominican Republic complex
- Adam Maier, RHP -- Rome (High-A)
- Elison Joseph, RHP -- Columbus (Double-A)
- Carlos D. Rodriguez, OF -- Columbus (Double-A)
COMPLETE BRAVES PROSPECT COVERAGE
- Braves Top 30 prospects
- Prospect stats: Today | Last 10 | Last 30
- Draft pick stats
- Highlights
Team to watch
The Braves¡¯ Double-A affiliate has made the move from Mississippi to Columbus, Georgia (meaning all four Braves Minor League clubs are in the Peach State), and they have a new name: the Clingstones. For those of you not familiar, a clingstone is one of the two primary categories of peach (freestone is the other). To celebrate, the Braves have sent nine of their Top 30 to start the year with the new affiliate. Seven of them are pitchers, with Hackenberg, Braun and Lara in the top 15.
Players we could see in MLB in 2025
Baldwin and Smith-Shawver, who will graduate soon, are already there. Waldrep should pitch his way to another opportunity soon, and Alvarez could be back once he¡¯s healthy.
New faces
From the 2024 Draft class, Montgomery is the only one on the Top 30 who didn¡¯t at least get his feet wet professionally last year, and the fifth-rounder will kick things off in Augusta. Two of the Braves¡¯ big international signees made the list. Tornes received just under $2.5 million and Reyes signed for just shy of $1.8 million, the largest bonus given to a non-Sasaki pitcher in the 2025 international signing class. Both will take their first steps forward in the Dominican Summer League later this year.
On the shelf
Caminiti isn¡¯t really ¡°on the shelf,¡± but he is being held back in Florida a little while longer after being slowed by some minor soreness early in the spring. Alvarez is dealing with left wrist inflammation and is on the Major League injured list as a result. Murphy had Tommy John surgery last June, while Holton, the club¡¯s second-round pick in 2024, needed the elbow surgery just one appearance after signing. Kuehler¡¯s TJ was in July. All three should be ready to go for the 2026 season.