The Braves pitching depth begins to make itself known in the second installment of our top 30 prospects
We now jump forward into our second group of players of our top 30 Atlanta Braves prospects, heavily represented by recent introductions to the system. The Braves have, it’s no secret, focused heavily on building pitching depth at every level of the minor leagues, to the point that from the FCL on up through Double-A nearly every start is made by a player with a legitimate prospect pedigree. The Braves have also been unafraid to take players with injury concerns, and a theme starts to emerge here with three of the prospects in this portion of the list having their seasons cut short due to arm injuries. Still, the Braves focus on pitching has created an exciting group of pitching talents in the back half of the top 30, who although likely a couple of years away at least from major league contribution have the potential to make significant strides and join an ever-increasing group of Braves prospects to vastly exceed their early expectations.
24. Hayden Harris – LHRP
How he got to the Braves: Signed as undrafted free agent in July 2022
The story of Hayden Harris — regardless of what happens in 2025 — will be one for the books as far as Braves prospects go. As an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Southern University, Harris has catapulted himself to the brink of a big league call-up utilizing a unique fastball that has a significant amount of rise on it despite lacking elite velocity.
Harris began his 2024 campaign in Mississippi, where he made 19 appearances — posting a 14.8 K/9 ratio to go along with a 1.74 ERA — before being called up to Triple-A Gwinnett. There, he made 22 appearances out of the Stripers’ bullpen, albeit with much different results. In those 22 games, Harris posted a grisly 7.36 ERA, good for a 5.66 FIP. However, while the run prevention statistics weren’t great, numbers continued to show Harris had the ability to miss bats at the upper levels without a dominating fastball. In 22 innings, Harris posted a 14.32 K/9, which was just a smidge below his Double-A numbers.
Given the fact that the Braves are essentially playing with house money when it comes to Harris, whatever Atlanta can get out of him should be considered a win. But, that’s not to say there isn’t any big league value there. Harris will most likely get a shot at Atlanta’s bullpen sometime this season — especially given the departure of A.J. Minter and the injury to Joe Jimenez. He’s not going to blow anyone away with his stuff, but Harris has made his career defying the odds, so who are we to say he can’t do it once more?
23. Cade Kuehler – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 MLB Draft, 2nd Round
When the Braves drafted Cade Kuehler out of Campbell in the second round back in 2023, the scouting report on him was a 98 MPH fastball, plus slider, and average or better curve and change. That also came with some reliever risk due to his command needing work and being on the smaller side at 6’0, 215 with less than ideal mechanics.
Kuehler made two appearances in 2023, both with Low-A Augusta, and began 2024 back there. Overall there he posted a 2.52 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 44 strikeouts to 20 walks over 50 innings pitched. He went to Rome and made one tough three inning start before having his season come to an end due to injury at the end of June.
Unfortunately that injury required a Tommy John surgery, which will keep him out for the majority of this season at the very least. The injury, as well as a slight drop in velocity last year, help to explain why he has taken a bit of a drop in the rankings from last year. While it’s hard to expect to see him this year for any length of time, the future is still bright for a guy with two swing and miss pitches – the only question is whether that will come from the rotation, or out of the pen.
22. Ambioris Tavarez – SS
How he got to the Braves: 2021 international free agent
Ambioris was one of the biggest signings the Braves had upon the ending of the international sanctions placed upon the organization and the Braves went all in on him, giving him the biggest bonus at $1.2M. At the time, Ambioris was a slick fielding shortstop who projected to stay at the position with great bat speed, good power (especially for the position), good speed, and a cannon for an arm. He was rated amongst the top international free agents and was a sizable addition to the Braves farm system.
While he has shown flashes of what the Braves saw, a pair of injuries have really limited his availability. Entering his first season in the organization Ambioris was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome which knocked him out of the year after just 17 games – a huge blow to his development. Ambioris would enter 2023 looking to make a name for himself after missing nearly a full year of baseball and was placed at Single-A Augusta where the shortstop struggled with the bat – hitting .216/.319/.337 with a staggering 41% strikeout rate that offset his strong 9% walk rate.
Ambioris would enter 2024 with a slightly diminished stock but still possessed the tools needed to succeed and had a clear plan of action – work on his plate recognition. While the overall numbers at the plate don’t strike tons of confidence (.199/.298/.320) Ambioris led the farm system in pitches per plate appearance – showcasing an improved ability to recognize the overall strikezone. While the contact numbers must improve this is a player that still has only had one full season of baseball all the while improving on one of his biggest struggles.
Ambioris will never lead the league in hitting, but with improved contact numbers which result in a higher batting average and his strong walk rate – you have an intriguing player with good power at the shortstop position to go along with fantastic defense which is why he remains in our top 30 despite the struggles.
21. Luke Sinnard – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2024 MLB Draft, 3rd Round
In the third round of the most recent MLB Draft the Braves selected a large (6’8, 250) right-handed pitcher from Indiana named Luke Sinnard. Sinnard most likely would have gone a full round earlier had he not blown out his arm at the end of the 2023 college season and missed the entire 2024 season.
Sinnard began his career at Western Kentucky as a freshman and struggled to find a consistent role as he battled with his command that spring, before heading to IU for the 2023 season. Sinnard took a step forward in 2023, especially with the command, and became a workhorse for the Hoosiers. He posted a 4.27 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 114 strikeouts to 25 walks over 86.1 innings before blowing out his arm in the NCAA Tournament.
Sinnard isn’t what you tend to think of when you picture a guy with his frame. He’s not a flamethrower, but he has a chance to have above average grades on his fastball, slider, and curve, and gets good movement. The command still needs to continue improving, and his changeup is also a pitch that has to get better in order for him to reach his ceiling.
The ceiling for Sinnard is more of a middle of the rotation innings-eater type of pitcher than a possible top of the rotation arm because he lacks a true plus pitch. He will likely start the year in Low-A, and will likely be brought along very slowly in 2025 before getting turned loose next year considering this will be his return from injury.
20. Garrett Baumann – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 MLB Draft, 4th Round
Perhaps one of the more physically imposing players Atlanta has taken in the draft in some time, Baumann has perhaps the most raw potential of any arm in the system. Standing at 6-foot-8, 240-pounds, the 19-year-old got his first taste of full season ball and he didn’t disappoint.
After making a lone appearance with Augusta after being drafted in 2023, Baumann began his 2024 season with the GreenJackets where — over 19 games, 18 of which were starts — he posted a 3.42 ERA. He capped off his first full season by tossing seven shutout frames for Rome, while scattering four hits, walking none and striking out five in his High-A debut on Sept. 3.
One of the key knocks against Baumann — especially given his size — is the fact that his fastball mainly sits in the low-to-mid-90’s. He has also shown a heavy reliance on his fastball, and while it is effective as he often mixes between his two-seamer and four-seamer, there seems to be a bit of reluctance to consistently throw his offspeed studd despite scouts believing there is the chance for average to above-average development there.
Overall, Baumann showed an excellent feel for the strike zone to the tune of just 2.25 BB/9 in 99 innings on the mound. The biggest indicator that Baumann may have a great shot at long-term success, however, is his ability to keep the baseball in the ballpark. In those 99 frames, Baumann allowed just three home runs the entire season. If he can continue to develop his secondary pitches while commanding the zone and keeping opposing batters from rounding the bases, there’s a good chance Baumann rockets up our board during the midseason rankings.
19. Jeremy Reyes – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 International Free Agency
Jeremy Reyes burst into attention this season with his stateside debut, and despite poor numbers in limited appearances in Single-A appears to be on a trajectory to become a major league starting pitchers. Reyes joined the Braves in the same international class that produced fellow top 30 pitcher Luis Arestigueta, and the duo made for exciting baseball for the time they were together in the FCL. On any given day those two had the chance to lead a bad FCL team to wins, with Reyes making five appearances with a paltry 1.25 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 21 2⁄3 innings. Walks, however, were a problem for Reyes as he allowed 13, and they continued to be upon promotion to Augusta on June 11th. Reyes walked four batters in his debut, but his run-prevention skill, or luck, prevailed throughout his four starts there as he never allowed more than two earned runs in any start this season. His best start in Augusta was his second, a four inning, five strikeout, one walk affair that informed much of the confidence in Reyes moving forward. Unfortunately a shoulder injury in a July 2nd start, though by all accounts a minor one, would put a stop to the season as the Braves wisely showed extreme caution with their promising 18 year old.
Reyes’s command is the biggest question mark moving forward for him, but his overall athleticism, loose arm action, along with a repeatable delivery provide evidence he could grow into average command at maturity. Reyes currently struggles to repeat his release point and that has led to those struggles with command and the consistency of his two secondary offerings, but at his best he flashes three average to above average offerings. Reyes is already sitting 93-95 mph on his fastball, with the ability to touch the upper 90’s and projection left in his frame. He can miss bats with his fastball at the top of the strike zone due to its above average carry, though he has thus far struggles to get the pitch there. That has been a consistent point of emphasis for the Braves with young pitchers at the Low-A level, and we’ll likely see that be the main focus for Reyes this season. Reyes’s slider is his current best offering, sitting low-to-mid 80’s with a short, sharp break. Reyes also mixes in a changeup which is far away from being a major league option, with the inconsistency of his release giving him trouble both with the location and movement of his pitch. Reyes will occasionally pop out a changeup with huge fade down in the zone that shows there is a feel to kill spin down in the zone, he just needs more in-game reps with the pitch to get comfortable with it. Overall there is the toolbox here for a mid-rotation starter, though Reyes is the riskiest starter on the top 30.