We are just a day away from the top section of the list, with our 7th through 12th ranked prospects looking to take leaps forward this season
2025 was an unfortunately chaotic year for the Atlanta Braves system, one that was expected to be an opportunity for them to rise from the depths of the league’s worst farm systems. Instead, it was often a season of waiting, with seven of our current 11 top players facing some sort of injury bug during the year. In a system so heavy on pitching that doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise, but nearly all of the Braves early round picks and top international signees over the past five years have seen early portions of their pro careers hampered by injury. Still, the Braves have had quite a bit of good fortune in many of these rebounding, often stronger, from injuries. The penultimate section of our top 30 will look at some of those who haven’t quite had the opportunity to rebound yet, but is also the section that will likely prove most imperative to the Braves pulling their farm system out of the basement. Four of the Braves top six picks have seen significant Triple-A time, leaving the next wave of Braves top prospects right here from 7 to 12.
If you need to catch up on the back half of our list you can check the links below, and also stick with us after the final release tomorrow. We will be hosting a live Q&A starting at 6:30 pm ET (more info) focused on the top 30 list, but we will also be open to field any other questions you may have.
13-18 | 19-24 | 25-30 | Honorable Mentions
12. Lucas Braun – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 Draft, 6th round pick
Despite being a 6th round pick, Lucas Braun has proven to be a solid arm in the system since the Braves selected him out of Cal State Northridge in 2023, and he has shown the potential to be a backend rotation guy for Atlanta if he continues to perform the way his first two seasons have gone.
Braun’s pro career got off to a fast start as he managed to pitch across Low-A Augusta and High-A Rome in his first season in the minor leagues. In 2024, Braun was sent back to Rome to begin the season, where he made 11 starts with one appearance out of the bullpen. In 64.1 innings, Braun posted a 4.34 ERA to go with a 3.42 FIP and a 3.35 xFIP. Braun also managed to strike out 10.49 batters per nine innings while keeping his walks down. Those numbers were good enough to get him bumped up to Double-A Mississippi where his stuff continued to get better.
With the Braves, Braun tossed 79.1 innings across 13 starts while sporting a 2.38 ERA. What makes that number more impressive, is that his FIP sat at 2.92 and his xFIP checked in just slightly higher at 3.16 — indicating that Braun was as good as advertised. A partial downside is that Braun did see his K/9 dip and his walk rate raise slightly while allowing a few more homers to the opposition — albeit he only allowed five in nearly 80 innings of work at Double-A.
Braun’s fastball isn’t anything to write home about, as it typically sits in the low-90’s range, but can top out at 95 miles per hour with good command and decent movement. The real meal ticket for the 23-year-old is his slider which scouts rave could be an above-average to excellent offering as he progresses. He has also showed a good feel for a changeup and a solid curveball as well during his time in the minors.
Given the fact he’s 23, possesses a full aresnal to attack hitters with and is a certified strike-thrower on top of everything else, the Braves will most likely be aggressive with Braun in 2025. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him begin the year back with Mississippi to get a few more starts under his belt before getting the promotion to Gwinnett and, perhaps, Atlanta as the season goes on.
11. Jhancarlos Lara – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2021 International free agent
There might not be a bigger pitching wildcard in the organization than Jhancarlos Lara and his magical arm. Jhancarlos boasts a massive arm, hitting 101 and comfortably sitting in the high 90s with his lethal fastball and an absolutely beautiful wipe out slider. His two pitch mix potential is already MLB quality – the lone factor keeping him back being his control. The Braves will do whatever they can to keep him as a starter because it would be near irresponsible to limit him to an inning at this stage of his development. This often led to Lara toying with new grips and pitches throughout the season which limited some of his success seen by his 6.53 BB/9 rate.
One thing is clear – if Lara improves with his command he’s one of the top pitchers in the entire organization. A small bonus pitcher, from a small town in the Dominican Republic, Lara has shown a work ethic that can make everyone happy which makes him increasingly difficult to temper expectations for. Ultimately, it makes the most sense for Lara to land in the bullpen where he can fully unleash his dynamic two pitch mix, a mix so strong that he will remain in the top half of a Braves top 30. Should the Braves make the move, and Lara shows improvement in his ability to control his two pitches he will be in Atlanta sooner than later.
10. Diego Tornes – OF
How he got to the Braves: 2025 International free agent
The Braves came out swinging in January – signing one of the most touted positional prospects during the international signing period. Diego has been connected to the Braves for a couple of years now, but was made official last month. Amongst international scouts there is a clear understanding of why Diego was rated so highly as he possesses the tools to be a threat both on the field and at the plate.
Diego entered 2024 with questions about his defensive home but answered all of those questions showing a commitment to fitness allowing him to project as an every day center fielder. Combine a strong work ethic to go with tools that made scouts drool AND his age (Diego is just 16) Diego commanded a significant signing bonus which the Braves were happy to give. The bat speed is evident, the hit tool is evident, the approach at the plate is well beyond expectations for his age and he combines that with above average speed, and above average arm which all amounts to a special prospect. While he ultimately may find himself in a corner outfield spot as his body grows (again just 16 years old), he projects as middle of the order impact bat with defense that can win awards as well.
Diego is a special prospect, much like Jose Perdomo and Luis Guanipa, and add to that his age and you can expect Diego to be handled with kid gloves in 2025. Unless he absolutely obliterates complex ball we will likely get our first glimpse of him in 2026.
9. Luis Guanipa – CF
How he got to the Braves: 2023 International free agent
While Ethan Salas was the clear top international prospect in 2023, the Braves made a splash of their own by adding a five tool prospect in Luis Guanipa. At the time of his signing Luis showcased an advanced approach at the plate for his age, fantastic bat speed, and a clear ability to stay in centerfield with an above average arm.
Luis would appear in 46 games in 2023 where he hit .238/.361(!!!)/.384 in 46 games in the Dominican Summer League. Despite being just 17 years old Luis had an outstanding 11% walk rate, and struck out just 20% of the time. He would then play across two levels in 2024 as hit slashed .282/.346/.451 in 20 games in complex ball before being promoted to Augusta GreenJackets where he would appear in 32 games and hit .184/.250/.200 with a walk rate of 8.1% and strikeout rate of 25.7%. Luis struggled with breaking pitches which resulted in the poor contact rates and poor 50% ground ball rate – but that was expected as he faced mainly fastballs in his other two stops within the organization.
The skies are the limit for Luis this season despite minimal expectations for him as he will still be just 19 years old for the entirety of the season. You would like to see his approach against breaking pitches improve because once that happens he projects to be a middle of the order bat, with really good power and gold glove winning type defense in center field. There is a lot to like about Luis and his success could have a significant impact on the overall evaluation of the Braves farm system.
8. Jose Perdomo – SS
How he got to the Braves: 2024 International free agent
Jose Perdomo wasn’t just the Braves biggest signing in the 2024 international free agent period, but he was in the running for the top prospect in that international class and received a team record $5M signing bonus. Unfortunately his 2024 season ended up being a lost year due to injury. Perdomo got a late start due to a nagging injury, not appearing in a game until July 16, and then after just eight games his season was done. He ended up going 5 for 20 in the DSL with two walks and four strikeouts, and all of his hits went for singles.
Perdomo’s scouting report hasn’t changed since signing just over a year ago. He’s an advanced hitter with a chance for a plus hit tool, borderline plus running, and a solid enough defender that he should be able to stick at short. He’s more of a hit over power prospect, but makes hard contact and should be able to have hit power play up because of that. It’s just that his health got in the way of him being able to show much in his professional debut last year.
Perdomo is still very young, and will be 18 until the middle of September. Where he begins the year is up in the air heading into spring training, as on one hand he has the advanced hit tool to start in full season ball. However his essentially lost year could have the team opt to wait and start him out in the FCL, with a chance to earn a promotion to Low-A in-season. Perdomo remains one of the most exciting young bats in the system, and without much of a look at him last year, will be one of the prospects that the fan base will most want to see in 2025.
7. Owen Murphy – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2022 Draft, 1st round pick
Owen Murphy’s pro career — albeit a short one thus far — has been a bit of a mixed bag of results thanks in part to injuries.
When the Braves took Murphy as a first round pick in 2022, the idea was to free up money in later rounds that allowed the team to take fellow high-upside arms like JR Ritchie and Cole Phillips. That’s not to say Murphy wasn’t a talented prospect in his own right, as the 6-foot-1, 190-pound righty was a legitimate two-way player coming out of high school. Making his debut at the Florida Complex League in 2022, Murphy made a pair of scoreless starts before getting the promotion to Low-A Augusta. While his numbers might not have looked like much on the surface — as he posted a 7.71 ERA — the underlying metrics suggested Murphy actually performed much better. In three starts, he sported a 3.56 FIP to go along with his 4.24 xFIP while striking out a ridiculous 12.86 batters per nine innings.
In 2023, Murphy was sent back to Augusta where he again posted superb underlying metrics which got him bumped up to High-A Rome to end the season. Across 21 starts in 2023, Murphy worked to a 3.66 FIP and a 3.61 xFIP while striking out 11.34 batters per nine. The biggest knock, was his 3.21 BB/9, which he managed to slightly cut down in his injury-shortened 2024 season.
Murphy’s start to 2024 could not have gone much better, as it appeared he had really turned a corner in finding his stride as a pitcher. In 41 innings across seven starts, Murphy posted a sprakling 1.54 ERA to accompany a 2.22 FIP and a 3.07 xFIP. He also was striking out batters at a clip of 13.17 per nine innings, while walking 2.63 per nine. Unfortunately, in May, Murphy’s UCL blew out , which required the 20-year-old to undergo Tommy John surgery and forcing him to miss the remainder of the season.
Murphy will almost certainly miss all of the 2025 campaign, but there is a chance he is able to work his way back to make a few starts in late August or early September. He is a Rule 5 candidate at the end of 2026, so it will be interesting to see how the Braves handle his advancement moving forward.