The Braves have a number of players, especially on the pitching end, who could make their debuts this upcoming season.
The grind for pitching is a never-ending battle for any major league team, and the Atlanta Braves have now found themselves in a position where they have a large contingent of starters nearly ready to make the leap to earning a major league role. While they will be more inclined to give such roles to players who have already debuted and have a 40-man roster spot, such as AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep, 2025 could be a big year for new faces at the major league level. The most exciting position player since Michael Harris II in 2022 is on the precipice of major league quality, and the Braves draft classes have taken solid leaps in 2025 towards producing MLB talent. What follows is a list of the players who seem like they could have a shot to get Major League action this season, though that is only among players who have not yet made their major league debuts.
Drake Baldwin (Preseason No. 1)
It is nearly impossible to get through 162 games without at least one catcher getting injured, and the Braves have the fortune of having Drake Baldwin who might just be the best third catcher in all of baseball. Baldwin is the only position player who can project to a major league role this season, and especially if we see any sort of injury to Sean Murphy, Baldwin figures to get playing time in Atlanta this season. The Braves showed a willingness last year to make moves to get Baldwin’s bat in the lineup, with reports that they were open to trying him in the outfield prior to the Jorge Soler trade. Baldwin is not the fastest runner, but has shown solid athletic traits and should have the bat to be a serviceable outfielder should need arise. Baldwin could fit in as a designated hitter option as well if Marcell Ozuna goes down with injury. In any case, Baldwin should be seen as the best hitter among the non-starting players in the system and if an injury pops up there is a good chance the Braves will broach the idea of finding some way to get Baldwin in Atlanta. I would be surprised to see Baldwin play anything less than two weeks worth of games in Atlanta, and any significant injury to Murphy would lead the Braves to making Baldwin the starter.
JR Ritchie (Preseason No. 4)
This is by far the boldest pick on the list, but the Braves have already given a similar trajectory to AJ Smith-Shawver and Spencer Schwellenbach in the past two seasons, and JR Ritchie has a legitimate pipeline to a big league role this season. Likely it would take a number of injuries for this to actually happen, but among the pitchers who have yet to debut Ritchie has the highest ceiling for his performance in 2025. Ritchie has at times flashes three above average to plus pitches and command ahead of his years, and while all of those pieces would need to come together at the same this upcoming season there is a legitimate chance a full healthy year of progress could turn him into a big league ready #4 starter. The first step will be Ritchie getting a couple of ticks back on his fastball velocity, but if he can do so the refined shape of the pitch along with the progression of his changeup would give him a major league quality three pitch mix. His command last season wasn’t quite up to that level on a consistent basis, something to be expected with a player who has less than 80 professional innings and coming off of a major injury. If he can take a Schwellenbach-level leap in command, easier said than done, he could make a surprising push.
Jhancarlos Lara (Preseason No. 11)
Lara likely has the highest ceiling in terms of impact in Atlanta, given that he could be an impact reliever this season if his command takes a step forward. He would, of course, face the same obstacle that has burdened Daysbel Hernandez and at times Dylan Lee by having options, but all the same there is a solid chance he gets at least a few relief innings this season. No reliever in the upper levels of the Braves system can match his pitch mix, with a fastball that has reach into the triple-digits and a 65 grade slider that has dominated at every level of the minor leagues. Lara’s season last year was impacted by an injury that kept him out for the first month and he never seemed to quite get fully comfortable, showing some concerning velocity dips and command breakdowns throughout the season. However, at his best he showed the same firepower that led to his breakout in 2023, and if he can nail down a bit of the uncompetitive wildness he would make great progress. Expect Lara to get at least a few innings with Atlanta this year, not least because the Braves would have to add him to the 40-man roster this winter to avoid Rule 5 eligibility anyways. Lara has late-inning relief potential, and while he isn’t quite there yet a move to the bullpen to focus on only his fastball and slider would benefit his command as those two pitches are clearly ahead of others he has used. Streamlining his arsenal would make for better performances than his numbers last year might indicate, given his tendency to put himself in bad counts or give up hits with his other pitches, and while the Braves likely will develop him as a starter for as long as possible it is widely believed his future is in the bullpen.
Lucas Braun (Preseason No. 12)
The starting pitching churn at the big league level is a contentious battle every year for the Braves, with 31 individuals and an average of 13 players per season making at least one start. Basically, anyone who can pitch three or more innings that has played above High-A is a candidate to play in the major leagues, and occasionally some guys who haven’t pitched above High-A get the push. Lucas Braun had a massive season in 2024, solidifying himself as a top 12 prospect and part of the group that is almost certain to get at least a spot start this season. While not being on the 40 man roster is a hurdle that he and our following name will have to face, the Braves will make moves and Braun has a higher ceiling than some of the names at the back end of the 40 man. Braun has a major league out pitch with his slider, command, and a fastball that is good enough to not get him in trouble (like we saw players like Allan Winans and Darius Vines struggle with). It’s not the sexiest combination of pitches and he will likely be limited to a back end role, but Braun seems poised to fill in as one of the shuttle players for a number of years given his projection to reliable innings. I expect him to get a shot this season, probably at some point in the first two to three months, and become a regular feature in Atlanta’s plans even if he is unlikely to even lock down a full time role, especially as one of the go-to arms in a postseason scenario.
Drue Hackenberg (Preseason No. 13)
Hackenberg is another player who I currently favor his ceiling this season over his floor, though I do think from a long-term perspective his ceiling is more limited than say Ritchie or Blake Burkhalter (following). Hackenberg’s command last season was simply not major league ready and I would have to see quite a bit of progression on that front to consider him a candidate to make anything more than an emergency start, however compared to, say, Braun I do think there is more of a chance he can land closer to the middle of a rotation. Hackenberg’s fastball velocity and ability to utilize multiple shapes on the pitch along with a plethora of secondary offerings gives him some potential to land in the number 3/4 range as a starter. Hackenberg’s changeup still has quite a long way to progress for me to feel confident in that sort of projection, and his command of all of his pitches was not good enough last season, but certainly the influence of the Braves making stylistic changes to his pitching approach didn’t help. Hackenberg has the athleticism to make the necessary leaps and the Braves do like him a lot, giving him an opportunity to pitch at Triple-A last season, and if he has even a decent start to the year I could see Atlanta making a move to see what he can offer the team throughout the year.
Blake Burkhalter (Preseason No. 15)
What role Blake Burkhalter would take at the major league level, though it would be more likely to see him in a relief role. Burkhalter needs quite a lot of work in refining his slider and changeup to fully progress into a major league role in a short period, having yet to consistently show three pitches in games, but his fastball and cutter combination would play at the major league level now. Burkhalter’s command of those two pitches is far more advanced than the rest of his arsenal, and his ability to utilize two plus pitches would make for a beneficial arm in Atlanta’s bullpen. He likely has a number of arms to climb over in that regard and the Braves would obviously prefer to keep him in a starting role for the time being, but he is more advanced than might be suggested by him only reaching High-A. 2026 would be a more realistic timeline for him getting his first shot in Atlanta in a starting role, but in a relief role he could find his way into innings this season.
Hayden Harris (Preseason No. 24)
Hayden Harris struggled to finish out the season, casting a bit more doubt on his profile than what existed through the first few months of the season. His command backed up a bit and exposed just how command-dependent he is with such a high fastball usage, and his slider was just not effective at Triple-A even when he was having success. Still, he had one of the most dominant fastballs at any level of the minor leagues for most of the season, showing impressive progression with his fastball command and forcing absurd whiff rates. He saw a slight increase in velocity as well, and if he can hold that command throughout a season he should get back on track next season. A progression in either his slider or split-finger would serve tremendously in keeping hitters a bit more off balance and he may need such an improvement to fit in as a late-inning relief arm, but it’s hard to argue with the results he’s produced thus far even with a fastball usage over 80%.
Domingo Gonzalez (Preseason No. 28)
Barring an early injury Domingo Gonzalez is the surest bet to pitch in Atlanta this season given he is already on the 40-man roster. With that obstacle out of the way he is primed to be part of the shuttle between Gwinnett and Atlanta, where he could provide some valuable middle-relief innings. Gonzalez still needs to refine command, but his step forward last season allowed him to put up a dominant relief year between Double- and Triple-A. Gonzalez primarily gets whiffs with his sweeping slider, but the progression of his ability to command his mid-90’s fastball up in the zone was a critical step towards that breakout. Gonzalez pitches with a low arm angle that creates a flat approach, allowing his fastball to play up beyond its raw movement and produce whiffs at an above average rate. Across both levels last season Gonzalez had a 38.8% strikeout rate and 2.75 FIP. His relief ceiling is a bit limited as he doesn’t figure to get late-inning action with Atlanta any time soon, but his ability to pitch reliable relief innings and largely command the ball well enough for his slider to be a significant factor should allow him to carve out a solid major league role.