Braves' Top Prospects, Farm System Progress Report, Draft Targets
The Atlanta Braves have found sustainable success thanks to a largely homegrown offensive core, while the strength of their farm system in recent years has been their ability to develop pitching talent.
That pitching talent has in turn often been used as trade capital while addressing other needs on the roster, but the high-upside foursome of AJ Smith-Shawver, Owen Murphy, Hurston Waldrep and Spencer Schwellenbach could now represent the future of the starting rotation.
Meanwhile, the club's next star on the position player side of things could be teenager Jose Perdomo, who joined the organization as one of the most hyped international prospects in the 2024 class.
Let's take a closer look at the Braves Top 10 prospect list, a general overview of their farm system and who might be on their radar when they are on the clock in the 2024 draft.
Updated Top 10 Prospect List
1 of 3
Top 10 Prospects
1. RHP AJ Smith-Shawver (No. 59 on B/R Top 100)
2. RHP Owen Murphy (No. 62 on B/R Top 100)
3. RHP Hurston Waldrep (No. 73 on B/R Top 100)
4. RHP Spencer Schwellenbach
5. RHP JR Ritchie
6. SS Jose Perdomo
7. RHP Drue Hackenberg
8. IF Ignacio Alvarez Jr.
9. C Drake Baldwin
10. RHP Cade Kuehler
Farm System Progress Report
2 of 3
The Braves checked in No. 24 in Bleacher Report's first farm system rankings of the year, which were released on April 16.
Top Hitter: The Braves gave shortstop Jose Perdomo a $5 million bonus in January, which ended up being the largest bonus given to any player from the 2024 international class. The 17-year-old has a 55-hit, 55-speed offensive profile with the defensive tools to be a standout at shortstop, and his pro debut will likely come later this summer in the Dominican Summer League.
Top Pitcher: Right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver was one of the youngest players to appear in the big leagues in 2023 when he posted a 4.26 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 25.1 innings spanning five starts and one relief appearance. The 21-year-old tossed five scoreless innings in his first MLB start of the 2024 season, but landed on the injured list with an oblique strain afterwards.
Breakout Prospect: Considering he was the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Owen Murphy has not exactly come out of nowhere this year, but he has undoubtedly raised his prospect profile with a strong start. The 20-year-old has a 1.54 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and a 60-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 41 innings at High-A Rome.s
Potential Draft Targets
3 of 3
The Braves have the No. 24 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, which gets underway on July 14 during MLB All-Star weekend.
Here's a look at some recent mock draft projections:
MLB.com Mock Draft (5/31): C Caleb Lomavita, California
It might seem odd for the Braves to be linked to a catcher with Sean Murphy signed long-term, but teams don't draft based on MLB need and the organization has shown a knack for developing catching talent. Lomavita is hitting .322/.395/.586 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI this spring, and he is a good athlete behind the plate with a strong arm.
Baseball America Mock Draft (5/31): OF Ryan Waldschmidt, Kentucky
Waldschmidt has some late helium this spring as teams start to dig into analytics, with Baseball America noting that he is one of only six D-I hitters with a contact rate above 80 percent, a chase rate below 20 percent and an exit velocity in the 90th percentile. He hit .359/.482/.657 this spring with 31 extra-base hits and 24 steals in 54 games.
.png?w=256)
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
