We are now entering the stretch where pretty much every player on the list has legitimate MLB potential because of their skill set. With the exclusion of Luke Sinnard who, one author had a bit higher on their list, there was unanimous agreement on who the top 12 prospects in the organization are. Youth, and projectable tools reign supreme for the remainder of our list as we dig into some of the best talent the organization has.
12. Garrett Baumann – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 4th round pick (126th overall)
Baumann may have one of the highest potentials when it comes to arms in Atlanta’s system, solely based on size and athleticism. Coming off a solid 2024 season in which he posted an ERA of 3.18 across 20 appearances (19 starts) between Augusta and Rome, the 2025 season would hopefully provide a bit of a launch pad for the 6’8, 245-pound righty.
In 2025, Baumann began his season with Rome and showed that he is capable of continuing to progress across seasons. In 23 starts for the Emperors, the 21-year-old tossed 113.2 innings and struck out 108 batters while issuing 31 walks on the year. The main downside when it came to Baumann’s 2025 campaign, is that he was tagged for 10 long balls in his 23 starts.
In all likelihood, Baumann will begin the 2026 season with Columbus where he’ll look to continue to cut down on the walks while working on his secondary pitches – which has been the biggest knock against him since he was drafted. However, it is possible he gets a start or two at Rome to ramp up before joining the Clingstones.
It’s no secret the Atlanta front office doesn’t really care about the typical way of doing things when it comes to promoting players who perform. That isn’t to say that Baumann would be a lock to join the big league club this season, but the potential is there. Overall, Baumann should reasonably hope to join Gwinnett by season’s end with Atlanta in his line of vision for the 2027 season.
Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images
11. Jhancarlos Lara – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2021 international free agent
After catapulting onto the scene with a monster second half in 2023, Jhancarlos Lara has consistently found himself in the conversation surrounding the most talented pitchers in the Braves system. At the time featuring a fastball that sat in the mid-90’s and could touch triple digits, Lara has only added strength and velocity and now regularly sits in the upper-90’s and has touched 102. Lara pairs that blazing fastball without a sharp, wipeout slider in the low-to-mid 90’s which has made year-over-year strides and become one of the most effective pitches at producing whiffs in all of minor league baseball. That pairing made him a force to be reckoned with at the minor league level, but after Lara failed to develop a consistent third pitch or make significant progress with his command the Braves settled on making him a reliever long term. He still got time as a starter in 2025 in order to get him more reps on the mound, but ultimately Lara’s future is in the bullpen where he has star closer potential with his two 70 grade offerings. Lara’s biggest red flag is his abysmal command, which backed up in 2025 and saw him walk nearly 20% of the batters he faced despite otherwise stellar numbers. Lara’s struggles have largely come in his ability to repeat his release point, leading to bouts of him spraying pitches with no real feel for where the ball will end up, but mechanical adjustments in the second half of the season had him moving in the right direction. For a stretch in the second half of the season he was the most dominant reliever at the Triple-A level, posting a 2.29 ERA/2.28 FIP with a strikeout rate of 42.7% and a more respectable 12% walk rate. He had trouble when shifted back into a starting role at the end of the season, but that should not reflect too poorly on his overall projections in the bullpen. Lara has a chance to win a major league job in 2026, and could be the anchor to a bullpen if he can find consistency closer to what he showed in 2024. He is a risky prospect even for a reliever, but given his ceiling and dominant pitch mix he has the upside of a top five closer in baseball.
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 31: Jhancarlos Lara #92 of the Glendale Desert Dogs pitches during the game between the Peoria Javelinas and the Glendale Desert Dogs at Camelback Ranch – Glendale on Friday, October 31, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) MLB Photos via Getty Images
How he got to the Braves: 2025 2nd round pick (60th overall)
The Braves drafted Alex Lodise in the second out of Florida State even though many thought he would go somewhere late in the first round after winning the Dick Howser Award. After hitting .394/.462/.705 with 17 homers for FSU, Lodise went straight to Rome and hit .252/.294/.398 with 10 doubles, a triple, and a homer plus five walks to 42 strikeouts in his 109 plate appearances. Lodise showed some real pop in his bat, though it was more for the extra base variety than over the fence, however his pre-draft questions about his strikeouts also really showed up in a big way in the small sample size. Lodise is a guy some were hoping could move fast based on his ACC production, though his Rome stint showed he may need a bit more time to work on his hit tool to cut down on the strikeouts. Lodise projects to be a below average to potentially average hitter with average to a tick above power and average speed. Defensively he may or may not be able to stick at shortstop, but would be able to slide over to second base if necessary. His spring will likely determine if he opens the year back in Rome or moves up to Columbus, but if he can get the hit tool to progress he could move quickly to Atlanta. His ceiling is an above average middle infielder with solid power for the position.
Florida St. infielder Alex Lodise (1) reacts to his double at second base during the first inning of an NCAA college baseball matchup Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at VyStar Ballpark in Jacksonville, Fla. FSU rallied to defeat UF 8-4 off a walk-off grand slam from Alex Lodise in the ninth inning. Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
How he got to the Braves: 2023 international free agent
While Luis Guanipa came into the 2025 season as the most exciting prospect for Augusta, it was ultimately John Gil who stole the show and became the GreenJackets most consistent offensive threat. It took about a month and a half and the passing of his 19th birthday for Gil to find his stride at the top of the order, but once he did he put an emphatic stamp on his prospect status with more walks than strikeouts over his final 70 games and a .146 isolated power that 47% higher than the Carolina League average. Gil is still a raw product, but his ability to recognize the strike zone, recognize spin, and get his barrel to contact is light years ahead of his age. Gil also made a significant jump in his footwork and throwing accuracy, helping him take advantage of his elite speed and settle in as a reliable shortstop who can project as an average or solid average defender at the position on an everyday basis. If Gil is forced off of the position given the arrival of high draft picks Tate Southisene and Alex Lodise, he also has double plus speed and a good first step that should allow him to transition to center field if needed. Gil also made the transition to Double-A to finish out the season, and though his number took a dramatic hit in the one series he played there, he didn’t seem overwhelmed and was able to adjust well enough to the much higher level of competition. Gil’s biggest limitation to his ceiling is a lack of elite top end exit velocity, which will likely cap his power at maturity around average. His swing plane doesn’t generate much lift and he’s likely to see continued adjustments to his mechanics as he progresses, with most of his extra base hit production at the moment coming gap-to-gap. He is still a bit aggressive in the zone at this stage and has a tendency to swing on top of the ball and hit too many ground balls. Still, he is going to start 2026 as a 19 year old at High-A coming off of a strong season of production, and is one of the system’s candidates to have a breakout and get himself into top 100 contention. Gil has the upside of an everyday shortstop with a solid all-around game and an approach that takes him another step above his raw hitting ability.
NORTH PORT, FL – MARCH 16: John Gil #97 of the Atlanta Braves runs to first base during the game between the Detroit Tigers and the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park on Sunday, March 16, 2025 in North Port, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) MLB Photos via Getty Images
How he got to the Braves: 2024 3rd round pick (99th overall)
Coming in at a monstrous 6’8” 250+ pounds, Luke Sinnard is one of the highest risers on this list after a sensational 2025 campaign. A third round pick out of Indiana, Luke appeared in 16 total games last year across Low-A Augusta, and the Rome Emperors where he had a cumulative 2.86 ERA, 2.83 FIP, 10.7 K/9, and 3.36 BB/9 rate. He ticked every box you want to see in a pitcher including generating whiffs with multiple pitches, locating his fastball in the upper third, maintained velocity deep into games and seemingly never got frazzled while on the mound. Because his season started late, the Braves sent him to the Arizona Fall League to get more innings, and in the notoriously hitter friendly league, he had a 4.60 ERA (which was one of the lower starter ERAs in the league), while maintaining his strikeout rate of 11.5 per 9, and his walk rate of 3.6 per 9.
Sinnard got it done by showcasing five pitches last season – a four-seam fastball with nearly 10” of arm side-run around 96 MPH, a two-seam fastball with 14” of arm-side run sitting in the mid-90s, a developing curveball in the lower 80s, a 2800 RPM slider in the high-80s, and a strong splitter in the low-80s that sat at less than 750 RPM. With his size, and pitch mix it’s a been of a wonder why he isn’t more highly ranked because his stuff screams MLB even with the curveball that still needs some work to it. Similarly to Schwellenbach last season, one of the last things he has to learn is to trust his stuff a little more, and not pitch so much inside the zone. With his movement as long as the ball starts in the zone, he will have hitters flailing while they try to figure out which pitch is coming next. Luke projects as a middle of the rotation arm with strong upside due to his overall size, strength, and ability to repeat his mechanics. He is a name to watch for in Atlanta, should injuries to pitchers begin to accrue.
MESA, AZ – OCTOBER 18: Luke Sinnard #97 of the Glendale Desert Dogs pitches during the game between the Glendale Desert Dogs and the Mesa Solar Sox at Sloan Park on Saturday, October 18, 2025 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) MLB Photos via Getty Images
How he got to the Braves: 2025 4th round pick (127th overall)
After saving money on the first day of the draft the Braves had a plenty of bonus pool to spread around on day two, and Briggs McKenzie was the huge grab that changed the algebra on their strategy. It took $3,000,000 to sign McKenzie away from a commitment to LSU, but it gave the Braves a third notable pick in the top five rounds, and a chance for their development staff to make progress on a hugely talented arm. McKenzie currently operates with a four-seam, curveball, and changeup arsenal, and the secondary offerings are advanced for a player his age. His curveball leads the pack with huge break and plus potential, and though like many prep pitchers his changeup didn’t get huge usage in high school it gives him a potentially above-average third offering that is ready to be used in games right now. The lingering concern is around his fastball potential. McKenzie’s fastball sits below-average and has trouble staying in the low-90’s late into games, and while he does have room to add weight and strength his frame isn’t built to support much gain. To be a major league pitcher he is going to need to do a better job of holding velocity while also improving his base velocity, though McKenzie has the arm speed and enough projectability to give evaluators confidence he can at least settle on average velocity. McKenzie brings lean athleticism and should project to average or better command at his peak, though currently his arm action tends to get long and he will need mechanical refinement to improve his consistency. McKenzie has a relatively high floor for a prep pitcher with mid-rotation upside given he has a true out pitch with his curveball, a solid command profile, and an already quality arsenal depth.