The life of a baseball prospect is defined primarily in small moments. Over the course of long seasons across multiple years it’s rare to feel that any stand out, or that any stretch of play is particularly pivotal in a player’s progression. However, every year there are some you can point to and see as interesting and immediate headliners for the season.
Stretches of bad play, injuries, or competition from the system around them can put the future of certain players in more immediate question. Others may simply be in a position to have a true breakthrough and put their name in the organizations headlines.
Today, we look at five players who have the most to define this season. Whether it be their roles, their projections, or their national profile, these prospects will be among the most-watched in the Atlanta Braves system this upcoming season and their stories will help shape the way the Braves approach the future.
After a dreadful season in 2024 the sentiment towards Isaiah Drake swung rapidly red, and even following an impressive 2025 his national reputation is still trying to recover. Drake was awful in 2024, but with the combination of his age and the injuries that riddled that season it was not a huge surprise that he bounced back in 2025. He cut down his strikeout rate by nearly a third while hitting for more power throughout the middle of the season, and although he didn’t bring much pop when promoted to High-A his swing and batted ball profile still improved drastically. Drake is heading into this upcoming season at age 20 and has all of the time in the world to tap into his explosive athleticism. While the upcoming players on this list are in more of a time crunch to improve, Drake really just needs to prove that 2025 wasn’t a fluke and to earn respect similar to other players in the system that he performed on-par with or better than last season. Drake’s biggest hole is still his ability to tap into his raw power, but he’s no longer the slappy player that struggled to produce extra base hits in 2024. His ceiling on top prospect lists will be limited until he can grow into at least double-digit home run power, but the 2026 season will be Drake’s opportunity to prove wrong the people who bailed on him a year ago.
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Guanipa built up a boatload of hype in the rookie leagues, but since his full-season debut late in 2024 he has looked overmatched against Single-A pitching. That is, when he is even able to play. Guanipa has battled injuries throughout his young career, and in 2025 that limited him to just 29 games with Augusta and another 6 rehabbing down in the complex league. Guanipa made some improvements from 2024 to 2025, most notably with his contact rates, but the questions around his approach and his ability to produce have popped up consistently. Guanipa produces plus bat speed and is strong for someone with his frame, but that simply is not translating to in-game pop at this moment in time. Guanipa struggles to lift the ball with any authority and produced well-below average power numbers last season, and though he has cut down on his strikeouts he hasn’t shown much discipline at the plate. He can get his bat to the ball throughout the zone, but without a major turnaround and a healthy season he may not be seen as a top prospect after this season. It’s not totally dire, as Guanipa is only 20 and the physical traits are still largely there, but without major improvement in 2026 in a third go at A-ball it’s going to be hard to project Guanipa to the upper levels.
FORT MYERS, – MARCH 16: Luis Guanipa #72 of the Atlanta Braves throws the ball back to the infield during the 2024 Spring Breakout Game between the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park on Saturday, March 16, 2024 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Kelly Gavin/MLB Photos via Getty Images) MLB Photos via Getty Images
Hernandez was impossible in two starts following the draft in 2024, and a large reaction followed with some seeing him as a potential draft steal from the fourth round. Hernandez never really repeated the highs of those two starts in 2025, though he did still flash the potential with his plus slider. The improvement Hernandez showed with his splitter has salvaged his ability to project to a starting role in the future, but that outcome seems to grow narrower with each passing start as his consistency and command did not take any steps forward in 2025. He struggled to locate any of his four pitches, and while he will likely get another shot to start in the upcoming season the Braves are not exactly a patient team when it comes to pitchers. He needs to show significant improvement with his command and quickly in order to remain as a starter, with the likely outcome being a fairly swift move to the bullpen. Hernandez has plenty of room to grow into a major league arm even if that came to pass, but it would not be a surprise if 2026 is his last chance to prove himself even given how little professional experience has.
CORAL GABLES, FL – MAY 04: Miami left-handed pitcher Herick Hernandez (9) throws to first base in the third inning as the Miami Hurricanes faced the BYU Cougars on May 4, 2024, at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Lucas Braun is coming off of a great season, but he’s now reached the trap that so many pitchers before him did. He’s going to get his first full crack of Triple-A and may even get the chance to pitch in Atlanta this season, but this is the level that the starting room suddenly starts to get crowded. The Braves have a constant rotation of pitchers competing for those spots, and even if it was only a three-game sample Braun didn’t do a whole lot to separate himself in his brief Triple-A stint. His command of all of his pitches and the depth of his arsenal were still on display, but he struggled to miss bats and relied on weak contact to get through his starts. Braun diversifying his arsenal, especially using a sinker more often, helps him in this regard, but we’ve seen multiple guys with his below-average velocity profile hit a wall at Triple-A. Opportunities come and go quickly in baseball, and Braun needs to seize his chance this season and force himself into the conversations when rotation spots open up. Otherwise, more pitchers are going to keep getting healthy and advancing through the system and the window might shut surprisingly quickly.
MONTGOMERY, AL – JULY 03: Lucas Braun #12 of the Columbus Clingstones pitches during the game between the Columbus Clingstones and the Montgomery Biscuits at Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium on Thursday, July 3, 2025 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Photo by Natalie Buchanan/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Hayden Harris has performed well in spring training, which is the first step for him actually locking down a major league role this season. His first taste of Triple-A in 2024 proved that even his elite fastball wouldn’t be enough to survive high-level hitters, and he and the Braves made their necessary fixes headed into 2025. With a new sweeper and fledgling splitter Harris made mincemeat of minor league hitters last season, with an absurd 0.52 ERA and 2.07 FIP. His major league debut wasn’t all that impressive, however, and showed the next step in his progression. Harris needs to prove once and for all that his command, which fluctuates between solid and below average, can stay consistently around average or better. He especially needs to make sure he’s keeping his fastball above the hands of hitters, as the only time he really struggles is when his fastball leaks down in the zone. 2026 is his big chance to lock down a major league role and put a stamp on one of the best paths to the bigs in recent memory.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 2: Hayden Harris #79 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 2, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) Getty Images