Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2026 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
1. LHP Cam Caminiti | 19 | A | 2027
The 24th overall pick in the 2024 draft, Caminiti dominated Low-A this year with premium velocity at 6’2” 195 lbs. I bumped his timeline up a year from last year’s Atlanta list because this org tends to slam the gas when they deem a guy ready to contribute. He’s allowed just one home run in 56.1 Low-A innings across 13 starts, recording a 2.08 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 75 strikeouts against 28 walks. Easy to root for this guy.
2. RHP JR Ritchie | 22 | AAA | 2026
The 35th overall pick in 2022, the 6’2” 185 lb Ritchie started the Futures Game this season and might have made the majors if Atlanta had remained in contention. He enjoyed a little velocity bump this season and recorded a 2.64 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 140 innings spread across three levels, generating similar outcomes at each level thanks to plus control of a three-pitch mix (fastball, slider, changeup). He’s shown an aptitude with spin and command that suggests he can add pitches across time.
3. RHP Owen Murphy | 22 | A+ | 2026
Here’s what I wrote about Murphy a month ago in Prospect News: Can Owen Caissie Bring Joy To Wrigleyville?
“I was happy to snag Braves RHP Owen Murphy (21, A+) in a 20-team dynasty league this week. A first-round pick out of high school in 2022, he had a 0.73 WHIP through 41 innings across seven starts as a 20-year-old in High-A when his elbow went caput and he had Tommy John surgery. We’re about 15 months beyond that now, and Murphy just threw five hitless innings in a High-A start against Boston’s affiliate in hitter friendly Greenville. He’s yet to allow a run in 11.1 innings this season, and while that’s a miniscule sample of three starts, it’s impressive to see him hit the ground running. Command tends to come last on the comeback trail, and Murphy did hit a guy and throw a wild pitch in that Greenville outing, but he’s mostly hitting his spots and dominating. Get him where you can fit him.”
Since then, he’s gone 3-and-0 in four starts, recording a 1.89 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 19 innings. I think he’ll crack the major league rotation sometime next summer.
4. RHP Didier Fuentes | 20 | MLB | 2025
When I was working on this list last year, I put a 2028 ETA on Fuentes, so it’s an understatement to say he flew through the minors this year, pitching his way from High-A to the majors just three days after his 20th birthday. His debut went okay: four runs in five innings at Miami, but he got roughed up in his other three outings and went back to Triple-A, where he got back on track after two more knock-around nights that saw him allow seven earned runs in 6.2 innings. His next and last two turns of the season were great: 16 strikeouts, two walks and a run allowed in 11 innings. He was placed on the injured list with an unspecified injury after that. I had to drop him in a couple leagues due to a roster crunch. Pretty sure I’m going to regret that.
5. OF Diego Tornes | 17 | DSL | 2029
Signed for $2.5 million in January, Tornes is a switch hitter listed at 6’2” 178 lbs, though he’s probably a little bigger than that already. He’s played 32 games in the Dominican Summer League, flashing pretty good plate skills but little power, slashing .279/.395/.402 with zero home runs and 24 stolen bases, suggesting he might be a little better runner than expected. Should be a quick riser if he takes well to stateside play next year.
6. Tate Southisene | 19 | A | 2029
The 22nd overall pick in this summer’s draft, Southisene is a jack-of-all-trades type who can do pretty much anything that needs done on a baseball field. He’s got the skills to stick at shortstop or kick out to centerfield if that’s where he’s needed. Or to second base. Probably third base, too, if given the time to settle in there. A fully actualized Southisene could push 30/30 in his prime.
7. SS Jose Perdomo | 19 | DSL | 2029
Atlanta pulled out the pocketbook for Perdomo, signing him for a $5 million bonus in January of 2024, the biggest bonus allotted to any player that international acquisition period. A power hitter listed at 5’11” 180 lbs, Perdomo has come up empty as a professional to this point, slashing .223/.275/.270 with one home run and four stolen bases in 54 complex league games this year after playing just eight games in the DSL last year. It’s too early to give up on a guy like this, but the athleticism might not meet the level required of a premium prospect.
8. RHP Lucas Braun | 24 | AAA | 2026
A sixth-round pick out of Cal State Northridge in 2023, Braun might wind up a reliever in this organization because he doesn’t have a big fastball, and at six-foot-even and 185 lbs, he might not have the physicality to find one. Nonetheless, he’s been a steady performer all the way up the ladder and has a 1.42 ERA and 0.68 WHIP through his first three starts and 19 innings at Triple-A. He wouldn’t sustain that with a 17.2 percent strikeout rate, but it’s interesting to see him adapt to sell to the new level relying largely on a plus slider and above-average change-up.
9. SS John Gil | 19 | AA | 2027
The theory of the case for John Gil is that one of these springs, he’ll show up ten or fifteen pounds stronger and maintain the defensive skill that makes him an option at just about any position. He’s listed at 6’1” 175 lbs, and I’ll bet that’s what he weighed when he signed and just about what he weighs today. He stole 50 bases and hit 7 home runs in 100 Low-A games this year before getting a jump to Double-A for his defense, where he’s stolen four bases in six games.
10. OF Isaiah Drake | 20 | A+ | 2028
In 116 games across two levels against mostly older players this year, Drake has slashed .272/.342/.356 with six home runs and 46 stolen bases, good for a 111 wRC+. A 5th round pick out of North Atlanta High School, Drake continues a long tradition of Atlanta scouting the hell out of its backyard and regularly coming up with good value.
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