The Braves just made a clear statement about where they want to shore up their system, and it starts behind the plate.
On Friday, Atlanta agreed to a deal with Cuban international free agent Anthony Calderon for a $350,000 bonus. Calderon is 17, stands 6-foot-4, and comes with reports that point to power, solid hitting ability, and strong defense at catcher. The signing will count against Atlanta’s 2026 international pool and will take up almost half of what the club still has left.
That matters because the Braves have been looking for more real catching depth for a while. Drake Baldwin has already established himself as the catcher of the future after Atlanta grabbed him in the third round in 2022, and he’s been the big name in the organization at the position ever since.
Beyond him, the production has mostly come from Adam Zebrowski, who has posted an .884 OPS with 22 home runs, but he’s 26, which puts him well outside the true-prospect conversation. Before this year’s draft, Atlanta didn’t have a catcher in its MLB top 30.
Calderon is only the latest move in a much bigger push. The Braves have been stacking catching talent in 2026, starting internationally with three signings.
Two of those deals ranked among the top five bonuses in the class. Jorwin Pulido signed for $350,000 at the start of the signing period and has already made noise with a .337 average and an .893 OPS, plus a very unusual midseason jump from the DSL to the FCL.
He just turned 18 a month ago. Jose Nelo came in for just $50,000 and turned into one of the DSL’s surprises, hitting .296 with an .820 OPS and three home runs before he won’t turn 18 until January.
The draft kept the momentum going. Jack Brenner went in the seventh round, signed as a 19-year-old, and immediately cracked Atlanta’s top 30 at No. 19 thanks to a strong hit tool and unexpected speed for a catcher. Jacob Jerrell, a senior sign from Clemson, came off the board in the eighth round after batting .269 with 18 home runs as a senior.
More names followed. Dominic Kibler was taken in the 12th round out of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after hitting .300 with a .988 OPS as a fourth-year junior.
Dalton Harper, drafted in the 16th round from Niagara County Community College, put up a staggering .556 average with 17 home runs and signed for $150,000. Austin Fawley, a senior sign from Mississippi, was picked in the 19th round after hitting .234 with 13 home runs in his final college season.
All told, Atlanta has poured serious resources into the position: three catchers were heavily invested in internationally, and five more were drafted in July. Since Baldwin was drafted, nobody in the system has really stepped forward as a true challenger for his job. This year, the Braves made it obvious they want that competition to change.
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