The Atlanta Braves’ farm system has its headliners, but the real fun is in the names that haven’t fully broken through yet. Cam Caminiti, Eric Hartman, Tate Southisene and John Gil are the prospects most fans already know. The next tier is where things start getting interesting, and there are a few players in that group who are pushing their way into the conversation.
Here are five Braves prospects who deserve more attention right now.
Owen Carey has spent his time in the system doing one thing: hitting. The Braves grabbed him in the 15th round of the 2024 MLB Draft, and he has held his own ever since.
In 2025, the 18-year-old reached Augusta and posted a .258 average with a .330 OBP over 469 at-bats, and the plate discipline stood out just as much as the production. He was the only 18-year-old in all of MiLB with a walk percentage above 7%, a strikeout percentage below 16%, and at least 450 plate appearances.
He also carried a 79.8% contact rate, which is rare for someone coming straight out of high school. A heel injury slowed him early in 2026, but he has still put together a 108 wRC+ this year.
He is also one of 38 players in minor league baseball this season age 19 or younger with an ISO of .195+ and a K% under 21%. With that kind of profile, a starting left field job in the near future feels very possible.
Ethan Bagwell has been one of the more impressive arms in the system this year. The Braves took the 20-year-old right-hander out of Collinsville, Illinois in the 6th round of the 2024 Draft, and he has looked far older than a second full-year prep arm.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound pitcher has gone 6-6 with a 2.93 ERA across 104.1 innings, along with 104 strikeouts and a 1.05 WHIP. He has logged nine quality starts in 20 outings and owns a 25.1% strikeout rate with a 7.2% walk rate.
That walk number is a little elevated overall, though it has dropped to 5.6% in High-A Rome. Bagwell works with a fastball in the 93-95 mph range, plus a slider and changeup, and he has leaned on all three this season.
He was pulled from his last two starts because of lower back tightness, but he remains one of the favorites in the group.
Luis Guanipa is already in his fourth year in the Braves organization, and at 20 years old he is putting together his best season by a wide margin. His numbers have jumped across the board, with career highs in games by 54, home runs by eight, RBI by 62, and stolen bases by 18.
The most eye-catching part of the breakout is the bat-to-ball profile. Guanipa’s strikeout rate is just 13.5%, and his contact rate sits at 78.3%.
He is one of only five minor leaguers age 20 or younger with at least 300 plate appearances, a K% under 15%, and a wRC+ above 105. Among that group, only Jesus Made, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, has more home runs.
The breakout is here, and if he stays healthy, he looks like he is here to stay.
Davis Polo is the kind of pitcher who could jump a lot of prospect lists next year. His fastball sits at 93-95 mph, his slider is still developing, and his changeup has become his best weapon in 2026.
That pitch has a case as one of the top offerings in the system after the progress he has made over the last year. Over his last eight games, Polo has worked to a 1.99 ERA across 45.1 innings, with four of those runs coming in one inning against the Hickory Crawdads on July 11.
He also has a 51.3% ground-ball rate and a 27.4% strikeout rate. The big issue is command, as his walk rate has climbed by 4.2% year over year and has created extra traffic on the bases.
Even so, the recent trend line is encouraging enough to imagine him becoming a quality big league starter in the next two to three seasons.
Cody Miller is still a tricky case, but there’s no denying the tools. The East Tennessee State product was drafted in the 3rd round and came in with the kind of athletic profile that turns heads.
He can handle multiple spots defensively and covers ground wherever he is placed. The problem has been the bat.
The hit tool was supposed to carry him, but consistent contact has not shown up, and his 72% contact rate this year is well below what you’d expect from his profile. Still, there are reasons to keep watching.
He has 50 stolen bases this season and has reached base enough to post a .331 OBP despite a .199 batting average. His 13% walk rate is the highest among the hitters on this list, while his 28.5% strikeout rate is also the highest.
Miller remains a true athlete, but the next step has to be doing more damage with the bat and striking out less.
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