Eric Hartman is turning his High-A season into one of the loudest stories in the Braves’ system.
The 20-year-old Atlanta outfield prospect went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored on Sunday for the High-A Rome Emperors. His two-run blast came in the first inning of Rome’s 11-10 loss to the Greensboro Grasshoppers, the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
That homer pushed Hartman to 19 on the year, and MLB Pipeline says he is the only player in the minors or majors with at least 15 home runs and more than 25 stolen bases this season. That kind of all-around production has made the left-handed hitter one of the most closely watched prospects in Atlanta’s farm system, and across the minors.
What makes the surge stand out even more is where Hartman started. The Braves took him in the 20th round of the 2024 draft, and in 2025 he hit .240 with five home runs and 48 stolen bases over his first 90 minor league games. This year, the jump has been dramatic.
In 69 High-A games, Hartman is hitting .297 with a .359 on-base percentage and a .922 OPS. He also has 49 RBIs and 29 stolen bases.
That production has lifted him near the top of Atlanta’s prospect list, trailing only pitchers Cam Caminiti and JR Ritchie. A year ago, he wasn’t even on MLB Pipeline’s top-30 Braves prospects list.
The timing matters, too. Atlanta enters Monday with a 49-33 record and in first place in the National League East, so the Braves are likely to be buyers at the trade deadline. It’s unclear whether the club would consider moving any of its top prospects in a push for this season, but Hartman’s breakout has put him on the radar for any rebuilding team talking with Atlanta.
For now, Hartman’s focus is likely on keeping this run going at High-A and maybe earning a promotion to Double-A later this year.
In Other News...
Braves Bullpen Plan Is Running Into A Problem Fans Saw Coming
The Braves went into the season built to win games late, with the front office leaning into bullpen depth and trying to keep its best relievers fresh for October. In practice, though, that plan has had to survive a stretched rotation and a month of uneven starting pitching, with June exposing how quickly one part of the roster can unravel when another is being protected.
Chris Sale is a big part of the tension. Atlanta has kept him off regular rest for much of the season, and he is lined up for his fourth start of June and his first in 10 days, a reminder of how carefully the club has managed its ace while trying to cover for thinner starting depth. Add in injuries that have taken Raisel Iglesias and Robert Suarez out of the late-inning mix at different points, plus high-leverage innings that have already gone sideways, and the Braves are finding out what fans feared when the roster was built: a strong bullpen plan only works if the rest of the pitching staff can hold up around it. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Offensive Collapse Puts One Uncomfortable Question Front And Center
The Braves lineup has gone from one of the National Leagues more productive groups in May to a far murkier operation in June, and the numbers tell a frustratingly familiar story for a team that expected its offense to carry more of the load. Injuries have been part of the backdrop throughout the month, with Ronald Acua Jr., Michael Harris II, Sean Murphy, Drake Baldwin, Eli White and Ha-Seong Kim all dealing with their own issues or delays, leaving Atlanta to patch together run production as the roster has thinned out.
Mauricio Dubon has at least given the club a modest lift with a stronger June, but the larger concern is whether the Braves are seeing a temporary slump or something more systemic as the lineup keeps shuffling. When the bats are this quiet and the available pieces keep changing, the conversation naturally drifts beyond the players on the field and toward how much responsibility still falls on the coaching staff to find answers before the season drifts any farther off course. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Make A Veteran Move As Pressure Builds During Brutal Slide
The Braves have been searching for answers during a rough stretch that has left them with 11 losses in their last 15 games, and the issues have not been confined to one area. The offense has been uneven, the starting pitching has not held up its end, and with the July trade deadline approaching, general manager Alex Anthopoulos has already signaled that the club expects to be active in the market.
Carlos Santana is part of that broader effort to stabilize the roster, bringing a long track record and some postseason pedigree from his time with Cleveland, including the 2016 World Series run. The veteran first baseman will begin at Triple-A, with the possibility of working his way into the major league picture if the Braves decide they need more help on the right side of the infield and in a potential platoon role. [Read more 🡒]