Which young players for the Braves could be the team’s breakout stars in 2024?

Numerous prospects with big ceilings for the Atlanta Braves could move up the industry rankings in 2024.

The farm system of the Atlanta Braves is somewhat in line with the needs of the major league team, despite not being “great”.

Hurston Waldrep and RHP AJ Smith-Shawver are the two best prospects in the organization, as we are well aware. But by the end of the 2024 season, which players have a chance to be considered elite prospects?

Let’s examine a few of the options to choose from.

RHP Schwellenbach Spencer
Yes, it’s difficult to describe any organization’s #3 prospect as a possible “breakout” player, but if he has a strong 2024, he has a real chance to rank among the game’s top 100 prospects.

After recovering from Tommy John surgery during his college career in 2023 to pitch 65 innings in the previous season, Schwellenbach completely turned the conventional post-TJ calculation on its head. Before his swing-and-miss stuff (only 7.6 K/9), his control was apparently back (only 2.2 BB/9).

However, the former two-way player showed considerable improvement in his final two outings for High-A Rome, pitching a combined eleven innings with eleven strikeouts, just two hits, no walks, and no runs allowed.

Prior to missing more than a month due to shoulder pain, Schwellenbach had accrued roughly 80 pitches; after returning to play in August, he did not surpass 65 pitches. He wasn’t in High-A to finish the last season, but if he’s healthy and back to striking out at least one batter per inning, expect Atlanta to push him hard to reach the real level where he’ll be pushed. If workload permits, a High-A to Double-A season with a brief appearance in Triple-A late in the season is feasible.

Jhancarlos Lara, RHP
Last year, Lara—our #13 prospect—was primarily a two-pitch player, achieving success with a fastball/slider combination that was employed more than 90% of the time. The key to this game will be how well he uses his mid-80s changeup, which is a good pitch that he hasn’t utilized enough.

The idea of placing a wager on a player the year following their “change of scenery” is also worth considering. Lara, who was born in the Dominican Republic, moved to the United States for the first time in 2023. It’s not easy for anyone to adjust, much less a professional pitcher going through the longest season of his career. With a full year to acclimate and over 80 innings under his belt, keep an eye out for Lara to make it to AA Mississippi this season.

Luis Guanipa, OF
Guanipa is anticipated to travel to the United States this season, and his assignment will be an intriguing one, as he goes from a player who has already adapted to playing in the major leagues to one who might do so in 2024: Does Atlanta keep him in extended spring for a while before allowing him to spend the entire summer at the complex, keeping in mind the late-season slump in his 2023 DSL season? Or do they put him through the paces in Augusta, counting on his physical prowess to withstand the intense July heat in South Carolina?

(Yes, Augusta’s ballpark, SRP Park, is on the South Carolina side of the border, in North Augusta, It’s part of the Augusta, GA metro area, but if you want to be technically correct – which is the best kind of correct – they’re not in the state of Georgia.)

Depending on how Guanipa’s offseason went, a full season in Single-A could pay dividends for the outfield speedster with some of the best tools in the 2023 J15 class

Garrett Baumann, RHP
With a fastball velocity of 97 mph, Baumann possesses the size (6’8, 245) and velocity necessary to dominate. After the draft, Atlanta came to the same conclusion, as his lone professional appearance was in Single-A rather than Florida Complex League rookie ball.

Since his slider is the most raw of his three pitches and Atlanta has a history of developing that pitch with its prospects, there is potential for the Florida native to advance to High-A Rome by the end of the season due to both physical improvements that result in increased velocity and a new level of dominance.