The 2026 season has been kind to the Atlanta Braves farm system. Some key players are fully healthy and exploding at the minor league level, and the Braves have had arguably the biggest breakout story across the minor leagues playing for them. The addition of the draftees to the midseason list makes it a bit harder for guys to make big jumps, but there have been a few big breakout prospects including 2025’s biggest draft signee.
Jose Manon +6
Despite being one of the Braves top signees last season, we were hesitant to rank Jose Manon earlier this season due to a lack of good information on him. The Braves have had an unfortunate run of bad high bonus international signings dating back a decade, and Manon needed a little time to prove himself. So far, things have looked great for Manon in rookie ball. His lack of power so far is not ideal, but he has been hitting at a high rate and looks like he could play above the projections he had prior to his signing. Manon could really find himself jumping up with a good FCL season next season.
Owen Carey +6
If it wasn’t for an early season injury Owen Carey may have had an even bigger breakout this season. Carey’s fringe power was a concern for a player who fit better at a corner defensively, but so far he has shown average power at the plate in 2026 and has started to hit the ball in the air more often. When Carey swings he often makes line drive contact, though he has seen a bit of an uptick in swing-and-miss this season. What we want to see next from Carey to continue up this list is better selectiveness at the plate as he has a tendency to chase, but Carey has been nothing short of terrific in High-A this season. At 19 years old he has a 123 wRC+ and has already doubled his home run total from last season in 42% of the games played.
Briggs McKenzie +5
Here’s the one. I liked Briggs McKenzie well-enough as a prospect headed into the season, but he is better than anything I could have imagined. This is not a universal opinion amongst the staff, but for my money I would call McKenzie the top pitching prospect in the system and one of only a handful of guys that has the hallmarks of a player who could provide significant impact for Atlanta. Health is unfortunately a factor in the development of pitchers and McKenzie hit the injured list a month ago and hasn’t returned, but it’s not enough to sour anything just yet. McKenzie’s talent was always there — they wouldn’t have given him $3,000,000 if he was just some guy — but it’s how much he’s already made use of his talent that blows me away. Everything is significantly better than it was when he was drafted last season, and there is the potential for McKenzie to have four plus pitches in his arsenal if his velocity keeps climbing. He’s gotten stronger, he’s ironed out some of the mechanical issues I worried about, his breaking balls may be the two best breaking balls in the entire system, and his changeup is not far off from the best the system has to offer. McKenzie has overwhelmed older hitters with his stuff, and though his command still needs some work he has the athleticism to improve there and has started to make strides in that department. It’s very early and so much can go wrong in a pitcher’s development, but this rise in the system is indicative of a player who could be special for the Braves for a long time. Plenty of players have the talent, fewer have the work ethic, and even fewer have the aptitude for the game and for making adjustments to be great players. McKenzie is showing all three of those. When you’re evaluating pitchers a middle-of-the-rotation guy is valuable to have, but what you’re really looking for are the types of talents that can anchor postseason rotations. Briggs McKenzie has that sort of ceiling. Guys just are not supposed to get this good, this fast.
Eric Hartman +3
You knew this one was going to be here. This is the time where it is important to note this is based off of our updated list, not our preseason list. It doesn’t matter. Eric Hartman is so good he rose like a hot air balloon, and then rocketed up a few more spots just for fun. It’s one of the greatest breakouts we’ve ever seen from a Braves prospect and Hartman has stamped his name on the tongue of everyone who hopes for the Braves future. Hartman has improved every aspect of his game over last season and his power has gone through the roof, and even with a recent slump he is still one of the best young hitters in minor league baseball. Hartman has settled himself in as the player that is expected to be an impact addition to Atlanta in future years, and his rate of improvement is just as gaudy as McKenzie’s. He was a breakout in a way last season, going from an unknown guy coasting off of a good summer league to late draft pick to a legit prospect, but this has taken things to a new level. He is the exploding onto the scene with and electric power and speed combination and should remain the system’s top prospect headed into 2027.
Herick Hernandez +3
Let’s go back again to the McKenzie bit. What you really want to see with pitchers is a guy who has the potential to anchor a postseason rotation. Herick Hernandez has his flaws without a doubt, and the rate of command improvement is not nearly enough for him to be getting top prospect billing in this system just yet. He has to do better about throwing strikes. His stuff is insane, though, and he has proven that he has three pitches that can miss bats against even upper-level hitters. There are very few players in baseball with an arsenal like that, and though Hernandez does still need some work on his changeup it flashes above average potential to go along with a plus fastball and slider combination. Hernandez has shown that he has every bit of the arm talent to be an impact starter, and if the command doesn’t ever come he has two pitch mix that would be lights out in a bullpen role. A command bump would send him rocketing up the list, but even without that in the fold Hernandez has steadily done enough to impress this season.
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