It’s finally February, and we are merely days away from pitchers and catchers reporting. The buzz for the future is growing louder, and what represents the future more than a top 30 propsects list. Once again we are happy to present you, the Battery Power readers, with our annual preseason top 30 Atlanta Braves prospects, which actually opened with our honorable mentions on Sunday. This is the favorite project of the year for us to do, a fresh offseason behind us and excitement abound to get our first looks at players for the upcoming season.
This list is going to be a composite ranking made from taking the individual rankings of our four minor league writers — Garrett Spain, Gaurav Vedak, Matt Powers, and Brady Petree — and mashes them all into one grand list that we all contribute to. This season there was a clear number one prospect, something that isn’t always the case, but there is always the case that players tend to fall into tiers. This season there was a unanimous number one, a clear top seven, then the 8 to 15 range all as pretty obvious tiers. After that, things got a bit whacky, and pretty much anyone in the lower ranges of the list could vary by 10 or more spots pretty easily after just a few weeks of action this season. We would love to get your feedback and comments on the list as we go on, but also save some questions for the end when we will have a live Q&A as well as some other follow up articles to this list. As another note: we will be including the 2025 international free agents on the list this time around.
30. David McCabe – 3B/1B
How he got to the Braves: 2022 MLB Draft, 4th round
When the Braves drafted David McCabe out of Charlotte in the fourth round back in 2022 they were buying in on a power bat at the corner infield positions who was going to have to prove he could hit against the elite velocity he would face in the upper levels of the minors. He seemed to have broken out a bit in 2023 as he combined to hit .276/.386/.450 across two levels of A ball and then posted a .809 OPS over 96 plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League – however he still hadn’t truly proven himself in the upper levels yet.
He came into spring training in 2024 expecting to head to Double-A with the chance to really prove himself there, but then injury happened. McCabe required Tommy John surgery in February that put his entire season in jeopardy. Things worked out for him to return on July 30th, playing designated hitter only for Mississippi, but he never seemed to be able to get going. Across 35 games he posted a .497 OPS, and then got sent back to the AFL to make up for lost time and put up a .584 OPS over 10 games.
With 2024 essentially being a lost season for him due to injury and the late start, McCabe is hoping that 2025 will be a do-over for him. He is expected to be healthy and likely to start back in Double-A, with another chance to prove he can hit against high end velocity. He also needs to show more of the plus raw power that he has in-game, as he has tended to play more to average to slightly below in-game. Still he is a prospect with big raw power that has shown a feel for getting on base in A ball and the AFL. He is likely ticketed more at first base due to his limited range at third and his surgery last year, but if he is able to prove he can hit the expectation would be that he moves quickly at this point considering he turns 25 in March.
29. Nick Montgomery – C
How he got to the Braves: 2024 MLB Draft, 5th round
The Braves like to invest in catcher during the MLB Draft, and when they took Nick Montgomery in the fifth round this summer, he became their latest investment at the position. Montgomery is a bit different than a lot of the catchers the Braves have drafted in recent years, both the fact he was a high school draftee as well as the fact his potential really comes with the bat more than the glove.
Montgomery is a big kid at 6’4, 210-pounds, and comes with the potential to have a plus grade on his raw power. He’s also shown some feel for hitting as well, both on the showcase circuit and against competition that is strong in the Southern California region he played in. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also a fairly good athlete for a catcher.
Of course he is going to need to work on his defensive skills, and being a larger framed kid there is a chance he becomes a bit too big to stick at catcher longterm as well. Still the bat has enough potential to still be an asset if he needs to move positions, and that good athleticism for a catcher gives him a chance at potentially first or in the corner outfield – if he can’t end up sticking behind the dish.
Montgomery signed for an overslot amount of just under $1M last summer, though he didn’t make his professional debut over the last few weeks of the season. With his experience in a highly competitive high school region, the expectation that he starts the season in Low-A is reasonable. Even if he doesn’t start the season there, it is likely he ends up there at some point this year. He is still going to be in his age-19 season all year and with the fact his defense needs work, he is likely to not be brought along too quickly as his bat would have even more value if he is able to stick at catcher.
28. Domingo Gonzalez – RHRP
How he got to the Braves: 2022 Rule 5 Draft, Minor League Phase
Originally a prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, Domingo Gonzalez was primarily a starter where he never found much success, topping out at Double-A in 2022. Atlanta saw an opportunity to grab a talented pitcher for next to no cost in the minor league phase of the 2022 Rule 5 draft, and that pick up has proved to be a shrewd one. The Braves swapped Gonzalez to the bullpen immediately, placed him in Double-A, and tweaked his arsenal to fully focus around his slider. The Braves switched Gonzalez away from a sinker and towards a four-seam fastball, having Gonzalez focus on landing his mid-90’s heat in the upper half of the zone. Gonzalez had a solid season in 2023, putting himself on the map but still creating reservation with his poor command, but in 2024 he truly came into his own. Gonzalez improved his strikeout rate to a staggering 38.8% between Double- and Triple-A, posting a 2.75 FIP overall. While his numbers took a small dip upon promotion to Gwinnett, he was still the bullpen’s most consistent arm down the stretch, with a 3.33 FIP and 36.3% strikeout rate.
All of this culminated in the now Major League Rule 5 eligible Gonzalez earning a spot on Atlanta’s 40-man roster in December to protect him from selection. With that, and prior Triple-A success under his belt, it’s a fair bet to say that a healthy Gonzalez will make his major league debut in 2025. Gonzalez has made his success based heavily on his unique release, a low and quick snap of the arm that released his fastball at an average height of 4’8.3”. That’s more than a foot below the major league median release height of 5’9.5”, and this release creates a flat approach angle that allows his fastball averaging 94.3 mph to play up in the zone. He pairs that with an above average slider that he is able to bury glove side, and which produced a 42.9% whiff rate in Triple-A last season. Gonzalez still tends to make mistakes over the plate, so although he has cut down significantly on walks there are command issues that need to be solved for him to unlock his full potential. As is he is a safe bet to land as a major league middle reliever starting this upcoming season, with the ceiling of a player who could fit in as a team’s third or fourth best reliever.
27. Dylan Dodd – LHP
How he got to the Braves: 2021 MLB Draft, 3rd Round
Dylan Dodd showed consistent promise for the Braves in the lower levels of the minor leagues, dominating through 1 1⁄2 professional season in a way that saw him earn some top 100 buzz. Dodd’s three pitch mix impressed when he made 26 starts in 2022, leading the system with 153 strikeouts, but regression has plagued him since and he has been stuck mostly at Triple-A where he hasn’t been able to generate consistent success. The Braves rotation headed into 2023 was in a tumultuous spot, and Dodd was one of many who had a chance to latch on in the fifth starter spot. Instead Dodd struggled immensely in seven major league starts, and even heading down to Triple-A wasn’t able to overcome command and velocity regression. He had a 5.29 FIP at Triple-A in 2023, and only marginally improved in 2024 with a 4.90 FIP. He made only one major league appearance, allowing two runs in two innings, and his future with Atlanta is foggy at best.
Dodd’s best skill through 2022 was his ability to command all three pitches well, but following mechanical tweaks designed to unlock better movement and velocity he hasn’t been able to reclaim that former success. Dodd’s walk rates skyrocketed in 2023, and while he was able to get everything more in check in 2024 he still hasn’t found the prior refinement he had with his fastball. This has hurt as his fastball is a tick slower than it was in the lower minor leagues, and he has been struggling to maintain that velocity deep into games and seasons. In addition neither his changeup nor slider have been able to prove consistent swing-and-miss offerings at upper levels, again somewhat going back to his tendency to not locate either pitch well. Still, despite the pessimism so far Dodd has shown some signs of potential. Dodd added in a new slider shape last season that he was able to get whiffs with, throwing it both harder and with more spin, and while his inability to effectively locate the pitch led to the Braves going away from the pitch in game there are still signs of the work in progress on getting Dodd a go-to secondary offering. Early in the season Dodd showed increased velocity, especially when pitching across shorter outings, and if he can maintain that throughout the season it would add significantly to his profile. The Braves have also toyed with Dodd in the bullpen, where his velocity would play up and allow him to potentially fill a multi-inning role. Dodd’s inconsistency over the past two seasons has plagued his projections, but he can still peddle occasional flashes of his former success, and with the Braves always in need of arms he will continue to get opportunities to succeed.
26. Luis Arestigueta – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 International Free Agency
Arestigueta was one of Atlanta’s top signees from the 2023 international free agent class, and early on the 19 year old has looked the part of a future top pitching prospect for the Braves. Arestigueta has yet to put up truly impressive numbers, last season putting up a 4.50 FIP, 21.5% strikeout rate, and 10.9% walk rate, but the numbers don’t reflect the flashes of talent Arestigueta is putting out on the mound. Arestigueta has already shown a three-pitch mix with major league potential, the gem being his sweeping slider that has been the consistent swing-and-miss offering for him at the lower levels. The pitch sits in the high-70’s to low-80’s, and he has shown an ability to sling the pitch across the bottom of the strike zone with more consistency than his other two offerings. Arestigueta mixes in a fastball that tops out at 93 mph, but there is belief within the organization that he will continue to add velocity as he matures. The 6’3 Arestigueta has plenty of room to add strength to his frame, and he has the athleticism and the arm speed to project to even potentially mid-90’s velocity at maturity.
For Arestigueta, everything centers on his ability to project. Beyond just the fastball velocity, his command needs to be better than it has early on. Arestigueta has simple mechanics, but struggles to repeat his arm action and tends to spray his fastball at the bottom of the zone. While he has had success against lower level hitters doing so, he will need to learn to keep it towards the edges of the plate. His fastball has average movement and won’t be able to miss bats in the zone, necessitating him to rely on his secondary offerings to generate whiffs. Arestigueta shows feel for an average to solid-average changeup, but isn’t able to throw it in competitive locations often enough yet. Still, all of these are growing pains that would be expected from a player who played all of 2024 at age 18. Arestigueta has room to grow into one of the system’s brightest stars, and already has found success more quickly than most pitchers his age.
25. Adam Maier – RHP
How he got to the Braves: 2022 MLB Draft, 7th round
It’s safe to say that so far the $1.2 million investment in Adam Maier is looking like a bad decision by the Braves staff, but it’s important to question how much of everything we’ve seen from him is a matter of rust. Maier’s recovery from his brace procedure in early 2022 took much longer than expected, and in his time back with Atlanta his fastball which had previously touched 97 mph back at Oregon was scraping to get above 92 on his best days. This regression in velocity exposed his poor command last season and his fastball was hit hard, but context and optimism could be a benefit here. Maier started to see his fastball velocity inch up towards the middle of the summer and he ran off a string of successful starts in Single-A, at least until injury sidelined him for a month and a half in late June. He came back struggling to miss bats in High-A, but finished with two strong outings and has shown ever-steadier flashes of the player the Braves were so high on 2022.
A full season and a bit of command progression could pay huge dividends for Maier, because his other attributes are off the charts good. Maier can spin both his slider and his curveball at nearly 3000 rpms with regularity, and there were times in the lower levels it was clear those hitters had no clue what to do with a pitch like that. Maier’s problem was getting to his secondaries, as he would often pitch his way into bad counts or get hit early on, and even then his ability to spot that slider that operates as his go-to secondary offering was a inconsistent early in the year. Even getting ahead of hitter with more regularity would allow him to unlock his arsenal, but if he can get towards sitting his fastball closer to 91-94 like he did in college he could be even more potent. Mix in a changeup that could also be above average to plus if he commands it better, and Maier has the foundation of a mid-rotation starter despite his limited velocity. For a player who is now 23 years old there are far too many “what ifs” to have any real faith in Maier’s ceiling, but it could take only a handful of starts in 2025 to completely flip the script. Maier registered only 15 2⁄3 innings between 2022 and 2023, so there was always an air of caution with evaluating his outings last season. 2025 will be the first season where it feels we’ll get a chance to see an unrestricted Adam Maier in action, and he has a major chance to prove the Braves right.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
