9 Braves Prospects To Watch Beyond The Top 30

The Braves Top 30 prospects rankings are up now for Baseball America subscribers, with full scouting reports, BA grades and tools grade projections for all 30 players.

Through the process of narrowing the list down to a Top 30, there are other intriguing names who didn’t make the cut but are worth monitoring, with the potential to jump into the Top 30 in the future. Some of those are players who might be in the upper levels and could see big league time this year, though likely in a limited role, while others are lower-level players still in the complex leagues with more upside but plenty of risk.

Beyond the Top 30, these are nine prospects to watch in Atlanta’s farm system.

Daysbel Hernandez, RHP. Hernandez missed the 2022 season after having Tommy John surgery in February. When healthy he showed upper-90s fastball velocity with carry and a flat approach angle, as well as a hard, downer slider.

Rolddy Munoz, RHP. Munoz has big pure stuff with a sinking fastball that averaged 96-97 and touched 101 mph, as well as a wipeout slider in the 87-93 mph range that generated a 58% whiff rate.

Tanner Gordon, RHP. Gordon’s velocity ticked up in 2022 and he has a solid three-pitch mix with a 92-96 mph fastball with plus carry, a mid-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup.

Douglas Glod, OF. Atlanta’s second big signing out of Venezuela, after Diego Beneitz in the 2021-22 international class, Glod is a bat-first center fielder with raw power and plus speed. He had contact issues (32% miss) in his Dominican Summer League debut but showed solid swing decisions.

Brandol Mezquita, OF. Mezquita is one of the better physical athletes in Atlanta’s system with defensive aptitude in all three outfield positions and some raw power, but he has real questions about contact, approach and swing adjustability.

Didier Fuentes, RHP. An international signee out of Colombia, Fuentes pitched as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League in 2022 and posted a 2.25 ERA over 44 innings. Atlanta is high on his talent and he could be pitching in Augusta at some point late in the 2023 season. He showed good feel for a fastball that gets into the mid 90s and also got a lot of whiffs with an upper-70s curveball. 

Domingo Gonzalez, RHP. The Braves acquired Gonzalez in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft from Pittsburgh. A native of the Dominican Republic, Gonzalez has a three-pitch mix led by a sinking fastball in the 92-94 mph range, as well as a mid-80s slider and a firm, upper-80s changeup.

Cedric De Grandpre, RHP. De Grandpre pitched well with Chipola (Texas) JC and in the MLB Draft League in 2022, though he struggled in a brief 8.2-inning pro debut. The Braves like the vertical life on his fastball and believe he has a solid curveball as well.

Ian Mejia, RHP. Mejia took a big step forward with his control in 2022, going from a 15.2% walk rate in 2021 to a 7.1% walk rate in his 2022 draft year with New Mexico State. He made a brief pro debut and showed a fastball up to 94-95 mph, a low-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup. Mejia’s fastball life is a question, but he has done a nice job throwing it for strikes.