The Atlanta Braves have done quite a bit of good with their outfield over the past few years, locking two young stars into long term deals. Outfield is the area that has suffered most from the decline of the system, but Atlanta’s recent investment in young talent has given some life to the lower levels of the system.
40-Man Roster Outlook
The Braves are in a very good spot at the major league level with their outfield depth, featuring arguably the most talented outfield in the big leagues. This of course starts with 2023 National League MVP Ronald Acuna Jr., whose transcendent talent was critical to the organization’s 2018 turnaround and subsequent dominance of the NL East. Acuna is the cornerstone of the entire franchise, and joins center fielder Michael Harris II as cheap and controlled elite talent in Atlanta’s outfield. Harris has had a phenomenal spring and looks poised to make the next step in his career after a 4.0 fWAR age 22 campaign that saw him post a .355 xwOBA to go along with elite center field defense. Those two alone would be enough to rank Atlanta as a top five outfield in all of baseball, and in fact Atlanta tied with Houston to lead all teams in fWAR from their outfielders last season. Still, Alex Anthopoulos was not satisfied and made a huge move this offseason to acquire Jarred Kelenic from the Seattle Mariners.
Kelenic was the sixth overall pick in 2018, and blitzed through the Mets and then Mariners systems to debut as a 21 year old in 2021. Unfortunately he has yet to realize his immense talent at the major league level, struggling to make the consistent contact necessary to be a regular player. Atlanta took the opportunity to nab the 24 year old this offseason, adding to the talent and giving Kevin Seitzer and staff an intriguing project to work with in left field. Atlanta has a fairly deep outfield with the recent signing of Adam Duvall bolstering their depth to go along with speedster Forrest Wall. While neither are starting caliber players at this stage, they are both reasonable backups who can provide spot starts and injury replacement when needed. Marcell Ozuna can also play in the outfield, theoretically, but we can only pray that never happens.
Top Prospects
While Atlanta has had success with developing athletic outfielders in recent seasons, the farm system is barren overall in terms of top outfield talent. The shining star of the system is Luis Guanipa, another elite athlete with crazy bat speed who could develop into an all star talent, but as an 18 year old who has never played in the United States it is far too early to count on him in any significant way. Beyond him is a major drop off in the outfield room, but there exist a few intriguing talents at the back end of the system. The closest to the major leagues among this group is Jesse Franklin, who through all of his injuries has managed to hang on to some prospect status due to his plus raw power. Franklin was inconsistent throughout the season for Mississippi in 2023, but in the latter half of the year posted the best contact and walk rates of his career giving some hope that he can tap into his potential. Franklin is a long shot and likely platoon bat who is a bit redundant given Kelenic’s addition, but he operates as a wild card who could be a trade piece for bullpen help if and when Anthopoulos makes moves. Cody Milligan is a fantastic defender who has shown some contact ability and speed, but lacks the power to be more than a fourth outfielder.
The remainder of the primary outfield talents in the system are high-ceiling and high risk lottery tickets. Isaiah Drake is the most exciting among them, more on him in the next section, but the player who has put the most performance into games has been Douglas Glod. Glod struggled to make contact in the Florida Complex League last season, but has added strength since being signed in January 2022 and could show above average power. Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. is a premium athlete who can play all three outfield positions at a plus level and flashed average power, and has the ability to recognize the strike zone well. Unfortunately after a hot start in 2023 he struggled down the stretch as he was beat by breaking balls too often in High-A Rome, but he still possesses starter-level talent if he can tap into his raw power more often and make a bit more contact overall. Slightly more buried is Jair Casanova, who despite receiving little fanfare has an intriguing toolset. Casanova played in Low-A last season as a 19 year old, and occasionally flashed above average power while posting solid exit velocities. Casanova didn’t make contact enough to really tap into it much and is limited to a corner outfield role, but is a name to keep an eye on as he develops.
2023 Draftees
Isaiah Drake is the main point of focus for Atlanta on the outfield side of the 2023 draft, getting a $750,000 bonus in the fifth round. The Braves clearly feel strongly about the Georgia native and its easy to see why. Only Guanipa in the system has a comparable ceiling, as Drake features elite athleticism to go along with surprising above average raw power from his 5’10 frame. Drake already has the makings of an elite defensive center fielder who can be a monster on the basepaths, but he is remarkably raw at the plate and will be a project for Atlanta. Drake struck out 37.7% of the time in the Florida Complex League last season and may end up repeating rookie ball, though that isn’t a huge concern as he comes into this season still just 18 years old. Drake may be a risky pickup for Atlanta, but his athleticism and bat speed are tantalizing. The Braves picked up three outfielders in the final eleven rounds, with Pier-Olivier Boucher being the least notable with just a $1,000 signing bonus. The other two, however, carry a bit more intrigue starting with 11th round pick Jace Grady. Grady put up strong numbers in four years at Dallas Baptist, and can get on base at a high clip. 17th round pick Kade Kern is a toolsy outfielder who struggled a bit in his short pro debut, but has gotten a few chances to appear in major league spring training games. Kern had an RBI single on Thursday for his first hit of the spring.
