Just in:In 2024, Hurston Waldrep will probably make his debut, but who else might go to Atlanta with him?

In 2024, Hurston Waldrep will probably make his debut, but who else might go to Atlanta with him?

Let’s examine minor league players that Atlanta may see make an impact in the major leagues the following year.

Hurston Waldrep, a right-handed pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, is regarded by

national and prospect-focused media as one of the team’s top two prospects.

MLB Pipeline just named him the Braves prospect they’re most excited to see make his debut in 2024.

What other prospects, however, might we expect to see in Atlanta in 2024 after Waldrep?

Catcher Drake Baldwin

After spending the entire season in the minor leagues, including High-A Rome, the 22-year-old Baldwin ended up in AAA

Gwinnett. With a season batting average of.270/.385/.460, Baldwin is a left-handed backup catcher who is expected to spend

the majority of 2024 in Gwinnett. However, he can be a backup choice in the event that one of the two Atlanta

starters gets hurt and Chadwick Tromp, the team’s primary third catcher, isn’t available.

Baldwin would need to be moved to the 40-man roster.

Jesse Franklin, an outfielder

Franklin is the only member of the Braves’ four-player class who hasn’t yet made it to the major leagues. Franklin

was selected by the Braves in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft. Unfortunately, he hasn’t lived up to that

reputation; only fifteen games into his 2022 season, he had Tommy John surgery.

Franklin has a career slugging percentage of.467 but has struggled to use his plus raw power in games. The

swing and miss that still plagues his game when facing pitchers with excellent offerings in the zone is evident

in his AA statistics from the previous season, which were.232/.315/.419 with 115 strikeouts in 94 games.

(It also demonstrates the Mississippi ballpark’s poor power production, which

is another factor that could lead to the team’s eventual relocation.)

If Franklin is to make it to the majors this season, a number of things need to happen, such as a 40-man roster move,

multiple injuries to players in the depth chart ahead of him (like Forrest Wall), and an increase in offensive output.

Nevertheless, Franklin still has the tools to be a capable cornerback who could fill in for center field when necessary.

Hayden Harris, pitcher

After the 2022 draft, Atlanta gave priority to signing Harris, a reliever from Georgia

Southern who was not selected as a free agent. The left-handed pitcher advanced

all the way to AA in his rookie campaign and recorded 91 strikeouts in 59.1 innings pitched in 2023. Then, in an

attempt to keep him in shape for the forthcoming National League Divisional Series, Atlanta invited him to participate

in their postseason workouts at Truist Park, where he faced off against big leaguers.

Harris is another lefty relief option with swing-and-miss stuff for a team that has prioritized them this offseason, which

means he makes the list even though a lot of things need to happen for him to make the majors.

Harris would need to be moved to the 40-man roster .

KVIBEZSPORT