Hurston Waldrep is likely to debut in 2024, but who else might join him in Atlanta?

Let's look at minor leaguers who Atlanta might see come up and play in the majors next season

As one of the top two prospects for the Atlanta Braves, right-handed pitcher Hurston Waldrep gets a lot of attention from national and prospect-focused media. 

Just today, he was named as the Braves prospect they're most excited to see debut in 2024 by MLB Pipeline. 

But after Waldrep, what other prospects might we potentially see in Atlanta for 2024? 

Catcher Drake Baldwin

The 22 year-old Baldwin just finished a season that saw him climb from High-A Rome all the way to AAA Gwinnett by season's end. Batting .270/.385/.460 on the season, Baldwin's a lefty-hitting backup catcher that projects to spend most of 2024 in Gwinnett, but can be a backup option if someone happens to one of the two Atlanta starters and go-to third catcher Chadwick Tromp isn't available. 

Baldwin would require a 40-man roster move. 

Outfielder Jesse Franklin

Franklin, a former 3rd rounder by the Braves out of the 2020 MLB Draft, is the only Braves player from that four-player class to not yet deut in the majors. He hasn't lived up to that status, though, through no fault of his own, dealing with Tommy John surgery just fifteen games into his 2022 season. 

Franklin sports plus raw power, but has struggled to effectively get it into games, with a career slugging percentage of .467. His AA numbers from last season, .232/.315/.419 with 115 strikeouts in 94 games, show some of the swing and miss that still plagues his game when facing pitchers with premium offerings in the zone. 

(It also shows just how bad that Mississippi ballpark is for power production, another factor that may eventually result in the team moving.)

REPORT: Columbus, GA is trying to lure Braves AA affiliate Mississippi to relocate for 2025 season

Quite a few things have to happen for Franklin to make it to the majors this season, including several injuries to the depth players ahead of him (like Forrest Wall), a 40-man roster move, and a jump in offensive production, but Franklin still has the tools to be an effective corner defender who could step into center field in a pinch. 

Pitcher Hayden Harris

Harris is an undrafted free agent reliever from Georgia Southern who Atlanta prioritized signing after the 2022 draft. Rising all the way to AA in his first professional season, the lefty hurler struck out 91 batters in his 59.1 innings in 2023. Atlanta then invited him to their postseason workouts in Truist Park, where he faced off against big leaguers trying to stay in rhythm for the upcoming National League Divisional Series. 

Again, lots of things have to happen for Harris to make the majors, but he's another lefty relief option with swing-and-miss stuff for a team that's prioritized them this offseason, and then means he makes the list. 

Harris would require a 40-man roster move. 

BONUS: Harris spoke to Managing Editor Lindsay Crosby earlier in October for an episode of Locked On MLB Prospects; that interview is below. 

Pitcher Grant Holmes

The 27 year-old righty, a former 1st rounder by the Dodgers, served as a high-leverage option for AAA Gwinnett last season, finishing 31 games (out of 50 appearances) and collecting 13 saves. Going 7-3 with a 3.54 ERA, Holmes struck out 74 batters in his 61 innings with only five homers allowed. While he occasionally gets knocked around a bit when he can't locate his fastball (five multi-run outings in 2023), he's able to pitch multiple innings and pounds the zone, throwing his fastball/curveball combo for more than 65% strikes in 2023.

Holmes would require a 40-man roster move.

Pitcher Luis De Avila

The stocky righty (5'9, 215) is already on his third organization at the age of only 22, having started his career with the Colorado Rockies and signing with the Kansas City Royals in late 2019. Atlanta took him in the minor league portion of the 2021 Rule 5 draft and, similar to Allan Winans, converted him to starting. He spent most of the year in AA Mississippi, finishing the season in Gwinnett with one start. If injuries strike the Braves rotation last like season (where 16 different pitchers took the ball to start a game), he's potentially a major league option with his groundball-inducing sinker/curveball/changeup arsenal. 

De Avila would require a 40-man roster move.

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