ESPN ranks the Atlanta Braves Farm System

Farm system rankings are being unveiled as we approach the end of the season. MLB Pipeline had the Braves ranked 28th out of 30 teams. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel is a little higher on Atlanta’s young talent… but not by much, ranking their farm system 26th.

26. Atlanta Braves ($124 million)

Preseason rank: 27

The Braves have a fresh group of pitchers to supplement the current shortage at the major league level, led by LHP Cam Caminiti, RHP Didier Fuentes, and RHP JR Ritchie. As fans might be thinking, these pitchers are not solutions this year, but Fuentes could be next year and soon-to-graduate RHP Hurston Waldrep might have turned the corner with his strong major league debut.

This year’s draft haul, led by SS Tate Southisene and LHP Briggs McKenzie, has some of that high-upside prep formula that has worked for the Braves in the past, so I’d expect this ranking to continue to rise.

It’s far from the best situation in baseball, but it also shouldn’t be viewed as a dire one for the Atlanta Braves. Keep in mind, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN had this system ranked 27th to begin the season, and yet three players are looking like impact pieces.

Drake Baldwin is a candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year award, Hurston Waldrep looks to have turned the corner after a rough start to the 2025 season, and Nacho Alvarez has been a pleasant surprise filling in for Austin Riley. That’s not even including AJ Smith-Shawver, who was well on his way to establishing himself as a staple of the Braves rotation before undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Additionally, as McDaniel mentions above, the Braves have a slew of arms on the cusp of contributing in the near future, headlined by JR Ritchie and Didier Fuentes.

The Braves farm system undoubtedly lacks depth going into 2026, but the organization’s hit rate on prospects speaks for itself. They do an unbelievable job of developing their talent as they progress through the minor league ranks.