A couple of Braves prospects are shining early in the season

The Braves season is off to a dismal start with few bright spots, but there are a couple of notable names on the farm worth monitoring that have begun 2025 on a blistering pace.

Lucas Braun (MLB.com’s #10 Braves Prospect)

Braun had a helluva season in 2024, ending the year in Mississippi, where he posted a 2.38 ERA over 13 starts. He pitched more innings than any other prospect and recorded a strikeout to walk ratio approaching 4.00. That had him on a lot of people’s radars entering 2025, and Braun is picking up right where he left off.

In three starts, Braun boasts a 3.44 ERA with a 0.982 WHIP. He’s striking out nearly 10 batters per nine innings compared to just one walk. That’s the most attractive aspect to his game. He features an impressive four-pitch mix — fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup — that he can confidently throw for strikes in any situation. A promotion to AAA Gwinnett could be in his near future, and who knows, depending on how this season shakes out, it’s possible he even makes his MLB debut this year.

David McCabe (MLB.com’s #18 Braves Prospect)

The Braves don’t have many position player prospects to get excited about, but David McCabe is certainly one of the most intriguing because of his power. He flashed that in his first couple of years with the organization, but Tommy John surgery kept him out most of the last season, and he struggled when he returned.

Entering his age-25 season, 2025 feels like a make or break year for McCabe. So far, he’s turning heads, hitting .323 with a homer and four doubles through 10 games — good for an OPS north of 1.000. He’s another candidate that could be in for a promotion to AAA soon, especially given his age.