Four under the radar prospects Braves fans must know

The Braves farm system has made leaps and bounds this season, with several new faces inside the top 100 prospects overall and others who could join them in the not-too-distant future.

However, there are also some really intriguing under-the-radar guys in the system having incredible 2026 campaigns — players who aren’t highly ranked but could become household names down the line.

David McCabe

A fourth-round pick in 2022, McCabe is an older prospect at 26 who’s dealt with a lot of injuries, specifically Tommy John surgery back in 2024 that essentially cost him an entire season of development.

Now two years removed from that injury, he’s having a season that’s put him back on the radar, hitting .282 with 16 home runs and a .962 OPS for the Double-A Columbus Clingstones over just 53 games. That earned him a promotion to Gwinnett, where he’s continued the nuclear stretch, recording a 1.190 OPS over his first four games.

The switch-hitting McCabe probably doesn’t have a long-term position in Atlanta. He’s a first baseman, and that spot is occupied for the foreseeable future. But the bat is all that matters here. He could carve out a role as a designated hitter if this offensive surge continues.

Daniel Brooks

Daniel Brooks is a graduate of Bishop England High School in Charleston, South Carolina — which just so happens to be the same high school I attended. He went on to play collegiately at College of Charleston and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Braves in July of last year.

Brooks didn’t make his debut until this season, beginning as a reliever, where he compiled a 0.65 ERA with 15.0 strikeouts per nine innings for the Low-A Augusta Green Jackets. He was good enough that the Braves promoted him to High-A Rome and decided to try him as a starter. So far, so good — Brooks tossed 4.1 innings of one-hit ball with six strikeouts in his first appearance for the Emperors.

Brooks recently made Baseball America’s list of the 20 hottest prospects.

“Brooks didn’t make his debut until May in the Florida Complex League after the Braves signed him as an undrafted free agent last July. He had a 6.17 ERA in the FCL, but the Braves still promoted him to Low-A Augusta at the start of June. Since then, he’s been one of the best pitchers in the minors, allowing two earned runs in 32 innings with 52 strikeouts and only eight walks. Before this week, Brooks was pitching in relief, but he moved into the rotation and made a pair of impressive starts. He struck out 10 in five scoreless innings with Augusta, allowing three hits and no walks. He was then promoted to High-A Rome, where he struck out six more in his debut, allowing only one hit and one walk. Brooks led all minor league pitchers in strikeouts this week, and evaluator feedback has been glowing. He’s got great size at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds, and he has a very high release. He relies on two pitches right now: a fastball that sits 92-94 mph and is very difficult to pick up and a mid-80s slider. Both pitches show considerable bat-missing ability, and his velocity and effectiveness have improved as the season has gone on. Even though Brooks is 23 and has only one outing above Low-A, he’s a very real prospect and should move into the Braves’ Top 30 in the offseason. (IC)”

Luke Sinnard

Luke Sinnard was someone we talked about a lot last season, as his big frame and swing-and-miss ability combined with his control made him a really unique prospect. Calling him under the radar might be underselling him — he’s around the top 10 according to most outlets. However, he’s missed most of this season with an abdominal injury, so it’s easy to forget about him.

Since returning, Sinnard been spectacular. He pitched to a 2.73 ERA for Rome, which earned him a promotion to Columbus, where he’s allowed just one run over 4.2 innings. Sinnard and Brooks are both names to keep a close eye on next season.

Blake Burkhalter

Relief pitchers never get the love they deserve when it comes to prospect rankings, but Blake Burkhalter looks like someone who’s going to have a long career in Atlanta. He’s currently in Triple-A Gwinnett, where he’s made 14 appearances and pitched to a 1.29 ERA with 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Burkhalter’s stuff has looked so much better this season, with a rising fastball in the high-90s serving as his go-to offering, paired with a cutter and slider. He’s the type of prospect who could get a look in September as rosters expand, and his stuff is good enough that he could end up being a valuable piece of the Braves bullpen.