Three under the radar Braves prospects to watch closely

Not only are the Atlanta Braves off to one of the best starts in franchise history, but there are also some incredibly encouraging developments on the farm — and not just from highly drafted players or prospects that already carried top-100 hype.

Eric Hartman

Hartman was drafted out of Canada in the 20th round of the 2024 MLB Draft at just 18 years old, and his first taste of professional baseball last season was relatively quiet, hitting .240 with a .699 OPS between rookie ball and Low-A Augusta. Unless you follow the Braves farm system religiously, there was really no reason to know who he was coming into the year.

That’s changed quickly.

Hartman has opened the 2026 campaign with High-A Rome and has done nothing but rake since Opening Day. Through 26 games, he’s already piled up 16 extra-base hits — nine of which have left the yard — while posting an OPS north of 1.000 and hitting .308.

Maybe it’s just a heater, but the underlying traits are very intriguing. The left-handed power stroke is legitimate, he’s a plus athlete capable of stealing bases and moving around the diamond, and he’s still incredibly young. There’s a lot to dream on here.

David McCabe

At 26 years old, McCabe is probably pushing the limits of what people still consider a “prospect,” but injuries have made his development path anything but normal since the Braves selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

Undergoing Tommy John surgery as a position player derailed much of his momentum and limited him to just 35 games in 2024, where he understandably didn’t look like himself. But signs of life started to emerge last season, as he posted an OPS around .800 between Double-A and Triple-A.

Now, he’s taking things to another level. Through the first six weeks with Double-A Columbus, McCabe has already launched nine home runs while sporting a .974 OPS.

Given his age and the fact that he’s still not playing consistently in Triple-A, the odds of him becoming an everyday player in Atlanta remain slim. But his bat to ball skills have always been a plus, and there will always be room in the majors for hitters capable of driving the baseball out of the yard.

Herick Hernandez

Over the last several years, few organizations have developed pitching better than Atlanta, and Hernandez might be the next arm in line.

A 19th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Hernandez took an unconventional path, beginning at the junior college level before eventually transferring to the University of Miami. He features a mid-90s fastball from the left side paired with a nasty slider, while also developing a curveball and splitter.

Through five starts in Double-A this season, Hernandez owns a 1.83 ERA with an absurd 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings. The command still needs refinement, but the swing-and-miss stuff is very real, and that’s something that’s a lot more difficult to teach.