Rayven Antonio is one of the breakout prospects of the year
The Battery Power midseason top 30 Atlanta Braves prospects list rolls on with the second installment, where for the first time in years the list is starting to see strong representation from the lowers levels. From breakout prospects to recent signees this portion of the list features exciting talent from the lower ranks and a number of high upside prospects
24. Isaiah Drake – OF
How he got to the Braves: 2023 MLB Draft, 5th Round
Isaiah Drake has had a massive breakout season in Augusta, finally showing some of the promise that led to the Braves handing him a $750,000 signing bonus out of high school. Drake is still 19 years old, but after an inconsistent and injury-plagued 2024 season there was plenty of concern that he was never going to hit at a high level. While there are lingering questions still to answer about his bat-to-ball skills, he has made massive strides this season. Drake has drastically cut his swing-and-miss down to a 22.8% strikeout rate, and his revamped swing and approach has him tapping into power and hitting the ball hard consistently. He has been Augusta’s best player, with outstanding outfield defense, a 113 wRC+, and 33 stolen bases.
Star status was always a possibility for Drake. He possesses some of the best physical tools in the system, and though his swing needed plenty of work for him to tap into his power the upside for an all-star caliber center fielder was lying beneath the surface. Drake’s size does not belie his power, as he has above-average raw power and now in 2025 has started to put it into games with a .106 isolated power that is above league median. With a quieter swing and less lower body movement he has always increased his contact rates drastically, and by staying in the box and attacking with more ferocity he is hitting the ball hard to all fields. Drake still has risk to his profile and some of his improvement is just a matter of him repeating the level, but there is now reason to believe that he is going to hit enough to at least get to the upper levels of the system. It’s a wide range of outcomes, and Drake still needs to lift the ball more frequently and especially hit fly balls to the pull side, but his defensive ability combined with his offensive toolset makes him one of the system’s highest upside talents.
23. Drue Hackenberg – RHSP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 MLB Draft, 2nd Round
While most of this section in the list consists of guys who have the arrow on their careers moving up, Drue Hackenberg has stumbled at Double-A and is having trouble proving he was worth a $2,000,000 signing bonus in 2023. Hackenberg always had questions about his upside, but with the development of a cutter and changeup and his increase to averaging 94 mph on his fastball he advanced to Triple-A in 2024 and seemed like he could be in the next wave of Braves pitchers called up. He regressed some at Triple-A against better hitters where he struggled to command the ball, but it was impossible to foresee him dropping off as significantly as he has in 2025. Hackenberg has been in all respects awful, with a 16.8% strikeout rate, 15.5% walk rate, and 5.69 FIP, all while missing significant time with an undisclosed injury.
Some of Hackenberg’s troubles can be attributed to his injury, but some are problems that have always floated around. He has struggled to command the ball at every level, and while he made some progress towards the end of last season all of that seems to have gone away. Hackenberg was sitting 91-92 in his last start, a far cry from the 94 he averaged last season, and whether it’s the injury or regression causing that it is a major point of concern. Hackenberg has been past on the pecking order by multiple starters at this point, but if he can recover his velocity and 2024 form he could quickly get back into contention for a major league job. Hackenberg has effectively lost this season barring a miraculous late season turnaround, but has enough history of performance to give us faith in a second chance in 2026.
22. Owen Carey – OF
How he got to the Braves: 2024 MLB Draft, 15th Round
The Braves went with a toolsy, raw prep outfielder from New Hampshire late in the 2024 MLB Draft and despite the fact he didn’t turn 19 until a week ago send him out to Augusta to open the season. It was a choice that likely surprised some as Carey is a player many expected to spend 2025 in the FCL considering the jump in competition from New Hampshire high school to pro ball, but he has been one of the best pieces of the explosive GreenJackets lineup.
Though 84 games Carey is slashing .254/.331/.337 with two homers among his 23 extra-base hits. He has also added 13 steals and has drawn 29 walks to 59 strikeouts. It is true that he has slowed down after posting OPS marks of .766 and .743 in April and May, to just .576 and .565 in June and July, but some of that is because he is a young player making his pro debut and adjusting to higher level of competition. Another part of it is also likely that he is a few years younger than most of his Low-A competition and still needs to add a little strength, which will come in time – but one thing that he has shown is a feel for making contact.
Carey is going to be an above-average hitter with good speed and defense. He’s never going to be a big home run guy, but he should have plenty of extra base power in his bat and I could see him hitting 15 homers a year when he fills out. Carey is likely to move up to Rome in 2026, and probably won’t be ready for Atlanta until sometime in 2028, but he has the upside of being a solid everyday starting outfielder.
21. Raudy Reyes – RHRP
How he got to the Braves: 2025 International Free Agent
Raudy Reyes was a lot add to the Braves 2025 international free agent class after opening a bunch of eyes with his overpowering fastball and slider combination. At 16 years of age, Raudy stands tall at 6’4” 240 pounds, and has an arm capable of hitting 103 MPH. As of right now, the plan it so keep Raudy as a starter, as there is no reason not to, and help him further develop the command with his fastball/slider combination before potentially adding a third pitch into the mix.
Raudy appeared in six games for the Braves in the Dominican Summer League this season and faced moderate success. He saw enormous strikeout numbers with a 11.4 K/9 rate, but of course he was definitely on the wild side with a walk rate that sat at 13.2 per 9. He was able to maintain an elite velocity going into four innings, as he sat 97-99 throughout the season, with his slider averaging 85 MPH. There is a lot to like about his arm talent, but there is a ton of work that needs to be done to eventually mold Raudy into a professional player, but you have to like the Braves chances with their pitcher development record and his talent level.
20. Rayven Antonio – RHSP
How he got to the Braves: 2023 International Free Agent
There might not be a player that has helped his stock more than Rayven Antonio did in 2025. As a whole Rayven’s numbers were just okay in his first full year in professional baseball – with a 4.05 ERA, but just 5.98 K/9 and 3.66 BB/9 rate. He sat mainly in the low 90s with a decent breaking pitch and while there was projection (6’1”, 190 pounds) he wasn’t really in the running for being a top 40-50 prospect in the organization.
Fast forward to this year, and we saw significant improvements. He’s already sitting at a career high in innings pitched (74), but saw his ERA drop from 4.05 to 3.39 on the season. We’ve also seen a massive rise in his strikeout rate, now up to 9.32 per 9, which has resulted in a huge increase in his whiff rate – culminated by an incredible 26 whiff performance this season. He’s won multiple pitchers of the week awards for his work in A-ball – all well deserved.
But how exactly has Rayven gotten it done? We saw a massive uptick in his fastball – sitting in the low-to-mid 90s with the ability to get it up to 96/97. He combined that with a quickly developing two seam that shows great promise. He also unveiled a much more significant splitter with good break, and has been able to get his slider in the zone more often. All of these elements combined for a huge breakout campaign in 2025 for Rayven, and it will be extremely fun to watch his development over the rest of the season, and see how he comes out early in 2026.
19. Connor Essenburg – OF
How he got to the Braves: 2025 MLB Draft, 5th round
The Braves spent a pretty penny to float Essenburg to the 5th round of the 2025 draft, and he’ll come into the system with eyes locked on him with arguably the best raw power in the system. Essenburg has huge upside, with a big body and a swing built to crush home runs, and in a proper developmental environment he could be a middle of the order threat. He will need to hit as he will likely be limited to a right field role in the future, but he swings with authority and scouts are confident he will tap into his power potential at the next level.
The questions for Essenburg all surround his hit tool, and the Braves believe their system is the right place for him to grow. They have had some success in recent seasons at developing the approach and hit tool for players — Isaiah Drake is the most prominent example — and Essenburg will need all of that care to hit his ceiling. His aggressive swing decisions are a major red flag, but he does have some natural feel for the barrel and has plus bat speed. Essenburg is a risky profile who doesn’t have the defensive profile to carry a fourth outfielder backup option, but the payoff if he hits could be a cornerstone player.