Major League Baseball

MLB 26-and-under power rankings: No. 2 Atlanta Braves

Updated Mar. 26, 2023 11:33 p.m. ET

FOX Sports' 26-and-under power rankings are a new spin on the classic prospect rankings. Yes, prospects are important, but with all the game-changing young talent already in the bigs, farm systems alone can’t tell the whole story. So we’re diving deep into every single MLB club, ranking them all by the players in an organization entering their age-26 season or younger — from the bigs to the farm. Each weekday through March 27, we’ll count down from last to first.

No. 2 Atlanta Braves
26-and-under total score: 23 (out of 30)

Big-league position players: 12 (out of 10)

It's easy to see why the Braves are No. 2 in our talent rankings. Their young hitting breaks the scale with names we've been familiar with for years now, including a few under-26 players who were a part of Atlanta's 2021 World Series run. These are the same names who commanded our attention in the early days of their big-league call ups and the same ones who signed long-term extensions that will keep them in Atlanta throughout their primes.

Ronald Acuña Jr. is projected to have a big season two years removed from his 2021 ACL tear, and he's set to do so at age 25. Austin Riley, a franchise pillar, and Ozzie Albies, who owns a pair of Silver Slugger awards, are about to enter their age-26 seasons. Michael Harris II, coming off a Rookie of the Year season in the National League, is fresh off his 22nd birthday.

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For the most part, that's a group of established All-Star hitters who have the potential to be bona fide superstars of the game when they're at their best. And they're regulars in the Braves lineup! As our rankings have shown, it's rare for a major-league team to be equipped with that many proven hitters who are still far from their primes and at least a handful of years away from slowing down.

As you can likely tell by now, our talent rankings system favors organizations that are young and well-rounded. The Braves are a perfect example of a lineup that is threatening for its young depth and proven hitters. It is of course a big reason Atlanta's offense is routinely projected to be among the best in MLB.

Big-league pitchers: 8 (out of 10)

And the strength of the Braves' organization doesn't stop at their big-league position players. Atlanta flashes a stack of age-26-and-under pitchers who are already occupying space in the big leagues.

Still shy of their 25th birthdays, right-handers Spencer Strider and Ian Anderson highlight the Braves' young starting pitching. Together, they have pulled off the excellent feat of receiving NL Rookie of the Year votes in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Both righties are expected to be mainstays in the Braves rotation, but Strider is the one with the highest ceiling.

Strider's strong rookie campaign last year saw him strike out nearly 40% of the batters he faced over 131.2 innings of work. His swing-and-miss ability makes the Columbus, Ohio native one of the top starting-pitching options in baseball. Strider finished second only to his teammate Harris in 2022 Rookie of the Year votes. The Braves didn't even need to see Strider annually enjoy those types of results before signing him through 2028.

Acuña, Harris, Riley, Albies and Strider are under Atlanta's control through at least the 2027 season. Those five players give the Braves proven successes – age 26 and under — with team-friendly contracts that will provide stability at the big-league level. The Braves have pulled off a long-term structure that is unparalleled in MLB.

Of course, that structure relies on consistency to be prosperous. There is still risk involved with injuries and possible regression that could, eventually, make those long-term contracts look lousy. But that's something we don't need to pay too much attention to until the later stages of their deals. For now, the general quality of this young Braves group makes it easy to bank on their futures.

Prospect position players: 1 (out of 5)

Where the Braves lack organizational heft is in their farm system. It's still hard to find anyone complaining about the emptiness of Atlanta's minor leagues when the major-league club is routinely a favorite to win its division — particularly with proven young position players and pitchers in place to carry the club forward.

But it is still glaring when the Braves do not have a single player on MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects list.

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Prospect pitchers: 2 (out of 5)

Still, the best prospects within Atlanta's farm system are teenagers, so there is still a long runway ahead of them to potentially break out. It's possible some 19-year-old arms, like right-hander Owen Murphy, JR Ritchie and Cole Phillips who have yet to pitch above Low-A ball, could develop, which would help the Braves' minor-league system jump in value down the line. But for now, there are just too many unknowns to rank Braves prospects any higher than the bottom leg within the league.

The Braves have been able to feature one of the best young cores in baseball due to recent graduations and trades that were carried out to supplement the big-league team. The most important thing to note about Atlanta's organization is its penchant for winning. The club's major-league success allows for less attention and criticism of its farm system. While Atlanta's young core dominates the NL East, the next wave of Braves players can take its time developing and begin to move back up the league's farm-system rankings. On paper, it's a fruitful method designed for long-term organizational sustainability and one that other teams should be envious of.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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