Braves prospects, both past and present, are making a mark in MLB. This includes 2022 NL ROY Michael Harris II, who continues to impress.
Harris’ Impactful Draft Year
Michael Harris II was a third-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. Entering Sunday, Harris had accumulated a 15.4 career bWAR. Only Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Corbin Carroll, and Adley Rutschman had a higher mark among 2019 selections.
Strider and Elder’s Success
Spencer Strider, a fourth-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, has also made a significant impact. The Braves also selected Bryce Elder in the fifth round of the same draft. The Draft consisted of just five rounds in 2020 and the Braves had just four picks.
Entering Sunday, the top three bWAR numbers produced by players selected that year were Garrett Crochet, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Strider. Strider missed nearly all of 2024 and was limited last year. Elder has a 4.5 bWAR.
Baldwin’s Promising Start
Drake Baldwin’s 5.6 bWAR ranks second among all 2022 selections. He trails only Zach Neto.
Braves’ Farm System Strength
One of the reasons the Braves’ farm system has been ranked near the bottom over recent years is the fact that an abundance of their young talent has already been in the Majors. The scouting and development departments that found and cultivated the likes of Strider, Baldwin, Harris, Fuentes, Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep and others are still doing their thing. Last year’s first-round pick Tate Southisene is off to a great start, and Eric Hartman is ruling Rome much like Julius Caesar once did.
Bryce Elder ranks seventh in the Majors with a 2.01 ERA this year. He also owns MLB’s sixth-best ERA entering Sunday going back to Aug. 24 of last year.