A Full Breakdown of the Atlanta Braves prospects headed to the Arizona Fall League

Atlanta Braves:

Drue Hackenberg RHP: A 2023 2nd round pick out of Virginia Tech Hackenberg was projected to go anywhere after the 5th round but the Braves saw him as an intriguing prospect and took him early. In his first full season in 2024 he jumped from A+ all the way to AAA making a combined 25 starts for a 3.07 ERA. After starting the season in AA and getting off to a disappointing start Hackenberg was put on the injured list and called back up at the end of July missing more than a two months with three starts in the FCL in between. Since coming back he’s been a bit better at limiting damage only allowing more than four runs once in nine starts. His problem this season has been his loss of control. He’s jumped from a still not great 11.3% walk rate last season up to 16.7% in AA this season. He’s not improving command wise either as in his last four starts he’s walked five batters in each game. Unlike last season where he was getting strikeouts this season his strikeout rate dropped by almost 9%. He has a bunch of pitches that if he can throw for strikes make him a great potential end of the rotation guy but right now he’s not throwing them for a strike. The Braves likely want to see more from Hackenberg this fall especially on the command and whiff front. 

Jacob Kroeger LHP: A very interesting arm, Kroeger is in his first full season after being drafted in the 10th round of last year's draft. He’s already moved from A to A+ being used as a starter and swingman for both teams. At an advanced age for the low minors (25) and he dominated the A level this season through 29 innings there he had 2.30 FIP and 35.7% strikeout rate. Once moved up to A+ though he settled into more of a starter role and had some great games but also some below average ones. He still has a 2.03 ERA but his FIP is 3.33 and his strikeout rate dropped to 19%. He has a five pitch mix that likely won’t overpower hitters at the next level as he’ll likely settle back into the bullpen in the future and be a solid lefty specialist. The Braves likely want to see how Kroeger does against more advanced hitters this fall because he’ll likely be an option for their bullpen late next season. 

LJ McDonough RHP: An undrafted reliever with very shaky command, McDonough was promoted from A+ to AA this season and has struggled to stay consistent. After a solid 15 innings for A+ he’s really struggled in AA with a 4.94 ERA. Lately he’s been very inconsistent, giving up three or more runs in three of his last seven appearances the last month. He’s struggled to get whiffs like he has at lower levels. With this offseason McDonough becomes Rule 5 Draft eligible the Braves likely want to see if they can get anything out of him this fall. 

Luke Sinnard RHP: The most intriguing arm the Braves are sending to Arizona, Sinnard only started playing baseball his senior year of high school and started his freshman year at Western Kentucky before transferring to Indiana where he broke out and was drafted by the Braves in the 3rd. During his Indiana season he ended up blowing his arm out and missed all of the 2024 season so 2025 is his first season in pro ball. Standing at 6’8” he throws a mean fastball that sits in the mid 90s and he has two breaking balls (a slider and curveball) that break really well off of it. He started the season in A ball where he was dominant with a 0.92 ERA and 33.3% strikeout rate but after being promoted to A+ he’s allowing more hard contact and getting less strikeouts. On the positive side his walk rate has gone down between levels which has likely been Sinnard’s main focus this season. He has the stuff to be a Major League level starter and will just have to grow and learn into more of a pitcher. Since he’s only pitched 16 starts this season after Tommy John and this is only his fourth season pitching ever the Braves want him to get as many innings as possible so he’ll continue to develop. 

Cory Wall RHP: Another reliever who was promoted to AA this season, Wall started the season pitching really well in A+ after spending almost all of the 2024 season there and was recently promoted to AA at the start of August. In his seven games in AA he’s throwing less strikes and walking batters more. He has some decent stuff with a fastball in the mid 90s and a slider with decent movement but doesn’t seem to have much upside as some of the other arms in the Braves system. With him already being 25 the Braves just want to see more from Wall before next season.

Nacho Alvarez Jr. 3B: After being called up to the big leagues this season Alvarez has battled multiple injuries throughout this season. To start the season Alvarez was on the 60-day injured list with a wrist injury then dealt with an oblique strain and side soreness after being called up. The Braves believe Alvarez should get more at bats after his injury riddled rookie season even though he’s currently on the MLB roster. Alvarez is a very patient hitter who doesn’t swing much and makes a good amount of contact. He hasn’t shown a ton of power or hard hit ability. Last season he had only a 35.1% hard hit rate in AAA and this year it’s dropped to 22% at both the MLB level and AAA level. He also recently switched to 3B after playing most of his minor league career at SS. He seems likely to be a solid utility infielder who will work long counts and move guys over. 

Jim Jarvis SS: Traded at the deadline from the Tigers for Rafeal Montero, Jarvis is mostly known for his bat but ever since coming into the Braves organization his bat has been coming alive and he just recently was promoted to AAA. He’s been hitting the ball harder and running more often while increasing his strikeouts to become a different hitter than he’s been in his professional career. He’s also a super platoon player from the left side hitting under .200 every season against left handed pitching. I’m guessing the Braves want to see if Jarvis can continue this throughout the end of the AAA and into the fall because he has a real shot to take over the starting SS job for the Braves next season if they don’t bring anyone in. This is a super intriguing player to watch in the fall and hopefully keeps raking. 

Patrick Clohisy OF: An 11th round pick in last year draft out of St. Louis University Clohisy entered his first full season of pro ball this year in A+ and hit pretty well. Not only did he have a 111 wRC+ but he stole 60 bases. After his promotion he’s whiffing and walking less but he’s hit for more power and his wRC+ is the same at 111. By the end of this season he could be a top 30 prospect in the Braves system. Clohisy has great speed, an above average outfield glove, and has shown a decent bat. If he can keep hitting this fall he could start next season in AAA potentially. 

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