3 young Braves prospects who could follow Didier Fuentes to the majors

The Atlanta Braves promoted one of their top pitching prospects, Didier Fuentes, to the majors and will have him start their series opener on Friday against the Miami Marlins. The Braves promoting a pitching prospect isn't shocking, especially given what adding a starter to their rotation this weekend does for the rest of the starting staff, but Fuentes, in particular, getting the call is eye-opening for a couple of reasons.

First, Fuentes celebrated his 20th birthday just two days ago. It's extremely rare for a player of that age to get the call-up to the majors. Second, Fuentes just made his Triple-A debut five days ago. He pitched well in that start, but has only taken the ball once in the minor leagues' highest level, and has a combined six starts above High-A. It's unusual to see players with such limited experience in the upper minors get a MLB call-up so soon, but the Braves have made a habit of this.

From Spencer Schwellenbach to AJ Smith-Shawver to Michael Harris II, the Braves have shown a willingness to promote guys who, on the surface, don't look ready for the majors. Most of the time, these moves pay off for them in a big way. They're hoping this will be the case with Fuentes, and have several others who could be next when it comes to very early call-ups.

These are the next young Braves prospects who could follow in Didier Fuentes' footsteps.

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3. Jhancarlos Lara, relief pitcher

The pitcher with the best stuff in the Braves' farm system might be Jhancarlos Lara, a 22-year-old right-hander who is considered Atlanta's No. 11 prospect by MLB Pipeline. Lara's numbers are far from pretty this season, as he has an ERA just a shade under 11.00 in 16 appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A, but his stuff is so good to the point where if he can improve his command even slightly, the Braves might consider bringing him up.

Lara's best pitches are a fastball that hits triple digits easily, and a wipeout slider that can reach the lower 90s. Again, the story with him is all about command.

Lara has gone 8.2 innings in 10 Triple-A appearances this season, yet he has fanned 16 batters. Yes, he's struck out nearly two batters per inning pitched. He's also allowed a total of four hits, none of which have left the ballpark. His issue, though, is that he's issued an absurd 12 free passes.

Lara walking batters at an absurd rate won't fly at the MLB level, but it's abundantly clear that he has the stuff to not only make it to the majors, but dominate. It's simply about improving command. If he does, he might be up sooner rather than later, especially given Atlanta's bullpen woes.

2. Lucas Braun, starting pitcher

A 23-year-old, Lucas Braun has spent the entire season in Double-A and has a 4.56 ERA in 12 starts. That might seem underwhelming at first glance, but he's been mostly rock-solid all year. Braun has allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his 12 starts and has allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of those 12 starts. Braun, for the most part, has been a quality start machine for Double-A Columbus.

Braun might not have the stuff Lara does, but he's a control artist. He has walked 2.1 batters per nine this season, issuing 16 free passes in 69 innings of work. His issue is that he's given up 13 home runs already.

Once Braun learns how to limit the home run ball, which will come, he'll give the Braves something to think about when it comes to promoting him to Triple-A or even the majors. He can add even more depth to an already strong and deep rotation.

1. JR Ritchie, starting pitcher

JR Ritchie's career got off to a bit of a rocky start as he needed Tommy John Surgery soon after being drafted in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft. His stuff took a while to come back, but he's been nothing short of dominant this season.

Ritchie has a 1.97 ERA in 12 starts this season split between High-A and Double-A. Five of those starts have come at the Double-A level, and he's allowed two runs or fewer in all five. The Braves have no reason to rush him, especially with Fuentes at the MLB level, but if he continues pitching like this, he might force their hand. That's pretty wild to say about a pitcher drafted out of high school who hasn't pitched much in the minors.

He's doing this as a 21-year-old. He has the highest ceiling of all three of these prospects and is the highest-rated of the three per MLB Pipeline. He hasn't gone deep into games, as he's eclipsed the four-inning mark only twice in his five Double-A starts, but once that changes, Ritchie might be a factor in the majors sooner than Braves fans expected.