With about a month of the season now elapsed we’ve had a solid chance to get our first looks at prospects throughout the Atlanta Braves system. Many players have stood out so far, especially on the offensive end with the Braves recent focus on hitting talent, and the performances of some players have caught national attentions in recent weeks. MLB Pipeline just released their Prospect Team of the Week for the week of April 21st through 26th, and three Braves feature on the list. 2025 First Round pick Tate Southisene is the biggest name of the bunch, though the performance of Eric Hartman in Greensboro and Rolddy Munoz’s resurgent season in Gwinnett’s bullpen also carry strong storylines.
A trio of Braves, MLB's No. 26 overall prospect and a player making his second straight appearance on this squad headline the Team of the Week.Complete list: https://t.co/VcVjM6pc5y pic.twitter.com/HZ7hl0q7lo
As the primary leadoff man and second baseman for the Augusta GreenJackets, Tate Southisene has been every bit as good as his draft status would make Braves fans hope. Southisene had a bit of a shaky first week where he struggled with his timing a bit, but over the past two and a half series has had as many walks as strikeouts to go along with an impressive .314 isolated power. Last week in Columbia was the peak of the powers so far. Southisene hit safely in all six games to extend his hitting streak to eight, and was bringing the thump as well with two home runs and two doubles. His eye at the plate continued to be a major asset as he also drew eight walks while striking out only six times, and in total Southisene had a 1.267 OPS. Much was made of the complexity of Southisene’s load up and swing prior to the draft, but the Braves have put in immediate work to quiet his motion down. He is still going through an adjustment period but is taking to these big changes remarkably, and the arrow is up for him so far this year.
While Southisene has been the name to watch in the system, it’s been Eric Hartman who has provided the largest impact so far. He started out the week with a three home run game in the opener in Greensboro, and he didn’t slow down at all throughout the series. He finished with five total home runs to bring his season total to a South Atlantic League-leading eight, and he is also leading the lead in isolated power while being top five in hits, OPS, and wRC+. If there has been any knock on Hartman so far it has been his swing and miss numbers and approach at the plate, but he had a good week at the plate in that regard as well. His absurd 1.702 OPS last week led the system, and his strength at the plate has already been enough to bump his projection up a bit.
The final prospect of the week nod went to Rolddy Munoz, who has yet to allow a run this season for the Stripers. He had two dominant relief appearances last week, retiring all six of the batters he faced with four strikeouts. Munoz has not made a significant change to arsenal this season, but he is throwing first pitch strikes a bit more often and it has allowed him to work more effectively with his slider. He has a cut a chunk out of his walk rate (though his low in-zone rate hints as some regression there) and is utilizing his slider more often than he did last season.