Didier Fuentes Listed As 'Top Riser' Among Braves Prospects

The Atlanta Braves are having a rough season, but on the bright side, the farm system is on the rise.

Three of the Braves current top five prospects have already made their MLB debuts. That doesn't even include Spencer Schwellenbach , who is no longer categorized as a prospect and is now a staple of the starting rotation in Atlanta after debuting in May.

But the biggest change about the Braves' farm system is that it's quickly becoming less top-heavy. A large part of that is the No. 29 prospect in Atlanta's system, Didier Fuentes.

MLB.com listed 19-year-old Funtes as the prospect with stock rising the most for the Braves this year. Here's what they said about him:

"Signed out of Colombia in January 2022 for $75,000, Fuentes was added to the Braves list in mid-July as he returned to Single-A Augusta for the second time with much better results. The 19-year-old is athletic on the mound with a three-pitch mix, and he was using it to post a 2.96 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over his first 15 starts, holding hitters to a .211 average-against and striking out 11.7 per nine."

A 2022 international signing by the Braves out of Colombia, Fuentes was added to the MLB Pipeline's Braves prospect list in the middle of his third professional season. He is the 15th right-handed pitcher of Atlanta's top 30 prospects.

Fuentes really put himself on the map with two scoreless, six-inning starts this summer for the Augusta GreenJackets right before being added to the prospect list in mid-July.

After starting in rookie ball in 2022, he has pitched in Low-A Augusta the past two seasons. 2023 was filled with struggles for the young starter, as he went 0-4 with a 7.27 ERA in 26 innings pitched. This season has been much different.

In 2024, the 6-foot, 170 pound starter has compiled a 3-6 record with a 2.85 ERA over 72.2 IP and 17 appearances (16 starts). He exited his latest start last night after 2.2 scoreless frames, though MILB reported the issue to be just a blister on his throwing hand – a minor issue.

The third of Atlanta's 2022 international signings, MLB Pipeline regards the $75,000 signing of Fuentes as a "bargain," and it is looking to be such as his stock is trending upward rapidly in 2024.