Braves' No. 3 prospect is back and making noise in the AFL

ATLANTA -- Tate Southisene’s rapid rise through the Braves’ system was halted when he fractured his right wrist during his first game at Double-A Columbus. But the highly regarded prospect’s recent success indicates he’ll be ready to resume his ascent next year.

Here is a look at how Southisene and other Braves prospects have fared while playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League

Tate Southisene (Braves' No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, MLB No. 58 prospect)

The 20-year-old middle infielder has hit .303 with two doubles and a triple through his first 10 games. He has posted an .863 OPS and has four steals in four attempts.

Southisene was taken by the Braves with the 22nd overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. He posted an .875 OPS and stole 45 bases (55 attempts) across Single-A and High-A levels this season. He sustained the season-ending wrist fracture when he was hit by a pitch during his Double-A debut on July 28.

As MLB.com’s Jim Callis pointed out in this article on Tuesday, Southisene has produced one of the top average exit velocities in this year’s AFL.

Briggs McKenzie (Braves' No. 8 prospect)

This 20-year-old left-handed pitcher was also making his way through the Braves' system before he was shut down with nerve irritation in his left forearm in June. There’s often reason to be concerned about forearm discomfort leading to a more significant elbow injury. But this young hurler has looked healthy while posting a 5.79 ERA in four starts (14 innings) for Glendale.

McKenzie’s two most recent starts -- the two he has made since he turned 20 on Oct. 11 -- have been impressive. He tallied six strikeouts and allowed one run over four innings against Scottsdale on Oct. 16. He then limited Mesa to two hits over five scoreless innings on Oct. 22.

This success is more impressive when you account for the fact that he entered the AFL having made just seven appearances at the pro level. He made three starts at the Rookie level, one at Single-A and three at High-A before the arm discomfort ended his first pro season in June.

MLB.com’s Jesse Borek recently wrote this about McKenzie's rise:

The southpaw was one of just four high school pitchers from the 2025 Draft class to make it to High-A this year. It's rare that 19-year-olds reach the level in their debut season, but it's even rarer that they find themselves in the Arizona Fall League soon after. McKenzie is the youngest pitcher on the premier prospect circuit in 2026 and the first to throw in a game at age 19 since Alessandro Ercolani (Pirates) in 2023.

Tyler LaPorte

Prospect lists don’t usually include 29-year-old pitchers who have played just two seasons with an affiliated team at the Minor League level. That’s why many of you might not be familiar with LaPorte, who pitched in independent leagues for four seasons before the Braves signed him and sent him to Double-A last year.

LaPorte posted a 4.23 ERA in 21 appearances for Double-A Columbus in 2025. But he posted a 1.84 ERA while recording 73 strikeouts over 49 innings at this same level this year.

Could this end up being a Cinderella story with an eventual rise to the Majors? We’ll see. Command remains an issue. But it’s worth noting that he has allowed just one earned run over 6 1/3 innings through his first six appearances for Glendale.

In Callis’ story, he pointed out LaPorte has produced one of the top breaking ball spin rates (2,914 rpm) in the AFL this year. This has helped him record eight strikeouts. But he has also issued six walks, extending the concerns created by the 13.9 percent walk rate produced with Columbus this year.

Owen Carey (Braves' No. 21 prospect)

This 20-year-old has been exceeding expectations since being taken by the Braves in the 15th round of the 2024 MLB Draft. He handled High-A this season, then stalled after playing 35 games at Double-A. But Carey has gone 9-for-30 with a pair of triples while striking out in just three of his first 39 plate appearances with Glendale.

Isaiah Drake (Braves' No. 29 prospect)

Fellow Atlanta native Chandler Simpson’s postseason success with the Rays should be motivation for the fleet-footed Drake, who has been producing the top sprint speeds in the AFL. He has gone 8-for-36 with a double and eight strikeouts in 39 plate appearances. This 20.5 percent strikeout rate is in line with the 21.3 percent rate he combined to produce at the Single-A and High-A levels this season. He has trended in the right direction since having a 35.3 percent strikeout rate at the Single-A level in 2024.