'I can do all of it': Braves prospect showcasing entire skill set in Fall League

GLENDALE, Ariz. – If you stood outside of North Atlanta High School and took off on a jog, you’d soon reach the gates of Truist Park, just 2.7 miles away. 

Isaiah Drake is hoping that his legs will carry him from campus to the baseball cathedral, albeit with some detours along the way -- the most recent being his stint with the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League. 

Drake -- the younger half brother of former NFL running back Kenyan Drake -- grew up a Braves fan, idolizing Ronald Acuña Jr., Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman and others. The game had a hold on him from the moment he hit his first T-ball homer, rushing to call his dad from his mom’s phone to pass along the news.

He went on to become a member of the MLB Develops program, during which he got to learn from former big leaguers Lou Collier and member of the 1995 World Series champion Braves club, Marquis Grissom. 

From the moment Drake’s name was read off his Draft card as a fifth-round pick of the Braves in 2023, the best way to encapsulate his game has been that he has a ton of exciting components, it’s just a matter of him putting them all together. 

“When I was younger, [my tools] were raw,” Drake said. “I didn't know how to use ‘em, it was just God-given ability. Now I'm tapping into them in the baseball way.”

Drake has been equipped with near top-of-the-charts wheels dating back to his high school days when he consistently posted sub-6.2-second 60-yard dash times. While he’s learned the nuances of how and when to pick his spots on the basepaths while working with Braves coaches, his 70-grade run tool also been spurred along by some good ol’ bragging rights: 

“We got guys like Eric Hartman [ATL No. 1/MLB No. 38] and John Gil [ATL No. 9], so it's good competition,” said a smiling Drake of his teammates who combined to swipe 116 bags across two levels this year. “They walk or get a single, then they steal second and third, so you know I gotta do the same.”

But as the axiom goes, you can’t steal first base. Drake was supremely aggressive in his first two years of pro ball, running a strikeout rate north of 35 percent while posting an OPS south of .600. Things began to come together in 2025 during his return to Single-A Augusta, before taking off upon his arrival with High-A Rome.

After swiping 46 bags last year, the club’s No. 29 prospect was back at High-A this summer with 19 steals and a career-high 12 homers before a sprained thumb ended his year in late June. 

Or so he thought. The Braves touched base in mid-August and figured he could make up for lost time in the AFL, where he has been among the club’s most consistent bats. The left-handed-hitting outfielder has compiled a .326 average with at least one knock in 10 of his 14 contests, including a 102.4 mph, 403-foot home run off a southpaw during Glendale’s 9-8 win over Peoria on Saturday.

“The biggest thing is making sure he's swinging at the right pitches, and when he does, it's just, ‘get your swing off,’” said Aaron Hill, a coach in the White Sox system who serves as Glendale’s hitting coach. “In the cages, he’s continuing to do the same thing. He's explosive, he's strong, [it’s just getting him to] use that lower half.” 

Drake has also used that lower half to account for five of the top 13 sprint speeds on the circuit, including two of the top four (31.1 ft/sec max).

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Whereas you can’t teach speed, you can teach pitch selectivity. The Braves knew when they handed Drake more than double the slot value of his pick that they were selecting a toolsy prospect who would need time to refine himself down in the Minors while learning more about himself and his craft. 

“Of course [working on my] swing and stuff, but mostly up here,” Drake said of what he’s learned, pointing to his head. “Just thinking about the game and what to be thinking in the box, just being smart as a player.” 

So what will it all look like when Drake reaches his final form? 

“Somebody that can do it all on the field, anything you ask,” he said, smiling. “I can do all of it.”