Now that the 2026 Atlanta Braves season is in the books, we can begin looking ahead. This is the first installment in a series counting down the Braves' Top 30 prospects, and we're starting at the very bottom with No. 30.
There isn't much to go on with Raudy Reyes. He just turned 18 in August and missed most of 2026 recovering from Tommy John surgery, which makes him the definition of a "project," but one that should be fun to undertake nonetheless.
Reyes is a pure thrower who signed with the Braves as an international prospect in 2025. His raw arm strength earned him a $1.8 million signing bonus, the largest figure in the 2025 international signing class outside of Roki Sasaki.
At the moment, Reyes' lone weapon is a fastball that regularly hits triple digits. It sits at 96-98 mph and has topped out at 102. At 18, he already stands 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, and as he continues to grow into that frame, don't be surprised to see him add a few more ticks. He's also working to deepen his arsenal, with a slider that he's been developing in the Dominican Summer League.
Early returns suggest command is the concern. Reyes walked 29 batters in 27 innings in the DSL while striking out 35, and he'll need to work on repeating his delivery and finding the zone more consistently. Given that he mainly throws a fastball at this point, that sounds alarm bells. He also gave up 20 hits and posted a 3.67 ERA, so developing that slider will be crucial to help him miss bats with deception.
As for his delivery, Reyes' windup reminds me a bit of 19-year veteran and six-time All-Star Kevin Brown, but that's where the comparison ends. When I look at his future, I think of someone like Emmanuel Clase (minus the suspension and controversy, of course). With such a limited arsenal, Reyes seems destined for the bullpen, and with that velocity, a closer role feels obvious. Like Reyes, Clase (basically) used a two-pitch mix: a cutter that reached triple digits and a high-80s slider. He also had a sinker, but he rarely used it, usually as a surprise variation on his primary cutter.
If Reyes continues to grow and adjust, a flamethrower like him coming in for the ninth inning could cause pandemonium in a big-league ballpark. I can already hear the crowd chanting his name, or "Get Rowdy" by Drumma Boy blaring over the stadium loudspeakers as he makes his entrance. Though having Reyes jog in from the bullpen to "The Green Hills of Tyrol," the Scottish bagpipe instrumental that "Rowdy" Roddy Piper made famous, would be especially comical.
Anyway, that's all conjecture, and there will be plenty of time for that. The 18-year-old flamethrower isn't expected to be MLB-ready until at least 2030.
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