Cedric De Grandpre comes in at No. 25 on the Atlanta Braves' Top 30 prospect list, and he's an interesting case because even though he's been in the Braves system for four full years now, his role at the next level is still in question.
De Grandpre was used as a reliever during his freshman year at Chipola College in Florida – one of the premier junior college programs in the country – but the Braves seemed determined to develop him as a starter because of his pitch mix. It starts with a fastball that sits at 95, but tops out at 97. He has a hard-breaking slider that sits around 83-84, a low-80s curve and an upper-80s change.
De Grandpre was drafted in the 13th round in 2022 – part of a draft class that included Drake Baldwin and JR Ritchie. He made his way to High-A Rome by 2023 but missed the entire 2024 season with Tommy John surgery. He worked his way back to High-A in 2025 and finished the year with a 3.74 ERA in 13 starts with Rome.
2026 was when he really began to climb. He began the year in Rome and finished with Triple-A Gwinnett. Since returning from his elbow injury in 2025, his control hasn't been what it was prior. His 2.28 BB/9 ballooned to an alarming 6.44 in 2025. He got it down to a 4.16 BB/9 over 129.2 innings in 2026, but continuing to drive that walk rate back down closer to where it was pre-Tommy John will be the key to De Grandpre's success at the next level.
De Grandpre had a strong August with Gwinnett, posting a 3.52 ERA, and went at least five innings in each of his last six appearances to close the season.
Throughout the 2026 campaign, De Grandpre's calling card was the strikeout. Across three levels, he posted an elite K/9 of 11.24 and an opponents' batting average of .220. The walks kept his WHIP at 1.28. If he can get the command back from his early pro years, Cedric De Grandpre can be untouchable.
A solid 2026 indicates that Atlanta's faith in De Grandpre's future as a starter could pay off. If he finds himself in a big league rotation, he could be positioned as a Nick Pivetta type. A middle-of-the-rotation guy who leans on the strikeout and must improve his command to succeed. Pivetta has proven himself to be a valuable arm in his career, even pitching some big playoff innings.
If Cedric De Grandpre can model his career in a similar way, the Braves should be very happy. Whenever baseball does resume in 2027, we could see him in Atlanta soon after.
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