Braves: This is a crazy list for Tate Southisene to be on

Eric Hartman was a buzzsaw over the first half of the season, going from a relative unknown to the top prospect in the Braves organization seemingly overnight.

However, there are a lot of prospect evaluators who actually see 2025 first-round selection Tate Southisene as the one with the highest upside. He didn’t put up quite the explosive numbers Hartman did, but at just 19 years old, he recorded a .929 OPS in Low-A Augusta and then an OPS north of .800 in Rome before earning a promotion to Double-A Columbus.

Those decisions to move Southisene through the system so quickly should tell you all you need to know about how highly the Braves think of him. They’re never an organization shy about pushing its best prospects early, which sets up a really exciting 2027 campaign.

But here’s a list I didn’t expect to see Southisene on so early. When constructing a top 10 of dynasty second basemen, Baseball America had the Las Vegas product coming in at #8.

The second basemen with the brightest futures

More fantasy baseball coverage from BA's James Anderson:https://t.co/bFjVJYvFAK pic.twitter.com/zKx16VGrcS

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) November 4, 2026

Just look at some of the names on the list. You have All-Stars, MVP candidates, and then little ole’ fresh-faced 20-year-old Tate Southisene, who just completed his first season as a professional. That’s an incredible compliment from what I would call the best in the business at evaluating prospects.

One other thing worth noting — and this isn’t a knock on Southisene — is that he’s being categorized as a second baseman, not a shortstop. In truth, it’s far too early in his development to really know where he’s going to play defensively. He’s the kind of athlete who could even end up in the outfield.

However, it’s something I try to discuss often when people act as if the Braves’ future at shortstop is already in the organization. It is the hardest position to play defensively by far, and most prospects — no matter how talented — cannot do it well enough to stick. Vaughn Grissom and Nacho Alvarez Jr. are perfect recent examples.

The Braves themselves don’t know what to expect out of any of these young talents on the farm just yet, so nothing should hold them back from making a big splash at shortstop if the right trade opportunity arises.

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