Atlanta Braves' Pitching Prospect Continues To Impress in Arizona Fall League

On Thursday in the Arizona Fall League, one of the Atlanta Braves’ top pitching prospects showcased his promise once again in what was a dominant outing.

Briggs McKenzie, a left-handed starting pitcher and the Braves’ No. 8 prospect, tossed five scoreless innings in a dominant start, making headlines at the Fall League once again. In his start, he allowed just two hits and struck out four batters, while walking just two hitters.

With his start, Briggs became the second pitcher in the Fall League to go five innings in a start this year. He has continued to look stellar on the mound, as he built off of a dominant outing his last time out as well, where he tossed four hitless innings where he had six strikeouts to his name. After that start, he had been named to Baseball America's latest Arizona Fall League Hot Sheet. 

Now with back-to-back outings where he combined to allow just one run, Briggs is setting himself up to be a name to monitor in the Braves’ farm system in 2027.

Atlanta selected Briggs in the fourth round of the 2025 draft with the 127th overall pick. He made his professional debut in 2026, making seven starts across three different minor league levels. When he was on the mound, he dominated and stood out as one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the Braves’ farm system.

Briggs pitched just 26 innings across his seven outings, but he shined despite the smaller sample. He posted a 2.08 ERA and struck out 31 batters, while holding opponents to a .189 batting average and recording a 1.15 WHIP. However, his regular season was cut short, as he was placed on the injured list in early-July with an undisclosed injury and was later moved to the 60-day injured list.

One of the younger pitchers in the Fall League, Briggs’ performances have been very encouraging, especially given his lack of innings pitched over the year. 

Briggs finished the season with the Rome Emperors, the Braves’ High-A level affiliate. If he continues the same dominance we have seen from him in his last pair of starts, he could be on his way to potentially beginning the season with the Columbus Clingstones, the Braves’ Double-A affiliate.

However, for Briggs to shine the way he has so far in the Arizona Fall League has been very notable for the Braves going forward, who have continued to see their pitching in the farm system dominate. Along with fellow left-hander Cam Caminiti, the Braves' No. 2 prospect, Atlanta’s southpaw prospects seem to be in a great spot moving forward.