Braves Prospect Owen Carey Explains Key to Fall League Turnaround

The Atlanta Braves sent outfielder Owen Carey to the Arizona Fall League to make up for lost time, and he has made the most of it.

Carey, who is ranked as the Braves' No. 21 prospect by MLB.com, has hit .302 with a .434 on-base percentage over 13 games for the Glendale Desert Dogs.

Carey went 3-for-16 in his first six games and swung at 56 percent of the pitches he saw in that stretch, but then he cut that swing rate down to 46 percent over his next six games and put together a six-game hitting streak, going 10-for-23 with two triples, a double and seven walks along the way.

The streak ended on Saturday when he went 0-for-4 against Peoria, but through 13 games he still has 13 hits, eight walks and only four strikeouts.

Carey told MLB.com that the change comes down to keeping his energy in check at the plate.

"I'm very high-energy, high-twitch," Carey said. "I just like to always go. I think that's one of my things I try to work on. When I'm toning myself down a little bit, that's when I'm at my best, not when I'm at 100. But I'm so used to being at 100. I don't know if that comes from hockey, but I'm always used to being high-intent, and I actually tone it back when I'm in the box."

Carey was a baseball and hockey star in Londonderry, New Hampshire, and he held a baseball commitment to Rutgers before the Braves took him in the 15th round of the 2024 Draft and signed him for $150,000.

Learning to play slower in the box is a real adjustment for a lifelong two-sport athlete.

His 2026 season was interrupted by a right heel infection that needed a procedure, and he did not return to High-A Rome until June 9.

He finished with a .272 average and eight home runs in 53 games for Rome and was promoted to Double-A Columbus on Aug. 4.

Double-A was harder, as he hit .211 in 35 games and swung at 57 percent of pitches there.

I like what this Fall League run says about him, because walking twice as often as he strikes out against good competition is a sign that the lesson is sticking, and that is exactly what he needs to show going into next season.

The Braves also have other young players standing out in Arizona, including a pitching prospect who keeps impressing out there.

Carey's story fits the way Atlanta has built its farm system.

Fifteen of the Braves' top 30 prospects came to the organization as high school draft picks, according to MLB.com, and Carey is one of them.

There is plenty of debate about which Braves prospect has the highest ceiling, and a strong finish in Arizona would put Carey in that conversation.

He turned 20 in July, so time is on his side, and plenty of young Braves are working on one key fix right now, much like pitcher Ethan Bagwell has one big hurdle to clear, and Carey looks like a player who could pay off if this new approach sticks.