The Florida Complex League season is starting up a month earlier than usual, and to be exact the opening day for the league is May 4th. Official releases for the complex league are not posted, and often players will be listed on the roster and not appear in games due to injury or the Atlanta Braves having them work on the side. Still, we got a slew of official assignments on the MiLB transactions page, and there is a collection of big names to follow.
We’ll go ahead and start out with the two big names, as Jose Perdomo and Luis Guanipa were assigned to the roster. Guanipa isn’t much of a surprise — the Braves top signing from 2023 had a solid year in the Dominican Summer League and Atlanta has often promoted players with even less success in that league. We rated Guanipa as our 6th-best prospect, as his elite athleticism and bat speed make him one of the most intriguing talents to come through the system in years. Perdomo is a bit more of a surprise. The Braves signed Perdomo this January as the biggest signing by bonus in the team’s international history. In recent years all of Atlanta’s top signings have started in the Dominican Summer League, but Perdomo is getting an aggressive approach. This likely has to do with the consensus that he is already an advanced bat for his age, and the feeling that he is probably far ahead of DSL pitchers from an approach and contact standpoint. There is an argument to be made that Perdomo is Atlanta’s top position player prospect before he has even played a professional game, and the excitement surrounding him surpasses any seen from a Braves international prospect since 2016.
There are a handful of other interesting choices on the position player side, especially in the outfield. Douglas Glod will be repeating the level, which is somewhat surprising given that he was one of the team’s top players last year. Jair Casanova played in Augusta last year and while he wasn’t great he put up solid numbers, but likely due to a crowded outfield situation with older players Casanova is also listed on the FCL roster. One player that has gotten huge buzz despite his small stature is infielder Mario Baez. Baez is expected to start at second base with Perdomo at shortstop, and the young Dominican proved he could hit last summer. As a 16 year old Baez had a .393 on base percentage in the DSL and led the team in OPS at .815. He has gotten some top 30 buzz this winter, but another who will start to get some top 30 looks is John Gil. Gil primarily plays third base, and is one of the biggest players to watch coming into the season. Gil had nearly as many walks as strikeouts in his 48 games last season, posting a team-leading .409 on base percentage. He also stole 20 bases. The young international talent on this team far surpasses any other FCL team in recent years, a sign of the recovery of the system from the international sanctions.
