Jhancarlos Lara

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Atlanta Braves #17 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High.
  
  Track Record: Lara signed with the Braves in 2021 out of the Dominican Republic, then flashed great stuff and solid results in 2022 and 2023 in the Dominican Summer League and A-ball. In 2024, he missed April with an oblique injury, then posted a 3.92 ERA in 19 starts and 82.2 innings between High-A Rome and Double-A Mississippi, with a 25.3% strikeout rate and 16.2% walk rate.
  
  Scouting Report: Lara has a great pitcher’s frame at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with plenty of arm speed, a relatively easy operation and a three-quarters slot but inconsistent release point. He has a three-pitch mix led by a four-seam fastball that averaged 96-97 mph and touched 101. Despite great velocity, Lara’s command of the pitch is inconsistent, and its life is too ordinary to miss barrels in the heart of the zone—particularly against lefties. His power slider remains a real weapon. It’s an 86-93 mph breaking ball that occasionally gets labeled a cutter and is a consistent bat-misser against both lefties and righties. At its best, it’s one of the top sliders in Atlanta’s system. Lara overwhelmingly pitches off the fastball/slider combo. He has a firm, upper-80s changeup but lacks feel for it. Adding either a two-seam fastball or refining the changeup could help him against lefties, but improving his control (he walked 25% of batters in Double-A) is the priority.
  
  The Future: Scouts remain enamored with Lara’s operation and arm strength in a starting role, but his career 15% walk rate threatens a move to the pen.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 30 | Control: 40.
• 
  Ranked Atlanta Braves #14 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/Very High
  
  Track Record: Lara signed with the Braves out of the Dominican Republic in 2021, and he pitched well as a 19-year-old in the Dominican Summer League in 2022. He made a strong domestic debut in 2023, where he posted a 4.09 ERA in 81.1 innings between Low-A Augusta and High-A Rome. His 33.1% strikeout rate was the second-best in Atlanta’s system among pitchers who threw at least 30 innings.
  
  Scouting Report: A powerfully built righthander with a well-developed frame and strong lower half, Lara attacks hitters from a fairly clean and simple delivery that includes a balanced finish. Lara averaged 95-96 mph and touched 99 with his fastball. While the pitch has above-average velocity, its life is just average and he also needs to sharpen its command, though he did improve his overall walk rate from 19% to 12.2% year-over-year. Lara’s main weapon is a nasty, upper-80s slider that is among the better breaking balls in Atlanta’s system. It’s a hard and tight breaking ball that elicits chases out of the zone and misses bats within it at strong rates, and he throws it hard enough to get to 90-91 mph at top-end velocities. Lara has thrown an occasional mid-80s changeup, but his fastball/slider usage accounted for more than 90% of his pitches in 2023.
  
  The Future: Lara’s fastball/slider combination gives him exciting upside, and his 2023 performance was among the best in Atlanta’s system. In 2024, he should get tested in the upper minors and continue to develop a starter’s arsenal.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 50