Braves Prospect Weekly: Sears Dominates at Gwinnett, Muñoz's Walk Rate Sharpens
By JT Murphy ·
Braves Prospect Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Braves farm system.
Sears Is Pitching His Way Into a Roster Conversation
Brett Sears (AAA, RHP, Rank: 34) turned in 6.1 innings against Triple-A competition this week, allowing three earned runs on five hits with one walk and eight strikeouts, generating 12 swinging misses on 92 pitches. That outing continues a stretch that has looked nothing like the version of Sears who got rocked at Gwinnett two years ago: over the last 30 days he has posted a 1.96 ERA in 23 innings with a 33.7 K% and a 5.6 BB%, surrendering one home run. His combined season ERA sits at 2.90 across 124.1 innings, and the 153 strikeouts against 30 walks represent a 31.0 K% and 6.1 BB% that back up everything the command grade promises.
Sears is a 55 command arm with a four-pitch mix and a fastball that tops at 95 mph but generally lives closer to 91. The stuff does not blow anyone away, and that is not a new observation. What makes the 2026 Gwinnett numbers meaningful is how different they look from his 2025 Triple-A cameo, when he allowed 11 earned runs over 9.2 innings before being sent back down. This year he has pitched to a 1.73 ERA in five Gwinnett starts, generated whiff rates above 26% in each of the last four outings, and done it with a low-80s slider that functions as a legitimate bat-misser and enough curveball-changeup separation to prevent hitters from sitting on one pitch. A development list transfer on September 17 clouds the near-term picture, but the body of work this season at all three levels makes the long reliever or up-down projection feel undersold if the command holds.
Muñoz Finds the Strike Zone in a Sharp Triple-A Outing
Rolddy Muñoz (AAA, RHP, Rank: 24) worked 3.1 innings out of the Gwinnett bullpen this week without allowing a run, giving up three hits and zero walks while striking out three and generating five swinging misses on 46 pitches. The walk-free line is worth noting for a pitcher whose full-season BB% at Triple-A sits at 12.0%, a number that has been the central obstacle between his mid-to-upper 90s fastball and any kind of sustained big-league role. Over the last 30 days that walk rate has dropped to 5.7% in 12.1 innings at Gwinnett, paired with a 2.92 ERA and a 33% whiff rate, which is the command profile the projection requires.
The arsenal is not in question. A 55-grade four-seamer sitting 96-98 mph with riding life and a 55-grade slider with tight tilt give Muñoz a two-pitch combo that can miss bats and miss barrels when he is synced. The problem has always been the 40 command grade showing up in the walk totals: 27 free passes in 51.2 Triple-A innings on the season, and a brief MLB cameo earlier in the year that produced a 13.50 ERA in two innings. The last 30 days at Gwinnett are a better version of what this profile can be, and the zero-walk outing this week is the clearest single-game example of the command ticking toward useful. A middle reliever ceiling with up-down floor is still the right call, but weeks like this one at least show what the good version looks like.
Quick Hits
Owen Murphy (MLB, RHP, Rank: 6) · was recalled from Gwinnett on September 14, giving the 23-year-old his fourth MLB appearance of the season. He now has 9 innings in Atlanta with 8 strikeouts, 3 walks, and a 5.00 ERA at the big-league level. His Triple-A line across 96.2 innings sits at a 3.07 ERA. Murphy is ready for the Big Leagues. He'll likely work in a long relief role the rest of the way unless a rotation spot opens up.
Drue Hackenberg (AAA, RHP, Rank: 19) · was promoted from Double-A Columbus back to Gwinnett on September 15, giving him another crack at the level that has given him the most trouble this season. His Triple-A ERA stands at 6.79 in 57 innings with a 13.2 BB%, while his five Columbus starts produced a 0.96 ERA in 28 innings with a 5 BB% and 26 strikeouts. The command gap between levels is not subtle, but at least the promotion comes off the back of genuinely sharp Double-A work, including a stretch where he was the best pitcher in the Columbus rotation.