Braves Prospect Report: How Hockey Taught Owen Carey to Be Tough

The former New Hampshire hockey standout lost time to a heel injury in 2026. The bat speed, athleticism and gap power that put him on the radar are still there

Owen Carey was hindered with a heel injury, but this former hockey player is as tough as they come | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Owen Carey will be an interesting name to watch going into 2027. He currently comes in at No. 21 on the MLB.com Atlanta Braves prospect list, but he entered the 2026 season at No. 15. A heel injury cost him about a month and a half early in the year, or else some believed he could've cracked the MLB Top 100 this year.

Coming in at six feet even, Carey possesses plenty of bat speed and athleticism, stemming from his time pulling double duty in high school as a star in both baseball and hockey.

During an appearance on 'The Moneyball Channel, Carey said that he credits his hockey background for his effort level and high motor, "I think a lot of that comes from hockey. I played competitive hockey my whole life...[those coaches] taught me a lot, like, they built me into the person I am."

An outfielder from New Hampshire, Carey decided to forgo his college commitment to Rutgers to sign with Atlanta after they selected him in the 15th round of the 2024 draft.

Owen Carey is a hitter who makes a lot of contact. He is overly aggressive at times, but that doesn't hurt his confidence, with scouts noting his confidence in the box against older competition. Carey hits the ball on the ground too often – a 49% ground ball rate in 2025 – but uses a leg kick that should help him get more lift on the ball, something he'll need if he wants to do damage at the big-league level.

So far, he's shown some pop with room to grow, but I'm not yet convinced he'll be able to produce 20 home runs from an outfield spot. He's hit a total of 14 in his first 211 games with the organization. He does, however, drive the ball into the gap at a good rate, collecting 41 doubles and 8 triples in that same span. I could see him turning into a guy that hits as many doubles as he does home runs, in a similar way that his potential future teammate, Drake Baldwin does.

Carey is a solid defender with a strong arm, versatile enough to play all three outfield positions, though he's probably destined for a corner spot long-term. He has above-average speed. He's not aggressive on the base paths, but he did swipe 17 bags over 117 games in 2025 to just seven steals in 2026, likely affected by that heel injury.

In the high school ranks, as well as in his first full year of pro ball, he was known for a high contact rate and limiting strikeouts, whiffing less than 16% of the time in 2025. That number jumped to 21.4% in 2026. Owen Carey is still young and needs a lot more reps, and as of now, he's getting those extra reps in the Arizona Fall League with the Glendale Desert Dogs, where he's playing with fellow Braves farmhands Briggs McKenzie and Patrick Clohisy.

If he can be more selective at the plate and keep the ball off the ground, he's got the tools and athleticism to be really good. I could see his ceiling being about where Drake Baldwin is now, and if the power doesn't quite come, but everything else does, I could see his floor as a Nick Markakis type. That's not a bad floor if you ask me.

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