Saturday, August 16

ATLANTA -- Fortunately for the Braves, Drake Baldwin didn’t have a Happy Gilmore-like affinity for hockey. But the leading candidate for the National League Rookie of the Year Award did once think he’d be more likely to be wearing skates rather than a catcher’s mask at the professional level.

“I thought it was more likely I’d be a hockey player in eighth grade or freshman year of high school,” Baldwin said. “It wasn’t like some elaborate thought process or educated decision. It just felt like it was going that way.”

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While some of Baldwin’s Braves teammates honed their athletic skills by playing football, basketball and other sports away from the baseball diamond, he and his friends from the Madison, Wisc., area savored their time on the ice.

Hockey wasn’t necessarily just a way to pass the time for Baldwin. As a center and left winger for Madison West High School, he led Wisconsin in goals (43) during his junior year and ranked second his senior year. He did all of this while also serving as the high school’s starting catcher for four years.

“I missed a baseball game because of hockey,” Baldwin said. “It probably wasn’t … well, I'm happy I did, because I'm still playing baseball, but I can't play hockey anymore. So, I was able to savor the last couple of games.”

Baldwin still passionately watches University of Wisconsin hockey matches and he loves watching Team USA compete in international events. But his dedication to baseball began after his sophomore year, when Missouri State offered him a chance to catch at the collegiate level.

“I still had a good time playing hockey, for sure,” Baldwin said. “When it was hockey season, I’d do baseball, like once a week, on, like, Sundays, the one off-day. Then the rest of the days, it was full-go hockey.

“On that one day I focused on baseball, I would just throw to keep my arm loose or something like that. That’s nice to do, especially in Wisconsin, when you can’t play [baseball] year round. I think it’s huge to play other sports just to help your athleticism.”

How did playing hockey make Baldwin a better baseball player?

“I think it’s just that culture where you have to keep getting up after getting knocked down,” Baldwin said. “You learn how to take a beating.”

Baldwin ranked first when MLB.com released its NL Rookie of the Year poll results earlier this week. It’s safe to say this year has evolved as well as the 24-year-old catcher could have anticipated. He wasn’t even sure when he might reach the Majors.

But he was behind the plate for the Braves on Opening Day and it looks like he’ll be their catcher for many years to come. The rookie backstop entered Thursday tied for fourth among all MLB catchers (min. 250 plate apperances) with a 131 wRC+.

“I didn’t think I’d be in the big leagues [in 2025] at all,” Baldwin said. “I thought there might be a chance to get called up around this time or as a September callup. But it’s cool.”

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TRIVIA

Which NHL team drafted Tom Glavine a few weeks before the Braves drafted him in 1984?

A. Pittsburgh Penguins

B. Boston Bruins

C. L.A. Kings

D. Edmonton Oilers

NECESSARY CHANGE

Making a significant mechanical adjustment in the middle of the season is easier said than done when you are playing on an everyday basis. It’s not like making an adjustment to your golf swing on the range and then possibly playing a few rounds before testing the adjustment in a competitive setting.

With that being said, Michael Harris II had no choice but to make changes as he neared the All-Star break with the worst OPS among all qualified MLB players. The adjustment might have been made easier by the fact he just moved his hands back up to where they’ve sat most of his baseball years.

Four days into Harris’ career, he moved his hands down to address an issue and won the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year Award a few months later. But like so many other players, the center fielder reached a point where he had to adjust yet again. The results have been impressive. He ranks among MLB’s top 10 players in OPS since the break.

INJURY REPORT

• Ronald Acuña Jr. (calf strain) worked out in New York on Thursday and then traveled to Cleveland to prepare for Friday’s game against the Guardians. The expectation is he’ll be activated from the injured list before Friday’s series opener in Cleveland.

• Joe Jiménez (offseason knee surgery) was shut down last week and will miss the remainder of the season. Braves manager Brian Snitker indicated it’s unlikely Spencer Schwellenbach (fractured elbow) and Reynaldo López (shoulder surgery) pitch again this year.

TRIVIA ANSWER

C. L.A. Kings

The Kings took Glavine in the fourth round, two rounds ahead of Brett Hull and five rounds in front of Luc Robitaille, both of whom are Hockey Hall of Famers.

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