Tuesday, March 04

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- What was it like for Drake Baldwin to come to Spring Training knowing he now stood as the Braves’ top prospect, and more importantly, knowing he might get his first taste of the Majors at some point this year?

“I definitely didn’t think I’d be in this spot three years ago,” Baldwin said. “It’s pretty cool.”

Baldwin has made great strides since the Braves selected him in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft. The 23-year-old catcher has spent the past couple of years proving his value extends beyond his bat. In the process, he has established himself as MLB Pipeline’s No. 63 overall prospect.

When the 2025 Braves Top 30 Prospects list is released on Monday, Baldwin will sit in the top spot. He ranked No. 11 entering the 2024 season, but his stock soared after he batted .298 with 12 homers and a .891 OPS over 334 plate appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett.

“He’s awesome,” Braves starting pitcher Ian Anderson said. “I could stand here all day and talk about him. He’s so good in the locker room, and he loves being around the field. He’s one of the first guys to show up and one of the last guys to leave. I think that goes a long way for that position. He can hit. He’s probably one of the better hitting prospects I’ve seen.”

The baseball world got a glimpse of Baldwin’s hitting skills when he hit an opposite-field home run during last summer’s Futures Game. The 411-foot shot came off his bat at 107.3 mph and was the game’s hardest-hit ball.

“He hits good fastballs better than I’ve seen most people do,” Braves starting pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver said. “I remember watching him last year, and it seemed like the harder the fastball we faced, the harder he hit it. He’s always been very impressive in the box. He’s got a bunch of juice, but he’s just an overall good hitter. He’s just not someone you want to face. He’ll take his knocks, and he’ll also take you over the fence.”

Baldwin didn’t show a lot of swing-and-miss while constructing a .484 slugging percentage at the Triple-A level last season. His 16.2 percent strikeout rate was just a tick above his 15.6 percent walk rate.

As Anderson and Smith-Shawver spent most of last season with Triple-A Gwinnett, they also saw Baldwin improve defensively.

“It’s night and day from when he first got called up to Triple-A until now,” Smith-Shawver said. “It just takes time, especially with catching. I like the way he’s been able to manage a staff, call a game and receive. All of those things. He’s coming along. It’s been fun to see.”

Braves veteran starter Reynaldo López felt comfortable when Baldwin served as his catcher during Sunday’s game against the Yankees.

“The way he has been framing and receiving has been very impressive,” López said.

Baldwin likely won’t be brought to the Major Leagues until there is a clear opportunity for him to play regularly. He’s not going to play just one or two days a week with Sean Murphy serving as Atlanta’s primary catcher, but if Murphy were to get injured or extend last season’s struggles, the Braves’ top prospect would be just a call away.

Even after an 0-for-3 performance during Sunday's 11-1 win over the Yankees, Baldwin has gone 4-for-12 with a double, three walks and two RBIs in six Grapefruit League games. He enjoyed a three-hit game against the Marlins on Friday.

“He’s improved,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s gotten better over time. You can see what everybody is talking about.”

MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST

FINAL ROTATION SPOTS

Manager Brian Snitker says he is keeping an open mind regarding the final two spots in his rotation.

It’s easy to assume Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson, who are both out of options, will fill the rotation’s final two spots as long as they remain healthy. But what if the Braves are concerned about their bullpen depth?

Would it make more sense to have Holmes begin the season as a reliever rather than possibly make that transition once Spencer Strider returns in the early part of the season?

Once Holmes is stretched out, it wouldn’t make sense to use him as a reliever until there’s real confidence he wouldn’t be needed as a starter again this year. To reach that point, the Braves would have to feel good about two other current rotation candidates, Bryce Elder and AJ Smith-Shawver.

Smith-Shawver has pitched in the postseason both of the past two years, and he is still just 22 years old. He has the greatest upside among the team’s group of young starters. His impressive Grapefruit League season debut (three strikeouts over two scoreless innings against the Pirates on Wednesday) created further reason to question why he couldn’t do what Spencer Schwellenbach did during his 24-year-old season last year.

BRAVES TRIVIA

Who is the only player in the modern era (since 1901) to steal 40-plus bases in more than two seasons for the Braves?

A) Otis Nixon

B) Rafael Furcal

C) Andruw Jones

D) Ralph Garr

SPRING TRAINING TICKETS

Single-game tickets for every Spring Training home game can be purchased here.

The top remaining home Grapefruit League contests include games against the:

Pirates on Saturday

Red Sox on March 17

Phillies on March 20

Orioles on March 23

TRIVIA ANSWER

A) Otis Nixon

Nixon has the club record with three such seasons. He swiped 72 bags at 32 years old in 1991, tallied 41 in 1992 and added 47 more to his career total in 1993. The franchise’s only other player to have two such seasons was Furcal (40 in 2000 and 46 in '05).

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