The Braves season ended almost a month ago, but top prospect Drake Baldwin continues to show signs of being major-league ready.
The 23-year-old catching prospect received a mid-season promotion to AAA Gwinnett, and around that time, something seemed to click for him at the plate. In 72 games for the Stripers, he hit a hair below .300 with 12 homers, 55 RBIs, and an .891 OPS. Now, he’s raking while representing the Braves in the Arizona Fall League, most recently going 8-for-13 over the weekend.
Drake Baldwin went 8-for-13 (.615/.688/.615) over the weekend with 3 walks and 4 RBI.
— Gaurav (@gvedak) October 28, 2024
In total, Drake Baldwin is hitting .362 with a homer and eight RBIs over 11 games in the Arizona Fall League. But perhaps even more impressively, he’s showing off some eye-popping tools behind the plate as well, throwing out a couple of would-be base steelers.
Writing up Drake Baldwin this morning and while it is usually the offense that makes the highlights, Baldwin gunning down two runners with pop times in the 1.9 range steals the show. He’s ready to be in Atlanta in 2025. https://t.co/FxjOEimfgG
— Chris Clegg (@ChrisCleggMiLB) October 28, 2024
Drake Baldwin’s hit-tool has been the talk of the Braves minor-league system all year, but that kind of pop time and arm strength behind the plate is what is really going to catch the eye of Alex Anthopoulos and the rest of the higher-ups in the organization.
On this trajectory, Baldwin will undoubtedly be major-league ready in 2025. He could even receive some consideration for the Opening Day roster, which won’t make life any easier for Alex Anthopoulos. Sean Murphy is under contract through 2028 with an option for 2029, and the Braves will also exercise their option on Travis d’Arnaud for next season. There’s no clear path for Baldwin to the majors, but when you have a guy this talented playing at such a high level, it’s Anthopoulos’ job to find a place for him.
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