The Braves’ Next Big Call Up Is Top Prospect Drake Baldwin.

Here’s a rundown of all the information you need to know about Braves top prospect Drake Baldwin following an outstanding All-Stars Futures game. Before soaring to prominence as Major League players, Spencer Strider and Michael Harris II were unheralded prospects. Drake Baldwin, Atlanta’s top catching prospect, may be similarly qualified. The 2023 Braves MiLB system saw the lefty fly through its ranks, beginning the season in High-A and finishing it in Triple-A. By far his most successful and thrilling season to date, 2024 has seen Baldwin selected by the Braves to play in the 2024 All-Star Futures Game.

The Braves will soon have to make a difficult choice because Baldwin is dominating Triple-A and demonstrating that he is nearly ready for the major leagues. Does Baldwin remain in the minors to grow up? Bring him up to give the major league squad an offensive boost? Or would they want to include him in a trade package to help with other roster requirements at the trade deadline? Teams and fans alike have taken notice of him due to his remarkable performance at the Futures Game and his surge in success at Triple-A.

Early Career Advancement Baldwin signed a contract for roughly $630,000 after being chosen in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft. The former Missouri State backstop finished the 2022 season in Low-A after a brief stay in the complicated league to start his career. As mentioned earlier, Baldwin soared up the Braves organization in 2023, spending most of his time in High-A Rome but also making trips at Double-A and Triple-A. Baldwin shot a blistering.260/.385/.466 while in Rome, earning a 135 wRC+. Baldwin demonstrated that he was a power-over-hit player by hitting 14 bombs in 92 games, confirming the scouting reports that followed his collegiate career.

He started the 2024 season with Double-A Mississippi and got off to a slower start than some might’ve expected. Through 52 games, Baldwin’s numbers dropped across the board. He was striking out more, hitting for power less often, and all around was just a lesser version of himself compared to his impressive 2023 campaign.

2024 Promotion to AAA Baldwin was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett this season along with another outstanding Braves prospect, Nacho Alvarez Jr., despite only managing a 94 wRC+ in Double-A this season. This was unexpected given Baldwin’s difficulties and production decline. But since coming to Gwinnett, the outcomes have been extraordinary. On July 12th, Baldwin started cutting.309/.440/.532. He has already walked more often than struck out while hitting six home runs and three doubles.

All things considered, the progress is astounding. Triple-A has been engulfed by him. With a wRC+ of at least 100 plate appearances, he is ranked ninth, and only two other players with a wRC+ above 150 who walk more frequently than strike out are him and José Fermín.

His swing decisions have improved mightily, cutting back on chase and whiffing less. His SEAGER (a metric quantifying a hitter’s decision-making by calculating Z-Swing% – O-Swing%) is elite and proves that Baldwin is maturing rapidly.

Futures Game Performance

His good work is not going unnoticed. He was the lone Braves representative at the 2024 All-Star Futures Game. Last year, the Braves sent RHP Spencer Schwellenbach who has been great as of late for the major league club.

Baldwin was the DH for the NL squad and hit ninth in the lineup. In three plate appearances, he went 1-for-2 with two RBIs. The first RBI came from a sacrifice fly off of Astros RHP prospect A.J. Blaubaugh.

The NL Futures team led 5-1 after the second RBI, a solo home run into left-center field. Blue Jays RHP prospect Fernando Perez hit a 93 mph fastball on a 3-1 pitch to drive in the game-winning run. The ball was hit hardest in the game when it departed Baldwin’s bat at 107.3 mph. Indeed, in a game including some of the best baseball prospects in the world, Baldwin’s opposite-field home run was the hardest hit ball of the game. It was also the ball that was hit the furthest in the game, having traveled 411 feet. Although Drake Baldwin was already becoming well-known in Braves Country, his performance in the Futures Game will present him to a whole new audience.

Reds prospect Cam Collier was awarded the game’s MVP, despite Baldwin leading the contest in RBI and home runs. Collier launched a 409-foot home run during the third inning. Baldwin was one of three NL catchers, along with Ethan Salas of the Padres, the #18 overall prospect in Just Baseball, and Thayron Liranzo of the Dodgers, the #67 prospect in Just Baseball. Baldwin is the only backstop who isn’t in the Top 100 list right now, but that might soon change.

Baldwin’s Prospects Drake Baldwin is one of the players Aram Leighton is most eager to see live for the first time, according to an episode of The Call Up (#301). Baldwin might soon crack the Top 100 list, he even hinted. A Prospective Call-Up Drake Baldwin might make an appearance in the Major Leagues sooner rather than later, given how the Braves have handled prospects in the past.

The aforementioned Strider and Harris and more recently, Spencer Schwellenbach all got called up quicker than most prospects. The catching position is very much blocked up with the Braves effectively alternating between Travis d’Arnaud and Sean Murphy every game and Chadwick Tromp acting as the third catcher.

An injury to one of d’Arnaud or Murphy would more than likely give Alex Anthopolous the perfect reasoning to call up Baldwin. Banking on an injury to a major leaguer isn’t an ideal path to the big league club, but that truly seems to be the only road. There’s not much positional utility here, as Drake has exclusively been a catcher throughout his professional career.

As far as what I would expect a potential 2024 debut to look like for Baldwin is a mixed bag. His catching behind the plate, which previously had been scouted as being below average has steadily improved as he’s gotten older.

His power output has continued to shine in his game, while at the same time making contact at a plus-plus rate. His hit tool as a whole has truly come into its own in 2024.