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Drake Baldwin's insane hot streak is masking struggling Braves bats (for now)

Boy is Baldwin on quite the heater.
Eric Cole
Eric Cole

House That Hank Built

Apr 1, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin (30) doubles to drive in two runs against the Athletics during the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

We have seen Atlanta Braves players go on heaters before, but even by that standard, what Drake Baldwin is doing right now is impressive. After going 2-3 with a single. a double, a walk, and four runs driven in, Baldwin was easily the driving force of the Braves' 5-1 win on Wednesday alongside Chris Sale and brought his season OPS up to 1.196, which is pretty insane. The one out he recorded? That would have been a home run had Denzel Clarke not stolen it with a catch over the fence.

In short, Baldwin somehow looks like an improved version of himself over last year, which, given that he took down the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2025, is no small feat and should have the rest of the league treading lightly when pitching to him for the foreseeable future.

However, what Baldwin's hot start has also done is mask some slow starts from key Braves stars. That may seem like bad news, but it does make one wonder what this Atlanta offense is going to look like once guys get going.

Drake Baldwin and a few other Braves have been great, but this offense could be special if others get going

Admittedly, Baldwin has not been the only shining light on offense for the Braves thus far. Surprisingly, Dominic Smith has looked great when he has been in there, and Mauricio Dubon has a .917 OPS somehow. In terms of the guys that Alex Anthopoulos brought in this past offseason, the early returns have been pretty strong.

Now at 4-2, the Braves have been winning without some of their best players contributing very much. Ronald Acuña Jr. has been walking plenty, but the batted ball luck has not been kind, and he seems to be pressing early this season. Austin Riley has chipped in a little bit here and there, but his .571 OPS leaves a lot to be desired. Any hopes that Michael Harris II would become a patient hitter, given what we saw this spring, have been dashed for now, as he is scuffling once again. Even Matt Olson, who has been "fine", hasn't really looked like his true self yet.

Of course, Baldwin's dominance will only cover up these shortcomings for so long. Even if he keeps this up (which is almost impossible), these other guys are going to have to step up if Atlanta has any hope of getting back to the postseason. Still, what Baldwin is doing is a lot of fun right now, and it is even more fun to think about what could happen if everyone starts firing on all cylinders.

Eric Cole

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.