Drake Baldwin has been one of the most valuable players for the Atlanta Braves this season. He's continued to be a huge force in the lineup every day. Most players experience a slump in their second season, but Baldwin hasn't slowed down one bit. It's like he's on a mission to take home the NL MVP this season.
Atlanta's lefty backstop has an excellent approach at the plate, and he hits the ball hard often. A big part of that comes from his impressive barrel rate of 16.3%, which sits in the 90th percentile among all MLB hitters before Thursday's game.
Baldwin confused everyone against the Nationals on Tuesday as he barreled up a ball he shouldn't have. He was in a 0-2 count with two outs in the inning, and Nationals pitcher Foster Griffin hoped to get Baldwin to swing over the top of a curveball.
Unfortunately for him, Baldwin took that pitch and drove it 438 feet into the right field seats. This homer set the record for the longest home run on a pitch that was less than a foot off the ground. Braves insider Mark Bowman shared a stat from Theo DeRosa that explained Baldwin's home run was off a pitch 0.99 feet off the ground.
From @Theo_DeRosa: Drake Baldwin's 438-foot home run in the third inning came on a pitch just 0.99 feet off the ground, the longest home run on a pitch that low or lower under pitch tracking (since 2008, regular season and postseason). Previous long: 433 feet by Charlie Blackmon… pic.twitter.com/81tnFfJ0Gq
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 22, 2026
Drake Baldwin's improbable home run is a reminder that even when he makes mistakes, he is still dangerous
This broke the previous record set by Charlie Blackmon at 433 feet in 2017. Surely, this feat by Baldwin had everyone's jaws on the floor. It's one thing to be able to golf out a homer, but to barrel it up that close to the ground is another.
Baldwin has proven each day how valuable he is and why he needs to be in the lineup. The only areas he really needs to improve offensively are his walk and chase rates. If he does that, it's hard to fathom he won't be in the NL MVP conversation.
Baldwin leads the Braves in hits (33), RBI (23), and is tied for first in homers (7). He has the second-best on-base percentage (.391), along with the third-best batting average (.320) and slugging percentage (.563).
Those numbers will absolutely help his case should he sustain them all season long. This won't be the last time we talk about Baldwin doing something impressive like this. Maybe the Braves need to consider locking him up long-term sooner rather than later.
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