Drake Baldwin has been an absolute revelation for the Atlanta Braves since making his debut in 2025. He was thrust into the starting role due to an injury to Sean Murphy, and he handled it like a champ.
There wasn't a player Braves fans wanted to be at the plate more in a big situation than Baldwin. He worked some amazing at-bats and made consistent hard contact. His whiff and strikeout percentages were insane for a rookie, as he ranked in the top percentile among all MLB players last season.
Baldwin's great work last season earned him National League Rookie of the Year honors. And it seems that Baldwin has picked up right where he left off this spring. In fact, is hitting so well that it could start to put ideas of Baldwin winning the NL MVP this season.
Drake Baldwin's incredible spring has Braves fans dreaming of him winning the NL MVP
It's only spring training, so there's obviously so much that could happen to prevent that. However, Baldwin is batting .333 as of March 16 with two doubles, two triples, two homers, and nine RBI over nine games. If Baldwin continues to perform the way he did last season and finds more power, there's a big chance he could take home MVP. Unfortunately, there are a couple of things that could get in the way.
Each of the three balls Baldwin put in play today had an exit velo of at least 100 mph. 12 of the 23 balls he's put in play have been hit 100+ mph. 95 mph or higher is considered a hard-hit ball. 20 of the 23 balls Baldwin has put in play have been of the hard-hit variety. pic.twitter.com/O6oJ8bM0hk
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 16, 2026
Firstly, it's pretty rare for a catcher to win MVP. The last backstop to be named NL MVP was Buster Posey in 2012. The last AL catcher to win the award was Joe Mauer in 2009. Based purely on historical data, the odds already aren't in Baldwin's favor.
The second potential hurdle is that Baldwin has to compete against Shohei Ohtani and his own teammate, Ronald Acuna Jr. They are perennial MVP candidates and with how impressive their resumes are, they are early favorites to be in the MVP conversation once again.
This means Baldwin would likely have to have one of the better seasons ever by a catcher. For example, Posey won the award in 2012 with a .336/.408/.549 slash line, 39 doubles, 24 homers, 103 RBI, a171 wRC+, and a 7.6 WAR. That is a tall order for anyone, let anyone a second-year catcher.
Baldwin is coming into his sophomore season, and pitchers will have prepared to pitch better against him. The good news is that Atlanta's backstop has the right temperament and approach to make this a real possibility. No matter how impossible it may appear to be.