This Braves catching prospect could force Atlanta to make tough decision in 2025

For the third consecutive season, the Atlanta Braves have endured an early postseason exit, this time courtesy of the San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card series. However, just making the playoffs in 2024 was quite an accomplishment for Brian Snitker's club.

When you think of the 2024 Atlanta Braves, it is easy to immediately ponder "what could have been" if an astronomical flurry of injuries had not occurred. Losing superstars such as Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider for most of the season did Atlanta no favors. The fact of the matter is that they also had some big names who did not reach expectations, including Braves' backstops.

Coming off of an all-star season, Sean Murphy seemed like a different player. Granted, he dealt with injuries of his own, but his numbers during his 72 games with Atlanta this season raise some questions. Murphy couldn't make it above the Mendoza line at the plate, hitting .193 with 10 home runs and 25 runs batted in.

Already in somewhat of a platoon situation, mixed with Murphy's absence, 35-year-old veteran Travis d'Arnaud spent most of the time behind the dish for the Braves. While d'Arnaud put up a respectable offensive stat line in 99 games (.238 15HR, 48 RBIs), his defense sometimes felt like a liability. d'Arnaud could only gun down 19% of base runners this season.

With the Braves already exploring all of their options to improve their team for 2025, including making changes to the coaching staff, we could see Atlanta consider improving the catcher position from within the organization.

Is Drake Baldwin ready for a shot with the Atlanta Braves in 2025?

Drake Baldwin is a 23-year-old, left-handed hitting catcher who ranks fifth on the Atlanta Braves Top Prospects list. Baldwin spent time in Double-A and Triple-A this past season, hitting a combined .276 with 16 home runs and 88 RBI. Baldwin also turned some heads at the MLB Futures Game with an impressive performance.

With Murphy costing what he did to acquire just two seasons ago, Atlanta will likely start the 2025 season with him as the first catcher on their depth chart. However, if Murphy's performance does not improve, we could see Baldwin in the big leagues sooner rather than later.

Atlanta is expected to exercise their club option with Travis d'Arnaud, which will keep him with the Braves through the end of next season. The inevitable is that d'Arnuad is not getting any younger, and 2025 could be his final year in the majors. At his age and catching for all of these years, it will be difficult for him to have a heavy workload following a season where he caught 89 games at age 35.

At the end of the day, the Atlanta Braves are built to win a World Series now (when completely healthy). That means the organization will do whatever it takes to put the club in the best position to win, even if that means bringing up prospects like Baldwin sooner than they typically do.

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