Drake Baldwin was an absolute revelation for the Atlanta Braves in 2025. He was quickly thrust into a starting role after Sean Murphy suffered a rib cage fracture in spring training. Atlanta fans were able to get a great feel of what Baldwin brought to the table.
He performed so well that the Braves were forced to find a way to keep him in the lineup when Murphy returned. Baldwin's impressive rookie campaign was rewarded with NL Rookie of the Year honors.
The young backstop slashed .274/.341/.469 over 124 games as a catcher and DH. He had 18 doubles, 19 homers, 80 RBI, and a 126 OPS+. Those are absolutely incredible offensive numbers for a rookie. He was leagues better than Murphy at the plate last year, and most impressively, he didn't whiff or strike out often.
Despite his incredible offensive output, there is one aspect of his game that needs significant improvement. Baldwin is good at calling games behind the plate, and his blocks above average sat at a seven last season. For those who aren't aware, that had Baldwin in the 91st percentile among all MLB catchers which is quite good.
Drake Baldwin's trouble with throwing out baserunners is the one thing he needs to improve in 2026
Unfortunately, Baldwin struggled heavily with throwing out base stealers. His caught stealing above average was underwhelming at a -2, which was in the 19th percentile among catchers. That is something he must address to reach elite status, especially given the frequency of players running on the bases now.
Baldwin threw out 14 base stealers last year, which was 10 fewer than Murphy. For context, JT Realmuto remained one of the best in that category with 30 caught stealing. Atlanta's rookie backstop allowed the third most stolen bases in MLB last season at an eye-popping 88. Murphy was at 57 (but he played fewer games behind the plate at 76 compared to Baldwin's 97).
If Baldwin can improve his ability to throw out base runners, he would become one of the best in baseball. His pop time was pretty average at 1.95, along with his framing, which was a -1. He committed four throwing errors, which is to be expected from a young player. However, he didn't have any fielding errors and earned a 5.2 defensive WAR.
Murphy is still much better in this area with an 11.5 defensive WAR last year. This is good news for Baldwin, as he can learn a lot from his counterpart to improve in this area. There's some room to grow for the youngster, but he has a very bright future ahead of him.