It’s all the time a superb signal when a prospect will get higher yr after yr, degree after degree. Braves catcher Drake Baldwin has been doing that courting again to his time at Missouri State.
The left-handed-hitting backstop, now No. 5 on the Braves’ Prime 30, carried out capably within the shortened 2020 season and his first full collegiate marketing campaign of 2021, with an .803 OPS adopted by .857. However he took off in 2022, slashing .341/.448/.647 with 19 homers to assist him land within the third spherical of the 2022 Draft.
That pattern has continued as a professional. He completed with an .845 OPS and 16 residence runs in his first full season, hitting higher in his temporary stops in Double- and Triple-A than with Excessive-A Rome. He wasn’t tremendous productive again with Mississippi to begin 2024, however when he moved as much as Gwinnett, he hit .298/.407/.484 over 72 video games, with no query that the massive league crew was listening to him knock on the door.
“That ambiance up there was actually good,” Baldwin mentioned about his time in Triple-A. “I began to see, with the seniority of the gamers and the quantity of expertise all of them had, what works for them, what does not work for them, and simply form of stepping into extra of a routine on the day-by-day foundation, realizing easy methods to get myself able to play every day, realizing easy methods to be prepared for every at-bat, able to catch day-after-day. And I feel that basically helped me.”
Baldwin additionally credit work he put in with Gwinnett hitting coach Dan DeMent, work that he’s persevering with whereas enjoying for the Peoria Javelinas within the Arizona Fall League. That’s not simply with hitting coach Garrett Wilkinson, who labored with Baldwin because the hitting man with Double-A Mississippi this season; The 23-year-old backstop is happy to take in knowledge from as many sources as potential.
“I am simply going to attempt to study as a lot as I can from the coaches in several orgs and clearly the coaches in my org as effectively, after which ask as many questions with different gamers as effectively,” Baldwin mentioned. “I do know they went by means of various things, they’re enjoying in several leagues, they usually have a ton of various expertise. So simply attempting to study as a lot as I can from my friends round me, I feel will actually assist me sooner or later.”
It’s not simply on the plate that Baldwin feels his Fall League stint will assist him. He’s nonetheless studying concerning the craft of catching on the skilled degree and is simply as enthusiastic about what this additional time will do for his protection as he did his hitting.
“I feel it will be actually cool with pitch calling and simply form of seeing how totally different pitches form of work for various pitchers,” Baldwin mentioned. “Plenty of instances, organizations have totally different philosophies, so with the ability to speak to different pitchers and see what works for them and what does not work for them, and I feel it will actually simply assist me with game-calling and being extra snug catching newer guys and simply studying a ton concerning the sport.”
Braves hitters within the Fall League
David McCabe, 3B/1B (No. 13): The Braves’ fourth-round choice within the 2022 Draft out of UNC-Charlotte, McCabe hit 17 homers and had an OPS of .835 throughout two ranges of A ball in 2023. A stable AFL marketing campaign final yr was supposed to assist him vault to the higher ranges, however Tommy John surgical procedure in February solely allowed him to play 35 video games with Double-A Mississippi, so he’s making up for some misplaced at-bats on this return engagement.
Braves pitchers within the Fall League
Adam Maier, RHP (No. 17): It’s been just a little powerful for Maier to get on a mound. He was on the College of British Columbia however threw simply 19 innings earlier than the pandemic hit in 2020, and the college canceled the 2021 season. He transferred to Oregon in 2022, however suffered a torn UCL after three begins. He had an inner brace put in however didn’t make his professional debut till this season, with some understandably uneven outcomes over 83 1/3 IP.
Hayden Harris, LHP (No. 27): A fifth-year COVID senior who signed with the Braves as a non-drafted free agent in 2022, Harris has pitched his approach to Triple-A over his two full seasons of professional ball. He’s extraordinarily fastball heavy (79 p.c utilization in keeping with Synergy in 2024), but it surely’s an invisible heater that misses extra bats than it ought to based mostly on its low-90s velocity.
Ryan Bourassa, RHP: The most effective participant to return out of South Dakota State is present Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen, and Bourassa is attempting to observe the identical under-the-radar path, signing with the Braves as a non-drafted free agent in 2023. He touched Double-A in his first season of professional ball this yr, utilizing a fastball-splitter mixture with some success.
Isaac Gallegos, RHP: Gallegos threw effectively sufficient as a starter at New Mexico in 2023 to get signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2023. He threw simply 27 innings this yr, however did get to Excessive-A, lacking a superb quantity of bats (13.3 Ok/9 for the season) whereas relying closely on his slider.
Landon Harper, RHP: Harper was one among Division I baseball’s higher closers in 2022, ending with 12 saves for Southern Miss, after two years within the junior school ranks. The 14th-round choose threw effectively as soon as he bought to Double-A this yr, mixing pitches effectively and filling up the zone greater than showcasing any wow stuff.
