The Atlanta Braves have had an underwhelming season to this point. This year’s group currently sits at 27-32 overall and is in danger of breaking the franchise’s seven-year playoff streak.Â
However, there have been a few pleasant surprises on the roster in 2025 who will need to continue their production to keep this team in the wild-card hunt. That includes rookie catcher Drake Baldwin, who is hitting .318 with 6 home runs and 16 RBI.Â
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter gave the 24-year-old his just props, ranking him as the third-best rookie this season. Reuter gives the following argument for Baldwin’s spot.Â
“Drake Baldwin emerged as the top prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization during a breakout 2024 season in which he hit .276/.370/.423 with 19 doubles, 16 home runs, and 88 RBI in 124 games between Double-A and Triple-A. However, with Sean Murphy still entrenched as the starter behind the plate, he was expected to open the year in the minors.Â
An injury to Murphy paved the way for him to be the team’s Opening Day starter at catcher, and he showed enough before Murphy returned to hold onto his spot on the big league roster. The 24-year-old is only starting a few games per week in a platoon role, but his playing time figures to steadily increase if he keeps posting impact offensive numbers, and he currently stands as the NL Rookie of the Year front-runner.”
Overall, while the Braves are not out of any race yet, they are falling back by the week. Even with Baldwin’s production, the offense has been the standout weakness, ranking in the league’s bottom half in runs per game. Should this roster continue its recent form over the next month, there could be some significant changes before the trade deadline.
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