Played collegiately for three seasons at Missouri State University, where he garnered numerous honors...ABCA All-South Region First Team (2022, MSU A.E. “Ted” Willis Team MVP (2022), MVC Elite 17 Award (2022), MVC All-Tournament Team (2022), MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team (2022), Second-team all-MVC (2021, 2022), Danny Cook MSU Rookie of the Year (2021), MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award (2020-21, 2021-22), Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022), MVC Honor Roll (2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22)...During his junior season in 2022, he reached safely in 57 of 60 games...Also, during his junior season, ranked highly in the conference in RBI (first), home runs (second), slugging percentage (third), on-base percentage (third) and total bases (third)...Won the MVC's Elite 17 Award, given to the player with the highest GPA in the championship game...Finished his college career as the team's all-time leader in fielding percentage (.994).Was a career hitter of .317/.426/.549 (140-for-441), including 24 home runs and 104 RBI...Played high school baseball at Madison West (Wis.)...Selected by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft from Missouri State University (Springfield, Mo.).
2025
Made his MLB debut on Opening Day as Atlanta’s starting catcher...Proceeded to appear in 124 games, making 97 starts: 85 at catcher and 12 as the designated hitter...Slashed .274/.341/.469 (111-for-405) with 18 doubles, 19 home runs, 80 RBI and 38 walks...Logged an .810 OPS...NL. Rookie Ranks (min. 100 games): RBI (first, 80), slugging percentage (first, .469), OPS (first, .810), batting average (first, .274), home runs (second, 19), total bases (second, 190), OBP (third, .341)...From Sept. 16-22, logged an extra-base hit and an RBI in six straight games, both of which were the longest active streaks in MLB...Became the first rookie catcher in MLB history (since 1920) to record at least one extra-base hit and one RBI in six consecutive games...Since 1947, Baldwin is just the sixth rookie catcher (min. 51% of games) to reach 39 extra-base hits and 80 RBI, and the first to do so since Geovany Soto in 2008...Of the first five such catchers to reach those stats, four were named Rookie of the Year...Caught Chris Sale (373rd career appearance) in the season opener...The duo became the sixth Opening Day battery in the modern era (since 1900) to have as large a discrepancy in career games in which the catcher is debuting...The last such battery was Jamie Moyer (538 career app.) and Kenji Johjima (MLB debut) in Seattle’s season opener in 2006...Since 1995, just two other Atlanta rookie catchers have hit multiple go-ahead homers in a single season: William Contreras (three, 2021) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (two, 2007)...Named the National League Rookie of the Month for May...Over 19 games (12 starts), he slashed .389/.411/.593 (21-for-54)...Among NL rookies with as many plate appearances in the month (56), he led the field by .134 points in batting average, 92 points in on-base percentage and 154 points in slugging percentage...Became the first Brave to earn the honor since OF Michael Harris II (Sept. 2022)...Became the ninth catcher, 11th instance, regardless of league, to win the award and second Braves backstop, joining Evan Gattis (April and May 2013)...Baldwin recorded 10 RBI in the Miami Series (Aug. 7-9), the most by any Braves rookie in a single series in the Atlanta era (since 1966)...Baldwin hit the second-most homers by an Atlanta rookie catcher, only trailing Earl Williams (33, 1971)...At 23 years, 364 days old, he became the youngest catcher to start their MLB debut in their club’s season opener since Hall of Famer Joe Mauer (20 years, 352 days) for Minnesota, April 5, 2004, versus. Cleveland...On Aug. 7, became the first Braves rookie catcher with a multi-homer game since Javy López in 1994...With five RBI, became the first rookie in Atlanta history (since 1966) with multiple five-RBI games in a season, and first since Rico Carty in 1964...From Aug. 7 through the remainder of the season, ranked third in Major League Baseball with 39 RBI...Didn’t strike out in 36 consecutive plate appearances from Aug. 19-31.
2024
Awards: 2024 Futures Game Selection (Atlanta)...23-year-old Drake Baldwin completed his third professional season (all with Atlanta), posting a slash line of .276/.370/.423 (129-for-468) in 124 games between Triple-A Gwinnett (72) and Double-A Mississippi (52)...He hit 16 home runs, 19 doubles and one triple, while recording 88 RBI and 58 runs...Threw out 23-of-113 (20.4%) of attempted base stealers...Earned his promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett on June 11, along with INF Nacho Alvarez Jr...Rated as Atlanta's No. 5 prospect at the time of his call-up, according to MLB.com...Hit safely in 53 of 72 games (73.6%) during his first Triple-A season, batting .298 (82-for-275, with 12 home runs, 13 doubles, one triple, 55 RBI and 40 runs with an .891 OPS...Among International Leaguers, ranked second in RBI (55) and walks (52); sixth in hits (82); seventh in on-base percentage (.407)...Notched a 20-game on-base streak, spanning June 21-July 23...Batted .311 (23-for-74), with four home runs, four doubles and 13 RBI during the stretch...Started at DH for the National League squad in the MLB All-Star Futures Game, July 13, in Arlington, Texas...Went 1-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and a solo home run off Toronto's RHP Fernando Perez in the 6-1 win over the American League...Became the eighth Gwinnett player to participate in a Futures Game, joining Barbaro Cañizarez (2009), Mike Minor (2010), Julio Teheran (2011), Joey Terdoslavich (2013), Christian Bethancourt (2014), Touki Toussaint (2018) and Drew Waters (2021)...Drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th inning, June 15 vs. Nashville, securing a 4-3 walk-off victory...Played for Peoria in the Arizona Fall League following the 2024 season.
2023
Awards: 2023 MiLB.com Organization All-Star (Atlanta) 2023 South Atlantic League Post Season All-Star (Atlanta)...South Atlantic League Player of the Week (8/27/2023)...Slashed .270/.385/.460 (108-for-400) in 109 games - 92 with High-A Rome, 14 with Double-A Mississippi and three with Triple-A Gwinnett...He hit 16 home runs, 26 doubles and one triple, while recording 61 RBI and 63 runs...Named an MiLB.com Organization All Star and South Atlantic League Post Season All-Star...Earned his promotion to Double-A on Aug. 29...Promoted to Triple-A on Sept. 22...Among Braves farmhands, ranked third in doubles, extra-base hits (43), slugging percentage and OPS (.844); fourth in total bases (184); sixth in walks (67); tied for sixth in home runs (16); eighth in hits (108) and OBP; tied for eighth in RBI and runs; ninth in batting average - among qualifiers...Among South Atlantic leaguers, ranked fourth in OPS (.851); tied for fifth in doubles (25); sixth in on-base percentage (.385); tied for seventh in walks (61); eighth in extra-base hits (40) and slugging percentage (.466)...Hit his first professional home run (two-run), April 18 vs. Hudson Valley, off RHP Chase Hampton...Had two multi-homer games - both with High-A Rome May 16 at Hickory (both two-run) and Aug. 24 vs. Greensboro (both solo)...Prior to being promoted to Double-A Mississippi, hit .393 (24-for-61), with five home runs and 12 RBI in August...Over that 16-game span, led all High-A qualifiers with a 1.247 OPS...Hit safely in his final 15 games with High-A Rome, spanning August 2-24; tied for the second-longest streak of the season among all South Atlantic Leaguers...Slashed .421/.522/.807 (24-for-57), with five home runs and seven doubles...Overall, his streak ran 18 games, through Sept. 5 - including his first three games with Double-A Mississippi...Named the South Eastern League Player of the Week for the period ending Aug. 27...Hit .600 (9-for-15) with three home runs and two doubles, while recording five RBI, five runs and an OPS of 1.980 in five games...Finished the season as Atlanta's No. 26 overall prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com.
2022
Split the 2022 season between Low-A Augusta and the Florida Complex League, combining to post a .258 batting average (23-for-89) with five doubles and 15 runs across 24 total games...Appeared as a catcher and designated hitter...Made his debut in the Braves organization with the FCL club on Aug. 2, going 2-for-3 with a double and a run against Pittsburgh's affiliate...In 2022 was listed as Atlanta's No. 17 prospect, according to MLB.com.
