NORTH PORT, Fla. -- It’s not wise to put too much credence in the batting averages, on-base percentages and slugging percentages generated by Spring Training’s small sample. But it’s hard to overlook the impressive hard-hit rate produced by Braves catcher Drake Baldwin over the past few weeks.
“He just barrels baseballs one after another,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “He’s just got a knack for being a good hitter. It's a good swing; his bat is in the zone for a long time. He hits the ball line to line and squares it up. He's one of those pure hitters that come along.”
Braves fans should be encouraged to know there have been no signs of a sophomore slump for the reigning National League Rookie of the Year. Baldwin entered Wednesday’s game against the Phillies hitting .333 (10-for-30) with two homers and a 1.088 OPS.
Those are solid numbers put up over what amounts to about a week’s worth of at-bats during the regular season. But isn’t it more impressive to point out that Baldwin leads the Majors with an 87% hard-hit rate this spring?
Any ball hit with a 95 mph exit velocity or higher is considered to be a hard-hit ball, per Statcast. Twenty of the 23 balls Baldwin has put in play have met that criteria.
Just two other players have put the ball in play at least 10 times and constructed a hard-hit rate of at least 80%. They are D-backs prospect Jose Fernandez (83.3 %, 15 of 18) and Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton (80%, eight of 10).
Now let’s take it a step further and point out that more than half of the balls Baldwin has put in play (12 of 23) have had an exit velocity of at least 100 mph. The only other Braves player who can rival this quality of contact has been Mike Yastrzemski, who has produced a 100-plus mph exit velocity with 10 of the 20 balls he’s put in play.
“The goal is to always hit the ball hard in the air,” Baldwin said. “A lot of good things can happen when you do that.”
Considering that many hard-hit ground balls can result in an out, there is reason to point out how many of Baldwin’s hard-hit balls have been hit in the air.
Per Baseball Savant, a barrel is measured as a batted ball that requires an exit velocity of at least 98 mph. At that exact speed, balls struck with a launch angle between 26-30 degrees always garner "barreled" classification. For every mph over 98, the range of launch angles expands.
Baldwin has recorded six barrels. His 26.1% barrel rate (six of 23) is the fifth highest among players with at least 20 balls in play. Three of the players ahead of Baldwin are Angels: Zach Neto (33%, eight of 24), Jo Adell (29.6%, eight of 27) and Jeimer Candelario (26.9%, 7 of 29). The other is D-backs infielder Jordan Lawler (26.9%, seven of 29). All four play in the Cactus League.
So, you can say Baldwin has the best barrel rate among Grapefruit League players who have put the ball in play at least 20 times.
“I’ve been really happy with where my process has gone this spring,” Baldwin said.