Braves Battle Baldwin Dilemma As Rookie's Bat Demands Playing Time

Forbes

a day ago

Drake Baldwin smacks a walkoff single to help the Atlanta Braves beat the Cincinnati Reds. (Photo by ... More Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Because he swings a solid left-handed bat and plays for a team struggling to score runs, Drake Baldwin should be playing much more often.
All too often, however, the rookie sits on the bench because he's a catcher – a position occupied by highly-paid veteran backstop Sean Murphy.
Baldwin, 24, claimed a 2025 varsity spot with a strong spring training that followed an impressive performance in the Arizona Fall League.
He hasn't stopped hitting, hovering around .300 or above for the first third of the season. The 6-1, 225-pound slugger collected 38 hits and 10 walks in his first 137 plate appearances while posting an .846 OPS – one of the best on the Braves this season.
Baldwin, who also has seven home runs, impressed Atlanta manager Brian Snitker so much that he worked his way up the lineup to second – right behind former National League MVP Ronald Acuña, Jr.
Murphy, 30, doesn't run well enough or reach base often enough to merit such an elevation.
The 6-3, 228-pound native of Peekskill, NY carried a .222 batting average into play Wednesday and has a .232 lifetime mark. He's also trying to make the Braves forget that he batted just .193 in an injury-riddled campaign last year.
Sean Murphy has smacked nine home runs for the Braves this season. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
In an effort to see the ball better, Murphy began wearing glasses this season. Yet he still strikes out too often and bangs into double-plays when he hits the ball on the ground with men on base.
On the surface, Murphy's resume is glowing; he won a Gold Glove while playing for the Oakland Athletics in 2021 and was a National League All-Star with Atlanta in 2023.
He plays more often than Baldwin because of his experience and his contract – a six-year, $73 million extension that would carry through 2029 if a club option is exercised.
Baldwin, on the other hand, is earning $760,000, the major-league minimum.
The dilemma for the team is finding a spot for Baldwin's bat in the lineup.
Baseball operations chief Alex Anthopoulos could create one by trading designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, a pending free agent. But he'll be 35 in November and has been hobbled by a torn right hip that has short-circuited his power, prowess at the plate, and ability to run the bases.
Even a healthy Ozuna would be tough to trade because of his age, his inability to play the outfield, and his expiring four-year, $65 million contract.
Trading Murphy would probably be less difficult, since teams cherish solid defense behind the plate, but would bring less return because of his weak and inconsistent offense.
There has been talk of moving Baldwin to left field but the Wisconsin native has no experience there. And learning a new position at the major-league level is difficult, to say the least.
And so the Baldwin dilemma persists. How do the Braves find more room for potentially the best bat on the ballclub, second only to Acuña?
Despite his limited playing time, Baldwin has elbowed his way into the Rookie of the Year conversation.
The Braves have had their share, including Earl Williams, Bob Horner, David Justice, Rafael Furcal, Craig Kimbrel, Acuña, and Michael Harris II. Williams won the award in 1971 after moving from first base to catcher in the majors.
Baldwin could extend that list but would have to play more over the remainder of the season.
A lethal left-handed power hitter, Drake Baldwin parlayed a strong spring training into an Atlanta ... More varsity spot. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
Snitker, originally a catcher himself, has praised the rookie's skills, which include base-running, pitch-framing, and game-calling in addition to hitting for power and average. On a strikeout-prone team, Baldwin is already one of the toughest men to fan.
'He's an impressive young man,' the manager said during spring training, when Baldwin wore No. 75 and seemed headed back to Triple-A for more seasoning. But that was before Murphy suffered a cracked rib when hit by a pitch in a late-February exhibition game.
The Braves tore up Baldwin's ticket to Gwinnett and made him their starting catcher.
Now he has the potential to become the best black backstop in the majors since Charles Johnson played for the Marlins and five other clubs from 1994-2005.
Baldwin also the potential to follow in the footsteps of Javy Lopez, a two-time All-Star whose 43-homer season for the Braves in 2003 was the best ever produced by a catcher.
Baldwin could even be added to the roster for this year's Atlanta All-Star Game, scheduled for Truist Park on July 15. Rules require at least one player from every team, with Acuña, Austin Riley, and Chris Sale also possible choices.
Since quality catchers are hard to find anywhere in the National League, Drake Baldwin could join them.