Drake Baldwin
{{Short description|American baseball player (born 2001)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name = Drake Baldwin
|image =
|team = Atlanta Braves
|number = 30
|position = Catcher
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2001|3|28}}
|birth_place = Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
|bats = Left
|throws = Right
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate = March 27
|debutyear = 2025
|debutteam = Atlanta Braves
|statleague = MLB
|statyear = April 27, 2025
|stat1label = Batting average
|stat1value = .260
|stat2label = Home runs
|stat2value = 2
|stat3label = Runs batted in
|stat3value = 6
|teams =
- Atlanta Braves ({{mlby|2025}}–present)
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's baseball}}
{{Medal|Country|{{bb|USA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition | WBSC Premier12}}
{{MedalBronze| 2024 Tokyo | Team }}
}}
Drake Randall Baldwin (born March 28, 2001) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2025.
Amateur career
Baldwin attended Madison West High School in Madison, Wisconsin, where he played baseball and ice hockey.{{Cite web |date=February 8, 2018 |title=High-scoring Drake Baldwin propels Madison West's postseason hockey hopes |url=https://apnews.com/article/sports-hockey-madison-8213b08f55d840ea9839c3afc0ba52f7 |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=AP News |language=en}} As a junior in 2018, he led the state of Wisconsin with 43 goals scored.{{Cite web |date=January 4, 2019 |title=Prep Mania Profile: Drake Baldwin |url=https://www.espn.com.au/blog/milwaukee/post/_/id/2554/prep-mania-profile-drake-baldwin |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} In hockey, Baldwin was a center and left wing.{{cite news |last1=Chiles |first1=Mary Ellen |title=Madison to Missouri to Mississippi: Drake Baldwin is catching on |url=https://sgfcitizen.org/springfield-sports/madison-to-missouri-to-mississippi-drake-baldwin-is-catching-on/ |access-date=March 22, 2025 |work=Springfield Daily Citizen |date=May 30, 2024}}
Baldwin enrolled at Missouri State University to play college baseball. He played in 17 games during a shortened season in 2020, and then played 43 games in 2021, batting .291 with four home runs and 24 RBI.{{Cite web |title=Year in Review: Here are the southwest Missouri athletes who defined 2022 |url=https://www.news-leader.com/story/sports/college/msu/2022/12/18/year-in-review-southwest-missouri-top-athletes-of-2022/69725503007/ |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=Springfield News-Leader |language=en-US}} During the summer of 2021, he played in the Northwoods League for the Madison Mallards and batted .316 with four home runs over 52 games.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=May 15, 2021 |title=Baseball: Trio of Verona grads, Madison West standout to play for Mallards |url=https://www.fitchburgstar.com/sports/baseball-trio-of-verona-grads-madison-west-standout-to-play-for-mallards/article_c4508448-e77b-5bf9-92e5-5cc2cf178878.html |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=fitchburgstar.com |language=en}} Baldwin became a strong prospect for the upcoming draft as a junior in 2022, in which he hit .341 with 19 home runs and 70 runs batted in over 60 games.{{Cite web |last=Scranton |first=Lyndal |date=May 6, 2022 |title=Drake Baldwin is leading from behind the plate for MSU Bears |url=http://sgfcitizen.org/springfield-sports/drake-baldwin-is-leading-from-behind-the-plate-for-msu-bears/ |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=Springfield Daily Citizen |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=June 4, 2022 |title=Keith Gutin never saw Drake Baldwin before signing him. Now he's MSU's next MLB prospect - Business News |url=https://biz.crast.net/keith-gutin-never-saw-drake-baldwin-before-signing-him-now-hes-msus-next-mlb-prospect/ |access-date=January 4, 2024 |language=en-US}}
Professional career
Baldwin was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the third round with the 96th overall pick of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.{{Cite web |last=STAFF |first=STATE JOURNAL |date=July 20, 2022 |title=Madison area grads Drake Baldwin, Alan Roden picked in MLB draft |url=https://madison.com/sports/baseball/professional/madison-area-grads-drake-baldwin-alan-roden-picked-in-mlb-draft/article_429d8d61-ca1e-50e6-8617-385117fcd776.html |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=Wisconsin State Journal |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Wheeler |first=Wyatt D. |title=Atlanta Braves select Missouri State's Drake Baldwin in 3rd round in 2022 MLB Draft |url=https://www.news-leader.com/story/sports/college/msu/2022/07/18/mlb-draft-2022-missouri-state-drake-baldwin-selected/10085713002/ |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=Springfield News-Leader |language=en-US}}
Baldwin made his professional debut in 2022 with the rookie-level Florida Complex League Braves and also played with the Single-A Augusta GreenJackets, hitting .258 over 24 games. He opened the 2023 season with the High-A Rome Braves, was promoted to the Double-A Mississippi Braves in late August, before later being promoted to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers in September.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=August 29, 2023 |title=Baldwin's big week leads to SAL award |url=https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/rome/braves/baldwins-big-week-leads-to-sal-award/article_8a31bacc-461d-11ee-ae07-dfa6322cdc22.html |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=Northwest Georgia News |language=en}} Over 109 appearances split between the three affiliates, Baldwin slashed .270/.384/.460 with 16 home runs and 61 RBI.{{Cite web |title=Drake Baldwin Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News |url=https://www.milb.com/player/drake-baldwin-686948 |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=MiLB.com |language=en}} He opened the 2024 season with Mississippi and was promoted to Gwinnett in June.{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Jack |title=Stripers' Drake Baldwin Selected to 2024 NL Futures Game Roster |url=https://www.milb.com/gwinnett/news/stripers-drake-baldwin-selected-to-2024-nl-futures-game-roster |access-date=July 9, 2024 |publisher=MILB.com |date=July 2, 2024}} Baldwin was selected to represent the Braves in the All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field.{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Jack |title=Stripers’ Drake Baldwin Selected to 2024 NL Futures Game Roster |url=https://www.milb.com/news/stripers-drake-baldwin-selected-to-2024-nl-futures-game-roster |access-date=March 22, 2025 |publisher=MILB.com |date=July 2, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Bowman |first1=Mark |title=No. 11 prospect owes Futures Game nod to Braves' backstops |url=https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/drake-baldwin-named-to-2024-futures-game-roster |access-date=July 9, 2024 |work=MLB.com |date=July 8, 2024}} After the minor league regular season ended, Baldwin was named to the preliminary roster of the Arizona Fall League's Peoria Javelinas,{{cite news |last1=Callis |first1=Jim |last2=Dykstra |first2=Sam |last3=Mayo |first3=Jonathan |title=Here are the 2024 Arizona Fall League rosters |url=https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/2024-arizona-fall-league-rosters?t=arizona-fall-league-coverage |access-date=September 27, 2024 |publisher=MLB.com |date=September 25, 2024}} and to the United States's roster for the 2024 WBSC Premier12.{{cite news |last1=Trezza |first1=Joe |title=Four Top 100 prospects named to Team USA Premier12™ tournament roster |url=https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/top-prospects-named-to-team-usa-premier12-roster |access-date=October 23, 2024 |publisher=MLB.com |date=October 21, 2024}}
On March 21, 2025, the Braves selected Baldwin's contract after he made the team's Opening Day roster.{{cite news |last1=Bowman |first1=Mark |title=Top prospect Baldwin on Braves' Opening Day roster: 'No question he's ready for it' |url=https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/drake-baldwin-selected-to-braves-roster |access-date=March 22, 2025 |publisher=MLB.com |date=March 21, 2025}}{{cite news |last1=O'Brien |first1=David |title=Top prospect Drake Baldwin makes Braves’ opening roster; Chris Sale says kid is ready |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6222251/2025/03/21/drake-baldwin-braves-opening-day-roster-chris-sale/ |access-date=March 22, 2025 |work=The Athletic |date=March 21, 2025}} He hit his first major league home run on April 16, against Toronto Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman at Rogers Centre.{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Sam |date=2025-04-16 |title=Drake Baldwin's first MLB home run ignites hope as Braves battle through record-setting strikeout struggle |url=https://motorcyclesports.net/drake-baldwins-first-mlb-home-run-ignites-hope-as-braves-battle-through-record-setting-strikeout-struggle/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=M Sports |language=en-GB}}
Personal life
Baldwin's mother Bridgette is a teacher.{{cite news |last1=Toscano |first1=Justin |title=Braves catcher Drake Baldwin on making opening-day roster: ‘It’s something you dream of’ |url=https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-braves/braves-catcher-drake-baldwin-on-making-opening-day-roster-its-something-you-dream-of/HG4WJAI2ABDOFHO5J2CAHRSHIM/ |work=Atlanta Journal Constitution |date=March 21, 2025}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Baseballstats|mlb=686948|espn=4810190|br=|fangraphs=sa3019920|brm=baldwi000dra}}
{{Atlanta Braves roster navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldwin, Drake}}
Category:African-American baseball players
Category:Atlanta Braves players
Category:Augusta GreenJackets players
Category:Baseball players from Madison, Wisconsin
Category:Florida Complex League Braves players
Category:Gwinnett Stripers players
Category:Madison Mallards players
Category:Major League Baseball catchers
Category:Mississippi Braves players
Category:Missouri State Bears baseball players