Braves’ Drake Baldwin puts talent ‘on full display all the time’

Baldwin made the Braves’ roster out of spring training and never looked back.

“I don’t know if (Baldwin) has any underrated qualities. I think he’s just kind of on full display all the time,” Sale said last week. “The talent speaks for itself. You don’t win Rookie of the Year without the talent. Maturity, to be a young guy — I can’t emphasize enough how hard being a catcher is in this game.

“And, again, go look at his first month last year. He was hitting balls hard, all the peripherals were there, it’s just the numbers weren’t really in his favor. And to not get discouraged and to trust in the process — that’s kind of the definition of trusting the process, is not having success but knowing you’re doing the right thing and just not getting the results. I definitely appreciated that about him.”

Baldwin really broke out his hitting in May by totaling an OPS of 1.003. And his RBI total increased each month of the season until tapering off oh so slightly in September.

The 24-year-old from Wisconsin also caught nearly 760 innings. According to Baseball Savant, Baldwin was one of MLB’s best at preventing wild pitches and passed balls.

On top of all the numbers, Baldwin has become an important member of the Braves’ clubhouse makeup.

“He’s one of the most positive people I’ve ever met,” Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider said. “To be around him, it brightens your day, really. He’s so curious and intelligent and just has such positivity all the time. He’s very confident in himself as a result. It never seems like he has a bad day, win or lose.

“I think he’s benefited from having guys like Sean (Murphy) around, Sandy León and some of these veteran guys, that have kind of helped expedite that learning curve. His work ethic’s so good that there aren’t many challenges that hold him down for very long. I expect good things (this season).”

The Braves roster now features three NL Rookies of the Year in Baldwin, Michael Harris II (2022) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (2018). Baldwin said watching how Harris and Acuna go about their business, and how Sale approached his daily routine even after winning a Cy Young Award, has been instrumental.

It also is fortuitous that Baldwin’s manager is Walt Weiss, the 1988 American League Rookie of the Year.

“Look, we all know that the second year is different,” Weiss said. “Had some conversations with him about that. I think a lot of it has to do with expectations. All of a sudden there’s expectations. That changes things for guys. A lot of the conversations with (Baldwin) is just, ‘Be careful tying those expectations to your performance. Just go out and perform.’ It’s easier said than done. There’s a lot of good things in order there with that kid. He’s made of the right stuff.”

Baldwin became the fourth Brave in the past 15 years to win Rookie of the Year (pitcher Craig Kimbrel won it in 2011) and fifth to claim the award in the 2000s (shortstop Rafael Furcal won it in 2000). Baldwin also became the first NL catcher to win the honor since Buster Posey in 2010.

“He’s a servant-leader. He’s got the heart of a servant, which is important at catcher,” Weiss said. “You gotta nurture that pitcher-catcher relationship, and you gotta be willing to sacrifice some things to get the most out of a pitching staff. Whether it’s getting a guy through a tough inning or getting him through a tough outing, you gotta be selfless when it comes to those type of things. And that’s (Baldwin). He’s a wonderful kid. And he can really hit — it’s a good combination.”