Drake had one of the strongest seasons for a Braves positional prospect in quite some time and cemented himself as the Braves top prospect heading into 2025.
How Acquired
Drake was acquired by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the 2022 MLB draft.
Preseason Report Card
After a strong stint with the Rome Emperors in 2023 (92 games, .260/.385/.466) Drake rose his stock considerably thanks to an advanced approach at the plate with great contact skills, but there was still much to understand about the rising catching prospect. After spending much of the 2023 campaign in Rome, Drake was promoted to Double-A Mississippi where he slashed a very impressive .321/.390/.396 in 14 games. With the season ending in Mississippi he was then promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett where he appeared in 3 games and hit .333/.333/.583.
Thanks to those rather impressive numbers, especially in Mississippi, expectations were definitely higher for Drake entering the 2024 campaign. We saw a 22 year old catcher with an impressive approach at the plate (14% BB%) and an outstanding 132 wRC+ across 109 games at a premium position, and perhaps most importantly, a position prospect that really took off in the Atlanta organization.
What We Saw in 2024
Putting it straight, succeeding as a position player with the bat at Double-A Mississippi is a very difficult thing to do. Trustmark Park was considered one of the hardest parks across minor league baseball to hit in so putting together an impressive offensive campaign is a very difficult thing to do. While the power numbers did not show, Drake did hit .244/.314/.337 on a team with very little protection (Nacho Alvarez being the other main offensive contributor) which was good for a 96 wRC+ while playing a premium defensive position. He maintained a strong 9% walk rate, and kept his strikeout rate at a very impressive 18.9%. Reports coming out of Mississippi also indicated a catcher that pitchers loved throwing to and a great rapport with the rest of the team.
Near the start of June, the Braves liked enough of what they saw from Drake and promoted him to Triple-A Gwinnett where his stock absolutely took off. Across 72 games Drake hit a fantastic .298/.409/.484 with an outstanding 15.6% walk rate, and 16.2% strikeout rate. His in-zone knowledge was also outstanding as his O-Swing% (percentage of pitches a batter swings at outside the zone) sat at 23.7%, and his Z-Swing% (percentage of pitches a batter swings at inside the zone) at 69%. Of that 69%, he would make contact on a staggering 85% of them showing an advanced ability to simply make contact. To frame it another way, it was difficult to make Drake swing outside of the zone, and when you threw inside the zone – he would make contact making him extremely valuable and saw his status as a prospect skyrocket as he landed within most Top-100s, as well as a spot on Team USA in the Premier 12 tournament.
2025 Outlook
With the Braves letting Travis d’Arnaud walk, there is an interesting opportunity for Drake. With an understanding of Sean Murphy getting a bulk of the work at the catching position for the big league team – the Braves may want Drake to further his development in Triple-A while letting Chadwick Tromp man the backup catcher position in Atlanta. This would allow Drake to build on his outstanding 2024 campaign and continue to work on his defensive skills, though I believe he is ready for the majors on that side of the plate as well.
There is also the chance that the Braves see enough of him in Spring Training and give him the backup job in Atlanta. This scenario is much less likely as it could potentially stunt his development. There is also the question many are asking – with the roster the way it is could Drake potentially play another position to get his bat in the lineup alongside Sean Murphy with Chadwick Tromp as the backup. This absolutely remains an option, despite Drake not having played an outfield position, due to his athleticism. Drake was an incredible athlete in high school, having led the state of Wisconsin in scoring as a forward for his high school hockey team. Whatever the scenario, the Braves have themselves a very intriguing prospect who will force their hand in 2025.