Another ranking and another top spot for the 23-year-old catcher.
Baseball Prospectus is the latest organization to release their top prospect list this month, with their 2025 preseason Top 10 list featuring Drake Baldwin as the Atlanta Braves’ top prospect.
Drake Baldwin’s breakout 2024 season leads him to the top of our new look @Braves top 10 pic.twitter.com/sGxlry0J59
— Baseball Prospectus (@baseballpro) February 5, 2025
The soon-to-be 24-year old catcher ended last season in Gwinnett and could make his major league debut this season. Although Atlanta has Sean Murphy as their starting catcher, the back-up catcher spot is unsettled. While Baldwin likely will not start the season in Atlanta, barring injury, his offensive upside could make it difficult for the Braves to leave him in the minors all season.
Joining the left-handed hitting catcher on the top 10 list are last year’s top draft pick, left-handed pitcher Cam Caminiti; right-handed pitchers Owen Murphy and AJ Smith-Shawver; and infielder Nacho Alvarez, Jr.
Rounding out the list are a quintet of right-handed pitchers, Garrett Baumann, JR Richie, Lucas Braun, Jhancarlos Lara and 2023 top draft pick Hurston Waldrep.
Of those players, Smith-Shawver, Alvarez, Jr. and Waldrep have each made their MLB debuts with Smith-Shawver first appearing in 2023 while Alvarez, Jr. and Waldrep both debuted last season.
Although Baseball America has ranked the Braves’ system as the 28th best in baseball, much of the high-upside talent in the organization is in the low-levels of the minors.
Battery Power is working through our own player ranking of Atlanta’s minor league system ahead of the 2025 season, which can be read here.
Congratulations to Baldwin, whose 2024 season has catapulted him into multiple preseason top 100 prospect lists.