Baldwin MLB Profile
 
SAN DIEGO – Drake Baldwin became the 24^th Missouri State baseball alum to play in the Major Leagues Thursday when he got the Opening Day start at catcher for the Atlanta Braves.
 
Baldwin wore No. 30 and caught reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale in the Braves' 7-4 loss to the San Diego Padres. He went 0-for-3 with a walk.
 
In 2024, Baldwin was named the Braves' minor league player of the year by Baseball America. He hit a home run in the MLB All-Star Futures Game in July and batted .298 with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs in 72 games at Triple-A Gwinnett after a midseason promotion. Across all levels in 2024, Baldwin batted .276 with 16 home runs and 88 RBIs in 124 games.
 
The Madison, Wis., native was drafted by Atlanta in the third round (96th overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft, becoming the highest-drafted catcher in MSU history.
 
Baldwin's draft year at MSU was one for the record books as he hit .341 with 19 home runs and 70 RBI, which tied for seventh on the Bears' single-season record list. He reached safely in 57 of 60 contests that season and had a .448 on-base percentage for an NCAA Regional club. For his MoState career, Baldwin was a .317 career hitter with 24 home runs, 104 RBI and 51 extra-base hits in 120 games, and his .994 career fielding percentage ranks second in Missouri State history.