Drake Baldwin is one among baseball’s most-promising prospects. A 3rd-round decide in 2022 out of Missouri State College, the 23-year-old catcher within the Atlanta Braves group is No. 11 on our Prime 100. His left-handed stroke is an enormous cause why. Flashing plus energy, Baldwin bashed 16 house runs final season whereas logging a 119 wRC+ between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett.
He might have pursued a profession in one other sport. All-State in hockey as a Wisconsin prep, the sturdily-built Madison West Excessive Faculty product potted 43 objectives as a junior, then discovered the again of the online 46 occasions as a senior.
Why did he select the diamond, and never the ice?
“Hockey recruiting is just a little later, so I didn’t really speak to many faculties,” Baldwin mentioned of his determination. “I feel I had an opportunity, and the [junior hockey] route was attention-grabbing too, however with the ability to go proper from highschool to school and begin engaged on a level was a extra easy path to the place I needed to be. I imply, I like each sports activities. I want I might play each of them. Baseball simply got here first.”
At the moment one class wanting incomes a enterprise diploma from Missouri State, Baldwin performed heart on his highschool staff and left wing in event hockey. Requested if he was ever comped to an NHL participant, he claimed to be unaware of that occuring. He did provide his personal, albeit largely for enjoyable.
“I’ll say Auston Matthews as a result of he scores,” mentioned Baldwin, naming the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrity who has led the NHL in objectives in a number of seasons. “Nobody else mentioned that, however I preferred scoring.”
Not surprisingly, Baldwin additionally enjoys hitting house runs.
“I’d like to be thought-about [a power hitter],” mentioned Baldwin. “I wish to be an all-around hitter, however each time I get a mistake, I would like to have the ability to do harm on it. Competing within the field and with the ability to use the entire discipline is type of my method, however hitting house runs is enjoyable. The objective is to hit the ball as arduous as you possibly can, as a lot as you possibly can.”
Baldwin has come to the plate 12 occasions this spring and is 4-for-9 with a double and three walks.
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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS
Gee Walker went 14 for 27 towards Common Crowder.
Dixie Walker went 15 for 33 towards Elmer Riddle.
Walker Cooper went 16 for 34 towards Schoolboy Rowe.
Harry “The Hat” Walker went 17 for 47 towards Ralph Branca.
Gavvy Cravath went 2 for six towards Mysterious Walker.
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Once I first interviewed him in 2019, Walker Buehler was a younger flamethrower halfway via a season that noticed him end 14-4 with a 3.26 ERA and a 3.01 ERA. Within the 12 months following 2020’s truncated COVID marketing campaign, he went 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA and a 3.16 ERA. As my colleague Dan Szymborski would later write, “Buehler turned The Man within the [Dodgers] rotation.”
The 30-year-old right-hander is not in Los Angeles, neither is he the identical pitcher he as soon as was. Now with Boston after inking a free-agent deal in December, he’s seen accidents and the passage of time take their toll. Buehler had Tommy John surgical procedure in 2022 — he’d beforehand gone below the knife in 2015 — and final season he was out for an prolonged interval as a result of a hip ailment. Like all pitchers, he’s needed to adapt as he ages.
“As you become older, issues change,” Buehler advised me in Crimson Sox camp. “My stuff isn’t fairly what it was in 2019, however you mature and study different methods to get guys out. You develop different pitches. The sweeper is one thing that’s type of come into the sport, and into mine, I additionally throw much more cutters now. Again then it was loads of four-seam fastballs. So, issues have developed, as they do for each man.”
A less-explosive four-seamer is a cause Buehler has needed to regulate his method (Jake Mailhot addressed the providing’s downturn, and why it could not matter as a lot along with his new staff, again in January).
“The final form is similar, it’s simply not fairly as massive, fairly as jumpy,” acknowledged Buehler. “That makes me combine and match just a little extra to set it up. I can’t fairly depend on it three, 4, 5 occasions in a row like I might at one level. I must pitch just a little bit, versus simply attempting to throw it by everybody. There’s nonetheless some velo in there, however I must put myself in spots with extra margin for error.”
Which isn’t to say he not considers himself an influence pitcher.
“I nonetheless do,” mentioned Buehler, whose heater remained a still-firm 95 mph in 2024. “I feel loads of the throws I make are energy throws. It’s simply that it’s a must to evolve just a little bit. Guys don’t throw 100 ceaselessly.”
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Seby Zavala has caught in 183 big-league video games, the majority of them with the Chicago White Sox. He has additionally squatted behind the dish with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Seattle Mariners. Who among the many pitchers he’s labored with most stands out for the individuality of a selected providing?
“[Bryan] Woo, with the Mariners,” mentioned Zavala, who was in Seattle final season and is presently in camp with the Crimson Sox. “He’s type of like [Michael] Kopech. Kopech was the primary time I noticed somebody who might simply throw fastballs proper down the center, and even when hitters knew it was coming, they might nonetheless swing and miss. Woo was doing that. Seeing Woo’s fastball up shut and private could be very attention-grabbing.
“The method angle, the induced vertical, the way in which his arm works,” continued Zavala. “He’s tremendous clean in his movement — the ball comes out very nice — after which it simply jumps. To me it appears straight as an arrow, however you then’ve obtained to attempt to hit it. I do know it’s coming, so it’s just a little simpler. Catching is quite a bit simpler than hitting.”
Kopech’s down-the-middle heaters obtain related outcomes, albeit in a dissimilar method.
“Kopech threw more durable,” defined Zavala. “His is completely different, however they’re each unicorn fastballs. They’re pitches that the majority guys couldn’t replicate. Kopech’s additionally had extra horizontal motion. It seemed prefer it was rising and going up-and-in to a righty. It was arm-side and would simply take off like a aircraft. It’s type of arduous to elucidate, and undoubtedly one thing arduous to hit.”
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A quiz:
Rogers Hornsby is one among three second basemen to play the vast majority of their video games at that place and hit greater than 300 house runs. Who’re the opposite two?
The reply might be discovered beneath.
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NEWS NOTES
The Triple-A Iowa Cubs have employed Jason Kempf as their new radio play-by-play broadcaster. A veteran of 10 minor-league seasons behind the mic, the College of Wisconsin-Oshkosh grad spent the final 4 seasons calling video games for the Carolina League’s Charleston RiverDogs.
Eddie Fisher, who pitched for six groups from 1959-1973, died on February 17 at age 88. The correct-hander’s finest season got here with the Chicago White Sox in 1965 when he led the junior circuit with 82 appearances and went 15-7 with 24 saves and a 2.40 ERA. All advised, he took the mound 690 occasions and was credited with 85 wins and 82 saves.
Bobby Malkmus, an infielder who performed for 3 groups throughout the 1957-1962 seasons, died on February 23 at age 93. The primary of the Newark native’s eight big-league house runs, which he hit in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform, was a grand slam off of “Toothpick Sam” Jones.
Rob Fitts, Gary Gillette, and Richard Malatzky have been introduced because the 2025 recipients of SABR’s Henry Chadwick Award, which honors the sport’s nice researchers. Extra data might be discovered right here.
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The reply to the quiz is Jeff Kent (377 house runs) and Robinson Canó (335).
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Final Sunday’s column included Bubba Chandler speaking about going through his buddy and fellow-high-ranking prospect Roman Anthony. At the moment we’ll hear from Anthony — No. 2 on our Prime 100 — on going through Chandler (No. 23).
“Bubba’s superior,” mentioned Anthony. “He’s obtained electrical stuff. He’s succeeded at each degree, and I feel he’s going to assist [the Pittsburgh Pirates] very quickly. You’re keen on competing towards one of the best, so it’s all the time enjoyable to face that man.”
Chandler surrendered the Crimson Sox prospect’s first Excessive-A success final season. Listening to that the right-hander had shared that truth with me introduced a smile to his face.
“He was,” acknowledged Anthony. “I obtained referred to as up and he was the primary man I confronted. It was type of, ‘OK, right here we go.’ I hit a double up the hole — it was on a heater if I’m remembering proper — however he obtained me too. Every thing he throws is nice. We’ve had our fair proportion of battles.”
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Charles McAdoo will battle to determine himself within the Blue Jays system this season. Acquired by Toronto from the Pittsburgh Pirates in change for Isiah Kiner-Falefa ultimately summer season’s commerce deadline, the 22-year-old third baseman scuffled to the tune of a 79 wRC+ with Double-A New Hampshire after altering organizations. His total numbers have been extra pleasing. On the 12 months, McAdoo slashed .279/.364/.479 with 17 house runs and a 138 wRC+ over a virtually an identical variety of at-bats between Excessive-A and Double-A.
His present focus is on bettering his swing choices. The 2023, thirteenth spherical pick of San Jose State College is happy along with his right-handed stroke — bat pace and uncooked energy are amongst his attributes — however he feels that he must refine his zone. As he put it, “The smaller it’s, the extra harm I can do.”
That he can be doing harm in skilled baseball was by no means a given. A two-sport standout at Harmony, California’s De La Salle Academy, McAdoo wasn’t extremely recruited out of highschool, nor was he the apple of evaluators’ eyes popping out of faculty.
“I undoubtedly flew below the radar,” McAdoo advised me previous to a latest spring coaching recreation. “I used to be drafted in a later spherical, and [prior to that] was actually solely scouted by one faculty. It was arduous for me to do journey ball, as a result of I used to be enjoying soccer. I used to be a receiver and performed protection. Not [one position], however all-over protection.”
Basketball can be part of his background. Whereas his personal expertise on the hardwood is proscribed, NBA Corridor of Famer Bob McAdoo is a cousin, as is erstwhile Golden State Warrior James Michael McAdoo.
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A random obscure former participant snapshot:
Dae-Sung Koo completed his transient big-league profession with .500 batting common, and his lone hit got here towards a Corridor of Famer. A left-hander who tossed 23 reduction innings for the New York Mets in 2005, the native of Daejeon, South Korea doubled off of Randy Johnson in a 7-1 win over the Yankees. In his one earlier plate look, he’d fanned towards Cincinnati’s Todd Coffey with out bothering to take the bat off his shoulder.
His MLB ledger on the mound included no wins or saves, however his total file contains loads of each. Dae-Sung performed professionally from 1993-2023 — he threw his final pitch at age 52 — toeing the rubber within the KBO, NPB, and ABL. All advised, he appeared in 804 video games, logging 94 wins and 259 saves.
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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Abner Uribe revealed to reporters that he tore the meniscus in his proper knee final season whereas enjoying Hacky Sack with teammates. Adam McCalvy has the story at MLB.com.
The Baltimore Banner’s Danielle Allentuck wrote about how Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin bridges the hole between old- and new-school approaches.
Three Minnesota Twins gamers narrowly averted a critical automotive crash close to the staff’s spring coaching facility. MLB.com’s Matthew Leach has the story.
Derek Bender was accused of giving freely his staff’s pitches whereas catching for the Twins’ Low-A affiliate final summer season, and was subsequently launched by the group. Sam Blum talked to him for The Athletic (subscription required).
Additionally at The Athletic, Tyler Kepner wrote about how three stealth relievers typify MLB’s dominant species: the unknown man who no person can hit. (subscription required.)
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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS
Houston Astros reliever Tayler Scott allowed 23 hits and had a .189 BAA versus right-handed hitters final 12 months. He allowed 22 hits and had a .188 BAA versus left-handed hitters.
Don Mattingly had 2,153 hits, 442 doubles, 222 house runs, and a 124 wRC+.
Adrian González had 2,050 hits, 437 doubles, 317 house runs, and a 127 wRC+.
Johnny Grubb slashed .370/.464/.609 in 279 profession plate appearances towards the Boston Crimson Sox. He slashed .151/.245/.285 in 200 plate appearances towards the Milwaukee Brewers.
Warren Spahn threw 15 or extra innings in a recreation 3 times and was tagged with the loss in every of these outings. The ultimate scores have been 3-1, 2-1, and 1-0.
On in the present day’s date in 1927, the New York Yankees introduced that Babe Ruth’s wage for every of the subsequent three seasons can be $70,000, making him the highest-paid participant in MLB historical past.
The Baltimore Orioles signed Ed Farmer as a free agent on in the present day’s date in 1977.
Later a better and broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox, Farmer pitched to only two batters whereas sporting an Orioles uniform. Dealing with the Detroit Tigers, Farmer allowed a single to Lance Parrish, then issued a bases-loaded stroll to Ben Oglivie.
Gamers born on in the present day’s date embrace Pete Broberg, a hard-throwing right-hander who was drafted by the Washington Senators in 1971, then proceeded to make his MLB debut 12 days later with out throwing a pitch within the minor leagues. All advised, the Dartmouth Faculty product went 41-71 with a 4.56 ERA over 963 innings earlier than leaving the sport to attend regulation faculty previous to the 1979 season.
Additionally born on in the present day’s date was Moe Berg, who noticed motion within the massive leagues from 1923-1939 however is healthier identified for being an agent for the OSS throughout World Struggle II. Berg’s biography, The Catcher Was a Spy, chronicles his fascinating life and profession.
In 1891, Tom Brown performed in 137 video games for the American Affiliation’s Boston Reds and led the circuit in hits (189), triples (21), stolen bases (106) and runs scored (177). The Liverpool, England-born outfielder’s runs-scored whole is second-highest in historical past, behind solely Billy Hamilton. “Sliding Billy” crossed the plate 198 occasions with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1884.
Groups within the 1918 Class-D Blue Ridge League included the Cumberland Colts and the Piedmont-Westernport Drybugs.
