Braves Prospect Check-In: Two Top-Five Talents Shining This Spring

With the 2025 Spring Training season halfway over, it's time to check in and see how three top prospects have fared in Spring Training

Baldwin is making every case to be in The Show | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves are about halfway through Spring Training, and the top prospects are some of the highlights so far. Here is the first prospect check for Spring Training. Three prospects who are still participating in big league camp will be covered here. 

All stats are as of the morning of March 11.

Drake Baldwin, Catcher (No. 1 Prospect)

Baldwin continues to build his case to get some Major League playing time during Sean Murphy’s absence. Through 25 plate appearances over 10 games, Baldwin has a slash line of .368/.520/.474 with no home runs and two RBIs. He has struck out once (4% strikeout rate). 

In the 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday afternoon, Baldwin reached base three times with a double and two walks. 

Currently, a pitcher’s chance at getting him out is worse than a coin flip, and he’s creating opportunities to put runs on the board. It’s going to be hard to keep him Triple-A if he brings this run into meaningful games in a few weeks. 

At the very least, keeping him off the 40-man roster has become unjustifiable. The only excuse at this point is the argument of service time, and even that one is hard to use anymore.

AJ Smith-Shawver, Right-Handed Pitcher (No. 3 Prospect)

This spring has been much kinder to the Braves longtime prospect. Through eight innings over three starts, he has a 3.38 ERA. 

He’s still having trouble with baserunners - he has a 1.50 WHIP and a .273 opponent’s average - but the improvement is there. Last Spring Training, he had an 8.22 ERA, a 1.96 WHIP and a .353 opponent’s average through three starts. 

Smith-Shawver is looking to finally land a longterm roll on the Major League roster. He's made a handful of appearances over the last two years, including in the postseason. However, he's yet to stick. A step forward in Spring Training is a hopeful sign that that time to stick is close.