Chris Sale Gives Praise to Top Prospect Following First Game Together

The Atlanta Braves starting pitcher has been impressed with the work the catching prospect has put in during Spring Training

Sale wasn't surprised the day went as well as it did / Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Reigning National League Cy Young Award winner and Atlanta Braves starter Chris Sale gave high praise to top prospect Drake Baldwin. The worked together for the first time in the scorless tie against the Minnesota Twins and two clicked. 

This didn’t come as much of surprise to Sale. He’s had a chance to Baldwin consistently in Spring TRaining, and work he’s putting in his paying off in his eyes. 

“Just seeing him on a day-to-day basis, it’s fun for me because I’ve been here for a little bit now - just seeing how people work, how people operate, how people interact with people, Sale said. “ He’s always in the weight room. He has an unblievalble work ethic. He has a great routine from what I’ve seen. He’s around all the right guys, and that’s what you want from a young guy who’s in the position to take over a very, very important position. He isn’t afraid to ask questions. He’s going all the right things and like I said, it look like he’s starting to chisel out a pretty good routine for himself. Very likeable guy, too, which is great.” 

With Baldwin as his catcher, Sale pitched four no-hit, shutout innings allowing just a walk and a hit by pitch while striking out four. He threw 59 pitches and threw 40 of them for strikes (67.8%).

Along with being a strong tandem with Sale, he also had a decent day at the plate. He went 0-for-1 but he drew a walk. His out was a ground out to the first baseman in the second inning. 

He passed the eye test and got some positive comments from a longtime veteran pitcher in the game. The hype around him only continues to grow. 

So far in Spring Training, Baldwin is batting .308 with an .856 OPS and two RBIs and three runs scored. 

Last season, he represented the Braves in the Futures Game during All-Star Weekend. He reached Triple-A for the first time late in the year and that’s where he truly began to stand out. 

In 72 Triple-A games in 2024, Baldwin batted .298 with an .891 OPS, 12 home runs and 55 RBIs. His on-base percentage was .407. He showed solid plate discipline with a 16.2% strikeout rate. He had nearly as many walks (52) as strikeouts (54).

That run late in the year earned him the honor of being the Braves Minor League Player of the Year according to Baseball America. He's the Braves top prospect on MLB.com and the highest-ranking Braves prospect in the top 100. 

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