Braves Baldwin Achieves Important Life Milestone After Big Rookie Year

In a year where Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin stood out at the plate, he managed to continue standing out in the classroom too

Not all important moments in the Braves' catcher's life are at the plate | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

It's been a good 2025 for Drake Baldwin. He relished the moment of going from the Atlanta Braves' top rising prospect to the National League Rookie of the Year. However, that rookie season is in the books, but he's not done making the most of this year.

Even after going pro, he continued his education at Missouri State. The baseball program's Instagram page posted a photo of Baldwin graduating with his bachelor's degree. While we can't confirm his exact degree, his college baseball profile states that he was majoring in general business.

Working to complete your degree is not an unheard of occurance among athletes who leave early to go pro. However, their willingness to go and make sure that achievement happens during their professional careers remains impressive.

Regardless of how his path goes, he can at least say he has no regrets. He has the hardware, both as a ballplayer and as a student. Even if he doesn't use it, there is something to be proud of in saying he finished the job.

Along with the awards, he spent the entire season up in the Majors. In 124 games, he batted .274 with an .810 OPS, 19 home runs and 80 RBIs. Among qualified rookies, his batting average, OPS, home runs and slugging were all second in the National League. His RBIs led this category of players.

He wasn't supposed to be the starting catcher on Opening Day, but Sean Murphy went down with a rib injury early in Spring Training. He was thrust into the role and made it count. When Murphy went down after he underwent season-ending surgery, Baldwin became the full-time catcher again.

It was a situation in which he was put under intense pressure. Yet, he stayed poised and provided the team with clutch moments that were lacking at times throughout the season. He had his share of walk-off hits in extra innings and go-ahead home runs on the road in the ninth inning.

He showed that to many fans that he could do this at the plate. Now, we know for certain that that confidence and poise translated to the books. It takes dicispline to hit the books when on the daily grind of baseball.

Heading into the 2026 season, manager Walt Weiss intends to get his bat into the lineup more consistently. While he saw action in 124 games, he came off the bench in about one-fourth of them. There is plenty of untapped potential left.