3 Under-the-Radar Stats from Braves Drake Baldwin's Rookie Season

The Atlanta Braves rookie catcher's season gets more impressive when you dig deeper into the stat sheet

These stats reflect how good Drake Baldwin was for the Braves to start his career | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Drake Baldwin’s rookie campaign has come to a close. At the very least, he’ll likely be a finalist for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, assuming the Atlanta Braves catcher doesn’t win it. 

As we look back on his season, let’s look at some under-the-radar stats that help paint a fuller picture of the type of ballplayer he was out of the gate. 

15.2% Strikeout Rate

Plate discipline was one of Baldwin’s strongest traits. He had a consistent, calm approach at the plate from start to finish this season, and it’s reflected in a strikeout rate that’s lower than league average. 

The average strikeout rate in MLB for the 2025 season was 21.9%, which is still lower than the rate of some of the biggest stars on the team. Matt Olson struck out 24.3% of the time, and Ronald Acuña Jr. struck out 24.8% of the time. 

Having quality hitters with different types of winning approaches at the plate is essential to a healthy lineup. It will remain a solid trait for Balwin to have, especially in high-leverage situations. So far, it's paid off for him.

Drake Baldwin puts the @Braves ahead in the 9th! 💪 pic.twitter.com/JDkzkh5Pq4

— MLB (@MLB) September 1, 2025

3.1 fWAR

This can be a polarizing stat at times, but when it’s not being used as an all-encompassing stat, it can be useful to gauge how a ballplayer compares to his peers. 

Baldwin’s 3.1 fWAR is the highest among all rookies in the National League. Only three rookies were ahead of him over in the American League: Nick Kurtz, Dillon Dingler and Jacob Wilson. 

A case isn’t being made here for him to win Rookie of the Year here specifically, but the fact that he leads all rookies in a key advanced stat is a reflection of how good he was in 2025. 

Compared to his Braves counterparts, he had the third-best fWAR on the team, trailing only Olson (4.7) and Acuña (3.5). He was undoubtedly one of the top productive players on the team, and it’s especially noteworthy when you look at his playing time. 

97 Games Started

This is an important number when evaluating the more traditional counting stats. In total, Baldwin played in 124 games for the Braves this season. He had an impressive 19 home runs and 80 RBIs in 405 at-bats. 

It gets more impressive when you realize the bulk of it had to be done in 97 games that saw him actually penciled into the lineup. He had 28 at-bats across the other 27 games, where he came in as a pinch hitter or defensive substitution. 

To his credit, he made the most of those late-game appearances. Ten of his 80 RBIs came in games he didn’t start. He made the most of the opportunities he got this season. It makes you wonder what he could do as a true everyday ballplayer.

If you took his production just from when he was in the starting lineup, he would be on pace to finish the season with 26 home runs and 104 RBIs. In the search for greater offensive production across the lineup, it’s something the Braves need to consider for 2026.