It is decided: Drake Baldwin is now an everyday player. No longer can we look at the Atlanta Braves' rookie phenom as a capable backup catcher who can occasionally spell the veteran Sean Murphy. His work behind the plate is getting there, but his bat is doing the talking in a big way for this team that is finally back to .500, folks!
Mark Bowman of MLB.com touched on the profound impact Baldwin has had on this team. We are talking about a top catching prospect who never played in an MLB game prior to this season. On the year, he is hitting .329 in 76 plate appearances. If we remove the dreadful 0-7 start to the Braves' campaign, Baldwin is hitting an absolutely ridiculous .423 in 56 plate appearances. He has arrived!
Unfortunately, that's going to force manager Brian Snitker to tinker with his lineup even more than he already does. Murphy has held up his end of the bargain at the plate since coming back from the IL; While he is no longer quite as red-hot, designated hitter Marcell Ozuna consistently handles the bat better than most members of the Atlanta offense. Even in a slump, Ozuna will still draw walks.
This leaves Snitker in an impossible spot: How does he get Baldwin's big bat into the lineup more?
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Drake Baldwin is forcing Brian Snitker's hand
Prior to last night, you could argue that the worst hitter in the Braves' everyday lineup was second baseman Ozzie Albies. Nick Allen is more of a defensive dynamo over at short. Michael Harris II's glove in center field somewhat makes up for his inconsistency at the plate. Alex Verdugo is doing his best to keep the seat warm before Ronald Acuña Jr. returns. How does Snitker manage this?
We have once again arrived at the downside of having two quality catchers on the same roster. Atlanta did its best for years rotating between Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud, and between d'Arnaud and William Contreras a few years before that. Baldwin has effectively replaced d'Arnaud, just as Murphy replaced Contreras. To me, it does not make sense to have Baldwin change positions, much as some corners of Braves fandom might want him to.
However, this does lead me to believe one of two things could happen to the Braves' roster this offseason. They could conceivably let Ozuna price his way off the team to free up the designated hitter role. Having both catchers play at the same time is tricky, but may be worthwhile for Atlanta. I may also see if he can play a little second base, as Albies is still a liability as a switch hitter for them.
For now, Snitker must use all the data he can and ride the hot hand.