Braves' Drake Baldwin draws legendary comparison to World Series champion, 6-time Silver Slugger

Braves' Drake Baldwin draws legendary comparison to World Series champion, 6-time Silver Slugger originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Atlanta Braves are wrapping up their first home series of the 2026 season, and there have already been several special moments throughout the weekend—most notably Dominic Smith’s walk-off home run.

“Braves Dominic Smith revealed tonight's game was extra emotional. He lost his mother to cancer two weeks ago. The fan who caught the walk-off grand slam ball returned it to Smith,” Braves writer Grant McAuley posted.

Second-year catcher Drake Baldwin has gotten off to a hot start this season, already hitting three home runs. There have been early discussions about whether Atlanta should consider extending him sooner rather than later. “Catcher is also a volatile and grueling position, which should make Baldwin amenable to forfeiting at least a couple of free agency years in order to start getting paid right away.

Atlanta should jump at the chance to hand him an extension despite already having another backstop under a long-term deal in Sean Murphy; lefty-hitting catchers with middle-of-the-order potential simply don't come around very often. From there, it's just a matter of finding the right number: The last catcher who signed a deal five years away from free agency was Keibert Ruiz, who agreed to an eight-year, $50 million contract with the Washington Nationals , but Baldwin is already a much better player,” FanSided’s Chris Landers wrote. Baldwin is living up to his Rookie of the Year status, and his similarities to former Brave and World Series champion Brian McCann are already drawing attention.