The regular season is finally here and with it, the chance for the Atlanta Braves to officially put a frustrating 2024 behind them. Spring training offered a handful of surprises, including the team parting ways with Ian Anderson and bringing in familiar faces in Jesse Chavez and Craig Kimbrel. The Braves are still waiting for a handful of starters to return, presenting an opportunity for surprise contributors.
With this, however, comes the pressure of potential failure. Atlanta will add Spencer Strider, Sean Murphy, and Ronald Acuna Jr. back to this roster. That is at least three roster spots that are going to be gone after the first weeks of the season. This is to say nothing of potential roster additions Craig Kimbrel, Jesse Chavez, and Alex Verdugo. No question, there are a number of Braves under pressure as the season gets underway.
1. Drake Baldwin
A part of the reasoning for the team being comfortable moving on from veteran Travis d'Arnaud was the expectation that Baldwin would be ready to join the big league club at some point this season. Sean Murphy's spring injury, along with Baldwin's strong spring, changed the team's plans. Now Baldwin will not only be a part of the Opening Day roster but is expected to be given the bulk of the starts.
If the moment is too big for the prospect, there is a great chance we won't see Baldwin for much of the 2025 season. Sean Murphy isn't expected to be out for a long period of time. This means at least one of Atlanta's catchers will be moved on from after the first weeks of the season.
Optioning Baldwin and slotting Murphy back into the everyday lineup is the easiest potential move. With this in mind, it is up to the young catcher to make it impossible to make this decision. Baldwin needs to not only call a consistent game behind the plate but have a strong offensive start that leaves Atlanta no other choice but to keep Baldwin at the big-league level and rotate his bat with Sean Murphy. Any struggles to begin the year are likely the end of any serious conversation that Baldwin could make a push as the starter this season.