How love for hockey shaped Baldwin as ballplayer

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ATLANTA -- Fortunately for the Braves, Drake Baldwin didn’t have a Happy Gilmore-like affinity for hockey. But the leading candidate for the National League Rookie of the Year Award did once think he’d be more likely to be wearing skates rather than a catcher’s mask at the professional level.

“I thought it was more likely I’d be a hockey player in eighth grade or freshman year of high school,” Baldwin said. “It wasn’t like some elaborate thought process or educated decision. It just felt like it was going that way.”

As MLB celebrates Players' Weekend over these next few days, fans will get an opportunity to get a better feel for the backgrounds and personalities of their favorite players.

While some of Baldwin’s Braves teammates honed their athletic skills by playing football, basketball and other sports away from the baseball diamond, he and his friends from the Madison, Wisc., area savored their time on the ice.

Hockey wasn’t necessarily just a way to pass the time for Baldwin. As a center and left winger for Madison West High School, he led Wisconsin in goals (43) during his junior year and ranked second his senior year. He did all of this while also serving as the high school’s starting catcher for four years.

“I missed a baseball game because of hockey,” Baldwin said. “It probably wasn’t … well, I'm happy I did, because I'm still playing baseball, but I can't play hockey anymore. So, I was able to savor the last couple of games.”

Baldwin still passionately watches University of Wisconsin hockey matches and he loves watching Team USA compete in international events. But his dedication to baseball began after his sophomore year, when Missouri State offered him a chance to catch at the collegiate level.

“I still had a good time playing hockey, for sure,” Baldwin said. “When it was hockey season, I’d do baseball, like once a week, on, like, Sundays, the one off-day. Then the rest of the days, it was full-go hockey.

“On that one day I focused on baseball, I would just throw to keep my arm loose or something like that. That’s nice to do, especially in Wisconsin, when you can’t play [baseball] year round. I think it’s huge to play other sports just to help your athleticism.”

How did playing hockey make Baldwin a better baseball player?

“I think it’s just that culture where you have to keep getting up after getting knocked down,” Baldwin said. “You learn how to take a beating.”

Baldwin ranked first when MLB.com released its NL Rookie of the Year poll results earlier this week. It’s safe to say this year has evolved as well as the 24-year-old catcher could have anticipated. He wasn’t even sure when he might reach the Majors.

But he was behind the plate for the Braves on Opening Day and it looks like he’ll be their catcher for many years to come. The rookie backstop entered Thursday tied for fourth among all MLB catchers (min. 250 plate apperances) with a 131 wRC+.

“I didn’t think I’d be in the big leagues [in 2025] at all,” Baldwin said. “I thought there might be a chance to get called up around this time or as a September callup. But it’s cool.”