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Time for the Braves to consider an all offense lineup

Originally posted on SportsTalkATL | By Chase Irle | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 10:08 AM ET

When you start the season 27-32 and trail not one but two divisional foes by 10 games, you lose a lot of the luxuries you should be afforded at this point of the season. One of them being easing a rookie into the swing of things the right way.

To this point, the Braves have decided to split time between their All-Star caliber catchers, and both have played like top five backstops in the game. Sean Murphy has bounced back from a 2024 campaign that was riddled with injuries and inconsistencies, recording an .802 OPS while providing his typically splendid defense behind the plate. Unfortunately, for Murphy, he’s once again been dealt a raw deal, because he’s simply being outclassed by rookie catcher Drake Baldwin.

Since a sluggish start to the season, Baldwin is hitting .375 with six homers and a 1.034 OPS over his last 31 games. He’s been far and away the best offensive player on the team, and considering just how bad this lineup is struggling, the Braves can’t continue to keep him on the bench for half of the games, especially since Baldwin has also been among the better defensive catchers in the game as well.

Catcher’s Fielding Run Value vs wRC+ pic.twitter.com/tnydWF4mpC

— Kick Dirt Baseball (@KickDirtBB) June 3, 2025

At worst, Drake Baldwin should be starting every game against right-handed pitching, with Sean Murphy getting some starts against lefties. However, we are about at the point in the season where the Braves should be willing to get creative.

A few weeks ago, general manager Alex Anthopoulos shot down the notion of Drake Baldwin potentially playing left field, saying it hasn’t even been considered. However, at that time, the Braves were playing some of their best baseball of the season, with Eli White and Alex Verdugo being a critical part of the club’s resurgence. That’s not the case any longer.

The Braves have lost seven of their last ten, falling 10 games back of both the Mets and Phillies, while left field has once again become a black hole for the team. Alex Verdugo is hitting .213 with no homers and a .512 OPS over his last 21 games, while Eli White is hitting .167 with a .382 OPS over his last 16 games. Those guys were never the long-term answer at the position, and even though Jurickson Profar is returning in about a month’s time, he’s ineligible for the postseason.

The Braves are now in a position of desperation. While it would be ideal to ease Drake Baldwin into the groove of things as a catcher alongside Sean Murphy, they desperately need both of their bats in the lineup as often as possible. Just look at how much deeper this lineup is with Baldwin in left field.

Braves Hypothetical Lineup

That Braves lineup is set up to do damage, and sure, there might be some issues with Drake Baldwin out in left field, but defense doesn’t matter if you’re not scoring runs, and let’s not act like teams across the league haven’t tried similar experiments, including the Braves. I’ve watched Evan Gattis, Austin Riley, and Chipper Jones all play left field for the Braves. Hell, I’ve even seen a left-handed Freddie Freeman play the hot corner!

The time for taking things cautiously is well in the rearview mirror. This team, particularly the offense, needs a spark, and getting Baldwin and Murphy in the lineup together could provide just that.

This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.

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