NORTH PORT, Fla. -- It’s been assumed
Baldwin ranks as baseball’s No. 62 prospect and the Braves’ No. 1 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. The 23-year-old Wisconsin native will make his Major League debut on Opening Day, when he serves as Sale’s catcher. He took full advantage of the opportunity he was given after the club learned Murphy would be sidelined a month to six weeks after cracking his rib on Feb. 28.
“He’s a phenomenal catcher,” Braves right-hander Spencer Strider said. “I love throwing to him. He has a very good personality. He’s friends with everybody. He’s very, very communicative and very social. He’s a phenomenal player with a great swing. But he just has the presence of a guy that has experience.”\n\nBaldwin had a feeling good news was awaiting when Braves bench coach Walt Weiss signaled for him to come to manager Brian Snitker’s office early Friday morning.\n\n“It’s nice to officially hear it and talk to Snit and have him tell me,” Baldwin said. “I didn’t know for sure. It’s nice to know I’m going over to San Diego \\[for Opening Day against the Padres\\].”\n\nBaldwin texted his mother, Bridgette, asking her if she had time to talk before beginning her duties as a teacher in Sauk Prairie, Wis. She immediately called back and began making plans to be in San Diego for Thursday’s big event.
It’s notable that Sale and Strider focused on the defensive skills Baldwin has shown over the past few weeks. The young catcher has always been lauded for his bat, which helped him produce a .891 OPS in 334 plate appearances for Gwinnett last year. But his most significant strides have been made defensively.\n\nWhen Spring Training began, the assumption was Baldwin would make his MLB debut at some point this year. The timeline was accelerated, and there is now reason to think that he could stay in the Majors when Murphy returns, even if he was playing just once or twice a week. The Braves believe Baldwin could benefit from being around big league pitchers, who could help improve his game-calling skills.
**Bullpen set?**\n\nThe Braves also essentially set their bullpen on Friday, when they purchased the contracts of veteran relievers
After Sale threw four scoreless innings against the Rays in Friday afternoon’s 7-3 win over the Rays at Charlotte Sports Park, Smith-Shawver entered and allowed three runs (two earned) over four innings. Both will now enter Opening Day with an extra day of rest. But Anderson would be on regular rest for the season opener after he follows Reynaldo López against the Tigers in Lakeland on Saturday.\n\nRegardless of how they are used, it looks like Anderson and Smith-Shawver will both open the season on Atlanta’s roster. The first four starters will be Sale, López, Spencer Schwellenbach and Grant Holmes.
**Verdugo report**\n\nSince