Baldwin has made impressive developmental progress on defense. The Braves drastically altered some stylistic elements of his receiving, most notably paring down Baldwin’s footwork and putting him more regularly on one knee, and it has taken Baldwin some time to get comfortable with that. His receiving and ball blocking are still only fair, in part because of Baldwin’s lack of size and strength, but the quickness and consistency of his exchange on throws to second base has gotten much better. Baldwin’s skills are approaching that of an average primary catcher, but his lack of size and my apprehension about taking his OBP skills at face value has me forecasting him as more of a second-division regular.
