Prospect Spotlight- Roldani Baldwin

This week's prospect spotlight is on Roldani Baldwin! Baldwin is a 23 (soon to be 24- March 16^th) year-old catcher from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic- the same hometown as the self-acclaimed greatest baseball player of all-time. Baldwin was a non-roster invitee in big league camp this spring and put up solid numbers in a decent amount of game action (for a prospect, anyway) before being reassigned to minor league camp on March 8^th.

2020 Spring Training

GS	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OppQual
1	7	8	8	2	3	2	0	3	0	3	.375	.375	.625	1.000	6.8

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Signed as a 17 year-old in November 2013, Baldwin has experienced both highs and lows throughout his professional career. He had a breakout year with the Greenville Drive (full-season A) in 2017 hitting 35 doubles (2nd most in the league), 14 home runs (9th), 66 RBIs (10th), and 180 total bases (14th) while throwing out 33% of base runners behind the plate. He earned mid-season, organizational, and postseason all-star awards and helped the Drive capture the 2017 South Atlantic League Championship.  

Baldwin played all of 2018 with the Salem Red Sox (A+) where he dealt with nagging injuries causing him to spend a good amount of the season on the disabled list. His offensive numbers took a dip as his batting average dropped 41 points and his OPS dropped 147 points from the season before. Still, Baldwin improved his caught stealing percentage to 45% by throwing out 24 base runners in only 39 games. He was 7th in the league in total baserunners caught stealing, with every catcher above him playing in at least eight more games. In the midst of the injury-riddled season, Baldwin still managed to be a mid-season all-star.

After dealing injuries for much of the 2018 season, Baldwin came into 2019 looking to bounce back. Unfortunately, Baldwin would go on to deal with much of the same as after breaking his ankle before the end of Spring training. He was able to return for eight games at the end of the year, going 8-23 with a home run between the GCL Red Sox and Lowell Spinners (A-).

Barring any unforeseen or unreported injuries, Baldwin is going into this season completely healthy for the first time in three years. If Spring Training is any indication of where he's at, Baldwin seems to be in a good place. While his performance this spring can only be shown through a small sample size, Baseball Reference lists the average quality of opponent Baldwin has faced at 6.8. For reference, 10 is considered MLB quality, 8 is AAA, 7 is AA, 5 is A+, 4 is full-season A, and 1.5 to 3 is rookie to A-. Having never played above A+, it is a good sign that Baldwin has had success against opponents that are nearly AA in quality.

Baldwin will start the year in Salem where he will be sharing playing time with fellow catching prospect Kole Cottam. In terms of organizational catching prospects, Baldwin is behind his teammate Cottam and newly acquired Connor Wong in rankings. Being healthy for the first time in years, Baldwin will finally be looking to show what he can do at full strength in 2020.