NORTH PORT, Fla. — Watch Drake Baldwin’s smooth, powerful left-handed swing in the batting cage, see him make throws to second base, observe him fully engaged when talking with pitchers, witness him smiling and laughing in the clubhouse with teammates who are both his age and much older, and one thing comes to mind.

This kid is going to be a starting catcher in the major leagues in the not-too-distant future.

Whether that’s with the Braves or another team that pays a hefty price to acquire him, Baldwin seems destined to become someone’s primary catcher.

For now, he is the Braves’ No. 1 prospect. And Baldwin, who’ll be 24 next month, seems likely to make his MLB debut by summer, whether that’s filling in after an injury or supplanting backup catcher Chadwick Tromp. The key is for Baldwin to continue with the elite offense he produced last year in his first season in Triple A.

Promoted from Double A to Triple-A Gwinnett in the second week of June, Baldwin hit .298 with 12 home runs, 55 RBIs, a .407 on-base percentage and .891 OPS in 72 games, with almost as many walks (52) as strikeouts (54) in 334 plate appearances. He hit an opposite-field home run to left-center in the All-Star Futures Game that was the hardest-hit ball in that game.

“He’s awesome,” said Braves pitcher Ian Anderson, who pitched to Baldwin last season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. “I could stand here all day and talk about him. The best part about him is how good he is in the locker room. He loves being around the field. I think that’s evident — he’s probably one of the first guys to show up and last guys to leave. I think that goes a long way, especially for that position.”

Anderson paused before adding, “And obviously he can hit. Probably one of the better-hitting prospects I’ve seen.”

Braves pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver, who’s made six MLB starts over the past two seasons and also pitched in a postseason game each of those years, has seen Baldwin’s steady strides since they were in minor-league camp a couple of years ago.

“He’s an impressive hitter to watch. I love watching him,” Smith-Shawver said. “And whenever we see the best pitchers, the best fastballs, I feel like that’s when he hits the ball hardest. So it was really fun to watch him all year. And he’s a great dude. The way he manages the pitchers and makes sure that everybody’s feeling comfortable with him and trusting in him, I think he does a great job with that.”

Baldwin was the No. 27 prospect in Keith Law’s Top 100 preseason list in The Athletic, after not making the top 100 a year earlier. It said plenty about the large strides made by Baldwin, a Wisconsin native and third-round pick by the Braves in the 2022 draft out of Missouri State University.

“He just keeps getting better,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, a former minor-league catcher. “I think we’ve done a really good job in developing this kid and letting him grow and mature. He’s (opened) a lot of eyes. And I just look at a guy that just continues to improve every spring, getting better with all the repetitions he’s getting.”

Snitker is seeing Baldwin for the third consecutive spring and has watched him develop into a powerfully built player with an inquisitive mind and a strong arm that he’s learned to use more efficiently. Coaches and catching teammates have helped smooth his techniques behind the plate and throwing to the bases.

“He’s a bright kid, and he’s got a nice future being a left-handed hitting catcher with power,” Snitker said. “And I know that the throwing’s getting better and his receiving. Guys love throwing to him. Very knowledgeable young man, too.”

Baldwin has been a non-roster invitee to major-league spring training each year since he was drafted, but there’s a strong sense this will be the last spring he has NRI next to his name.

“Great guy, and he can hit — strong guy,” said Sandy León, a 12-year major league veteran who signed a minor-league deal with the Braves five weeks into the 2024 season.

León hadn’t met Baldwin until the young catcher was promoted to Gwinnett, but quickly got to know him and was impressed with everything he saw.

“He’s not afraid to communicate,” León said. “He asks questions. We talked a lot last year. He wants to learn. … When a young guy like that wants to learn, especially a catcher, he’s going to be good.”

Pitchers, catchers, coaches and managers will tell you there is nothing more important for a young catcher than learning to call games and developing the trust and confidence of pitchers. It’s a reason catchers generally take longer to develop than other position players, because it’s not easy for many young ones to get past the initial trepidation of really talking to pitchers, especially veterans.

“And he tries and wants to learn all that stuff,” Anderson said of Baldwin. “Wants to learn the pitchers, wants to learn their repertoires. And he’s so easy to talk to that he’s going to have no problem making relationships with pitchers.”

Baldwin’s locker in the spring training clubhouse is next to León’s, and the two can be seen talking each morning at their lockers, the kid listening intently to the heavily tattooed veteran from Venezuela. “Especially being a catcher, you have to communicate and ask questions, not only to me but to the pitchers,” León said.

Smith-Shawver said Baldwin goes out of his way to get to know pitchers, in the minors and at spring training.

“All the pitchers really appreciate that,” he said. “I mean, Drake’s the man. Everybody loves throwing to him.”

Asked if he thought having León at Triple A last year helped him, Baldwin said, “Oh, a ton. I mean, it’s kind of invaluable. I got a great relationship with him last year, and then obviously being locker mates with him this year is pretty cool. We talk every day.”

Being around catchers Sean Murphy, Tromp and Travis d’Arnaud and catching coach Sal Fasano the previous two springs also helped a lot, Baldwin said, as did catching many of the Braves’ current pitchers in spring training or Triple A.

“I’m definitely a little bit more comfortable this year with it being my third big league spring training,” he said. “I know all these people as friends, honestly. So just kind of going in there and if people ask me questions, try to help them out. If I’m asking them questions, they all help me out. And they like to say iron sharpens iron. So just kind of be the best I can be and just have a lot of fun doing it.”

Murphy, a 2023 All-Star, missed two months after his Opening Day injury last year and struggled mightily upon returning, posting a career-worst .193 average with 10 homers and a .636 OPS in 72 games. The Braves plan to give Murphy a heavier, more conventional workload this season, catching him in about four of every five games. He’s in the third season of a six-year, $73 million extension that pays $15 million annually through 2028 and includes a $15 million club option for 2029.

D’Arnaud and Fasano are now with the Los Angeles Angels, d’Arnaud signing with them as a free agent after the Braves declined an $8 million option — they were trying to save wherever they could to fill other needs, general manager Alex Anthopoulos said — and Fasano hired as an assistant pitching coach after the Braves eliminated the catching coach position from their staff.

Baldwin said d’Arnaud taught him plenty, but one thing stood above the rest.

“To have a good time,” Baldwin said. “Honestly, just not ride the highs and lows too much. Like, it’s baseball, there’s going to be failures. There’s going to be really cool moments as well, and kind of embrace those, embrace the good moments. And I mean, if something bad happened to me, I know they (other catchers) always did like the hat turns (wearing their caps backward) when you kind of messed up, and it’s just kind of something to laugh about and you can move on and focus on the next play rather than just kind of hanging in the past.”

Baldwin was asked what he wanted to improve upon this year.

“Just kind of improving on everything,” he said. “Getting more consistent is kind of the name of the game of baseball. But just being able to continue kind of what I’ve been doing. I mean, probably hit a couple more homers, get a little bit better arm strength, get a little better receiving, get a little better all-around game, and obviously gain the experience of controlling a pitching staff a little bit more.”

Snitker said Baldwin is learning the finer points of throwing from one knee and other aspects of catching, things that veterans like Murphy, Tromp and León can teach him.

“I think we’ve done a good job of developing him and getting him all the reps that we can in the minor leagues,” Snitker said. “I hear about the opposite-field power from a left-handed hitting catcher. … Biggest thing I can say just having him in spring training, is that he’s improving every year, which is a really good thing.

“You see videos over the course of his career. He’s more polished and he’s bigger and stronger. And I feel like the throwing has continued to get better, and I know they’re going to continue to work on that with the different knees and all that kind of stuff. So, it’s pretty good when you’ve got a catcher like that that’s on the horizon.”

(Photo of Drake Baldwin from the 2024 Futures Game: Kevin Jairaj / USA Today)