Brooks Baldwin

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Brooks Baldwin
Chicago White Sox – No. 27
Infielder
Born: (2000-08-15) August 15, 2000 (age 23)
Whiteville, North Carolina
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 19, 2024, for the Chicago White Sox
Career statistics
(through July 19, 2024)
Batting average.333
Home runs0
Runs batted in0
Teams

Riley Brooks Baldwin (born August 15, 2000) is an American professional baseball infielder for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Baldwin played college baseball for the UNC Wilmington Seahawks before being drafted by the White Sox in the 12th round of the 2022 MLB draft.[1]

Early life

Brooks Baldwin was born on August 15, 2000, in Whiteville, North Carolina.

Amateur career

High school

Baldwin grew up in Whiteville, North Carolina and attended Whiteville High School. He played high school baseball for the Whiteville Wolfpack under head coach Brett Harwood, and was teammates with fellow MLB player MacKenzie Gore, a starting pitcher for the Washington Nationals.[2] A prolific high-school player, Baldwin played every position on the field except catcher. He earned All-State honors his junior and senior seasons, was a four-time All-Three Rivers Conference honoree, and won state championships his freshman, junior, and senior seasons. He was named the series' Most Valuable Player his senior season.[3] Baldwin was also selected as the Columbus County Player-of-the-Year his junior and senior seasons.[3]

During Baldwin's four seasons playing for Whiteville, the Wolfpack went 108-18, including a 29-2 record his senior season. As a senior, Baldwin hit .455 with nine home runs and 44 RBIs; on the mound, he posted an 11-0 record and a 0.62 ERA, striking out 114 batters over 78+2⁄3 innings pitched for a remarkable 13.04 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.[3] Baldwin also played soccer.

College

Baldwin played college baseball for the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. In his freshman season, Baldwin played in 62 games, breaking the record for the most games played in a season by a freshman in school history.[3] Overall, Baldwin hit .239 with 56 hits, 4 home runs, 34 RBIs, and 7 stolen bases in 8 attempts for a stolen base percentage of .875. He finished with a fielding percentage of .976.[1]

Baldwin became the Seahawks full-time starting shortstop during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, playing all 16 games. He hit .258 with 16 hits, no home runs, 8 RBIs, and 5 stolen bases in 5 attempts for a stolen base percentage of 1.000. He finished with a fielding percentage of .941.[1]

In 2021, Baldwin had a breakout season. He played 54 games and saw time at shortstop, second base, first base, center field, and right field.[3] Baldwin hit .325 and led the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) with 79 hits. He also hit 15 home runs and had 45 RBIs, each of which led his team, and stole 11 bases in 17 attempts for a stolen base percentage of .647. He finished with a fielding percentage of .952.[1] Due to his excellent season, Baldwin was selected as a First-Team All-CAA honoree.[3]

Baldwin's stellar 2021 college season, as well as his performance in collegiate summer baseball for the Cotuit Kettleers, caught the eye of MLB scouts, and the San Francisco Giants drafted him in the 15th round of the 2021 MLB draft.[4] However, Baldwin elected to go back to UNC-Wilmington for his fourth season.

Expectations were high coming into the 2022 season, with Baldwin being named the Preseason CAA Player of the Year. The expectations proved justified, as Baldwin recorded a career-high and CAA-leading .348 batting average to go along with a team-leading 66 hits. He hit 11 home runs and drove in 39 runs, as well as stealing a career-high 16 stolen bases on 19 attempts for a stolen base percentage of .842. His fielding percentage for the season was .959.[1] For his efforts, Baldwin was named the CAA Player of the Year and earned his second First-Team All-CAA selection.[3]

After the college season was over, Baldwin once again played collegiate summer baseball for the Kettleers, hitting .361 with 35 hits, 1 home run, 14 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases in 24 games.[1]

Professional career

Baldwin made his major league debut with the Chicago White Sox on July 19, 2024.[5] In his first career at bat, Baldwin singled to right field to lead off the third inning against Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha.[6] This was Baldwin's only hit of the game, as he ended 1-for-3 with one strikeout in the White Sox 7-1 loss.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Brooks Baldwin Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  2. ^ Eichstaedt, Jake (July 18, 2024). "Former Whiteville and UNCW baseball star Brooks Baldwin heading to the Major Leagues". WWAYTV3. Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Brooks Baldwin - 2022 Baseball Roster". UNC Wilmington Athletics. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Davis, Franklin (July 13, 2021). "San Francisco Giants select Brooks Baldwin". NRcolumbus.com. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  5. ^ "White Sox's Brooks Baldwin: Starting at second base in debut". CBSSports.com. July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  6. ^ Merkin, Scott (July 19, 2024). "Baldwin records first career hit in MLB debut for White Sox". MLB.com. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  7. ^ "Royals 7-1 White Sox (Jul 19, 2024) Box Score". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
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