The Braves took Baumann out of Hagerty High School in Florida in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, using the 126th overall pick on the righty. Baumann received a signing bonus of $747,500, which was enough to lure him away from his commitment to the University of Central Florida.
What were the expectations for 2025?
After a solid 2024 campaign, the expectations for Baumann coming into this season were reasonably higher, especially after he posted a 3.18 ERA across 20 appearances (19 starts) between Augusta and Rome. Simply getting through his first full professional season, regardless of level, would have been good enough. However, he managed to make his way to Rome for a spot start by season’s end, which positioned himself to join the Emperors to start the 2025 season.
The biggest concern for Baumann – who stands at 6’8, 245-pounds – has always been about control and his ability to limit the number of walks issued. So far, Baumann has showed solid command over his pro career, which has resulted in him registering 198 strikeouts to 56 walks.
Baumann got the nod to return to Rome to begin 2025 and once again showed that he is capable of making significant strides against better competition. Across 23 starts for the Emperors, the 21-year-old tossed 113.2 innings and struck out 108 batters while issuing 31 walks.
While the walk totals were decent, Baumann struggled a bit when it came to the long ball, as he gave up 10 homers in his 23 starts.
Overall, it was a very successful season for Baumann, simply from the standpoint that he remained healthy the entire season and managed to put up really solid numbers across the board as well.
Given his success at the high-A level over the past two seasons, it stands to reason Baumann will most likely begin the 2026 year with Columbus. Although it is possible he returns to Rome for a spot start or two to get ramped up before getting the promotion to double-A.
While Atlanta’s front office has not been shy at all about promoting players who perform well, Baumann doesn’t appear likely to be in the same category. He absolutely could come out and dominate with Columbus and that could obviously change those narratives — and he has the potential to do so.
All in all, if Baumann can show he can replicate his success at the double-A level, there’s a good reason to expect him to finish out his season with Gwinnett with his sights set on Atlanta in early 2027.
