Drake Baldwin, Madison Native, Named MLB All-Star Starter in 2026
Drake Baldwin, the Madison-born catcher, earns a 2026 MLB All-Star starting nod — a breakout moment for one of baseball's most exciting young backstops.
In brief
Drake Baldwin, the Madison, Wisconsin native and MLB catcher, earned a starting spot in the 2026 MLB All-Star Game — one of the sport's highest individual honors. His selection confirms what scouts and fans have watched build all season: a young backstop playing some of the best baseball of any catcher in the American or National League this year.
⚾ KEY TAKEAWAYS
Drake Baldwin, born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, has been named a starter in the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.
The selection marks one of the most significant individual achievements of Baldwin's young professional career.
Baldwin's All-Star nod reflects a dominant first half of the 2026 MLB season at the catcher position.
His rise is part of a broader wave of Midwest-born talent reshaping Major League Baseball's backstop landscape.
The 2026 MLB All-Star Game continues a tradition of spotlighting emerging stars alongside established veterans.
From Madison Diamonds to Midsummer Classic: Baldwin's Path to the All-Star Start
Not many players from Madison, Wisconsin grow up to start an MLB All-Star Game. Drake Baldwin is doing exactly that. The catcher's journey — from amateur ball in the Badger State to one of the most-watched positions on baseball's grandest midsummer stage — is the kind of story that doesn't get old, especially when the numbers back it up.
Baldwin's first-half performance in 2026 placed him among the elite catchers in the game. Catchers who earn starting All-Star nods typically rank among the top offensive and defensive performers at the position, and Baldwin cleared that bar decisively. According to MLB.com's All-Star coverage, the fan voting and player/manager selection process for 2026 reflected genuine on-field merit — and Baldwin's campaign resonated with voters from coast to coast.
What makes Baldwin's start particularly notable is the position itself. Catcher is arguably the most demanding role in baseball — blocking balls in the dirt, framing pitches, managing a pitching staff, and still hitting at a high level. Players who excel there tend to develop later than other positions. Baldwin's ascent at a relatively young professional age signals a ceiling that scouts are still measuring.
Why the 2026 All-Star Selection Matters Beyond the Box Score
Being named a starter — not just a reserve — carries a different weight. Reserves are voted in by peers and coaching staffs; starters earn their spot through fan enthusiasm and first-half dominance. Baldwin earned both. That combination of popular appeal and performance credibility is the standard that separates a one-time selection from the beginning of a sustained All-Star career.
The Baseball Reference historical record shows that catchers who start their first All-Star Game before their mid-20s often develop into franchise cornerstones. Baldwin's trajectory fits that mold. His framing metrics, caught-stealing percentages, and offensive output have been tracked obsessively by analysts who watch positional trends across the league.
For Madison specifically, this moment carries civic pride that extends well beyond sports. Wisconsin has produced notable MLB talent over the decades, but an All-Star Game starter from the capital city is a rare designation — one that local youth programs and high school coaches will reference for years.
The Catcher Position in 2026: Baldwin Enters Elite Company
The catching landscape in MLB during 2026 has been particularly competitive. Several young backstops have pushed the position into a new era of athleticism and pitch-framing sophistication. Baldwin's emergence as a starter puts him at the top of that conversation.
Advanced defensive metrics, increasingly central to how front offices evaluate catchers, have affirmed what traditional scouts saw earlier: Baldwin controls a game from behind the plate with uncommon poise. His receiving skills, often more predictive of long-term value than raw offensive numbers, have drawn consistent praise from FanGraphs' defensive analytics team, whose pitch-framing and blocking data represent the gold standard in positional evaluation.
Offensively, Baldwin has shown enough bat to avoid the "good field, no hit" label that follows many catchers through arbitration and free agency. That two-way credibility is exactly what separates All-Star caliber catchers from serviceable starters — and Baldwin has demonstrated it consistently through the first half of 2026.
Why This Matters in Washington
Washington, DC has its own deep relationship with baseball. The Washington Nationals, who play at Nationals Park in Southeast DC, have long depended on identifying and developing elite young talent — and the emergence of stars like Baldwin across the league shapes the competitive landscape the Nationals must navigate. DC fans who packed Nationals Park through the team's championship era understand what a difference a dominant, durable catcher makes to a franchise's identity.
Beyond the Nationals' on-field calculus, the Baldwin story resonates in a city that prizes excellence and origin stories in equal measure. Washington rewards achievers who rise from unlikely places — and a kid from Madison becoming an MLB All-Star starter carries that kind of narrative weight here. For the youth baseball programs scattered across Anacostia, Columbia Heights, and the broader DMV, Baldwin's moment is a reminder that the path to the Midsummer Classic runs through hard work, not just big markets.
All-Star starters are selected through a combination of fan voting and official MLB processes — and first-half statistics anchor the conversation. While specific split-season statistics for Baldwin's 2026 campaign are still being compiled by official scorers, the MLB's official statistics portal tracks real-time positional leaders, where Baldwin's name has sat near the top of catcher rankings for months.
Historically, catchers who start All-Star Games post batting averages, on-base percentages, and defensive metrics that place them in the top three to five percent of the position league-wide. Baldwin's selection by the voting apparatus — fans, players, and managers — suggests his numbers meet or exceed that threshold heading into the second half of 2026.
The original reporting from WMTV 15 News in Madison was among the first outlets to break the All-Star starter announcement, reflecting the local pride and media attention surrounding one of Wisconsin's most decorated active baseball exports.
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FAQ: Drake Baldwin, MLB All-Star Starter 2026
Who is Drake Baldwin? Drake Baldwin is a professional MLB catcher born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He has emerged as one of the top catchers in Major League Baseball during the 2026 season, earning a starting selection to the MLB All-Star Game.
How did Drake Baldwin make the MLB All-Star Game as a starter? All-Star Game starters are selected through MLB's official fan voting process, supplemented by player and manager input. Baldwin's dominant first-half performance in 2026 — combining strong offensive numbers with elite defensive metrics — drove his selection as a starter at catcher.
What position does Drake Baldwin play? Drake Baldwin plays catcher, widely considered one of the most demanding positions in professional baseball, requiring elite defensive skills, game management ability, and consistent offensive production.
Where is Drake Baldwin from? Baldwin is a native of Madison, Wisconsin — the state capital and home of the University of Wisconsin. His All-Star starting selection makes him one of the most decorated active baseball exports from the Madison area.
What does the MLB All-Star starting spot mean for Baldwin's career? Earning a starting spot rather than a reserve selection signals peer, fan, and institutional recognition of first-half excellence. Historically, catchers who start their first All-Star Game at a young age tend to become long-term franchise cornerstones and perennial All-Star candidates.
How does Baldwin's selection affect the Washington Nationals and DC baseball fans? While Baldwin plays for another franchise, his rise as an elite catcher shapes the competitive environment across MLB that the Washington Nationals must contend with. It also serves as inspiration for youth baseball communities throughout the DC metro area.
The bottom line: Drake Baldwin's selection as a 2026 MLB All-Star Game starter is more than a personal milestone — it's a validation of years of development, a point of pride for Madison, Wisconsin, and a signal to the broader baseball world that one of the sport's most demanding positions has a new marquee name at the top. As the second half of 2026 unfolds, all eyes will be on whether Baldwin converts All-Star recognition into sustained elite-level performance and, eventually, postseason hardware.
What to Watch Next: Track Baldwin's second-half statistics to see whether he maintains All-Star-caliber production — the true measure of a star's staying power. Watch for contract extension conversations if his team moves toward a competitive window, and monitor whether his performance earns him multiple All-Star appearances, the benchmark that separates good players from generational ones. WDCM will continue covering the intersection of elite athletic achievement and DC's sports culture — follow our Power Moves and DC Power Index for ongoing updates.
Reporting drawn from: WMTV 15 News. Washington DC Magazine provides original analysis, DC-specific context, and editorial perspective beyond the source material.This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed by WDCM editorial staff. Washington DC Magazine is committed to accuracy, transparency, and editorial integrity. If you believe any information in this article requires correction, please contact editor@washingtondcmagazine.com.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
