Starting at Barreirense, where he spent seven years, Baptista achieved recognition at Benfica, appearing in nearly 100 games and winning four major titles.
[1] With competition from João Correia, Albino and Gaspar Pinto, he only racked up 9 appearances, two in the Primeira Liga, allowing him to win his first league title.
[4][5] A year later, he completed a championship three-peat as regular first team, playing in all the league games and making 28 appearances in total.
[6][7] In 1938–39, the breakthrough of Francisco Ferreira made a negative impact in his career, and he saw his playing time drop, to just 11 games.
[8] However, Baptista recovered his place in the first team in 1939–40, playing 20 games and winning the 1939–40 Taça de Portugal.