Atlanta’s Drake Baldwin named NL Rookie of the Year

Field Level Media

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin capped his breakout season with one of baseball’s highest honors Monday night, earning the National League Rookie of the Year award.

Baldwin, 24, received 21 of the 30 first-place votes to become the 10th Brave to win the award — and the third in the last eight years, joining Michael Harris II (2022) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (2018).

The former third-round draft pick from 2022 surprised many when he made Atlanta’s 2025 Opening Day roster, having never played a game at the major league level. But by season’s end, Baldwin had not only secured the starting job — he had outplayed veteran Sean Murphy, appearing in 124 games while Murphy battled injuries.

Baldwin hit .274 with a .341 on-base percentage, adding 19 home runs, 18 doubles and 80 RBIs. Defensively, he was one of the most reliable catchers in the league, committing just four errors and finishing with a .995 fielding percentage.

In the American League, Oakland Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz, 22, was a unanimous selection, collecting all 30 first-place votes after a record-setting rookie campaign. Kurtz led all rookies with 36 home runs, 86 RBIs and 90 runs scored, while batting .290 with a .383 on-base percentage and .619 slugging percentage.

Kurtz, the fourth overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, reached the majors after just 32 minor league games and made headlines July 25 when he became the first rookie in Athletics history to hit four home runs in a single game, going 6-for-6 with eight RBIs against Houston.

Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson finished second in AL voting, marking the first time since 1989 that a pair of position-player teammates took the top two spots. Boston’s Roman Anthony finished third. In the National League, Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton finished second, and Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin was third.