Braves’ Drake Baldwin Blows Out Cubs’ Cade Horton in 2025 NL Rookie of the Year Voting Results.vc
The 24-year-old catcher, who took over after a spring injury to Sean Murphy, won in a blowout with 21 first-place votes after leading all NL rookies with 80 RBI.
ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves rookie Drake Baldwin burst onto the scene in 2025 and put the entire league on notice. No one expected him to be one of the cornerstones of the offense, but he didn’t just stick around after making the team out of spring training. He excelled.
That excellence was officially recognized on Monday, as Baldwin was named the 2025 National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year, beating out Cubs pitcher Cade Horton and Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin.
Baldwin didn’t get much choice in the matter, as he became the starting catcher on Opening Day after All-Star Sean Murphy fractured a rib early in spring training. Baldwin didn’t look like a rookie at the plate, as he had some of the best plate discipline and bat speed on the team.
That was a constant all season for the youngster. It led to him receiving a lot of compliments from his coaches and teammates and had him in the Rookie of the Year conversation all year long.
There’s a good reason why he led that conversation. In 124 games, Baldwin slashed:
- .274/.341/.469 (.810 OPS)
- 19 Home Runs
- 80 RBI (Led all NL rookies)
- 125 wRC+
- 3.1 fWAR (Third-highest among qualified NL rookies)
The Race “Wasn’t Very Close”
These incredible numbers led to the Atlanta catcher being named the winner. Former Philadelphia first baseman Ryan Howard made the announcement on MLB Network, and cheers could be heard in the background. Baldwin was apparently with family and friends at the home of fellow rookie Spencer Schwellenbach.
[Video placeholder: 2005 NL ROY Ryan Howard announces Drake Baldwin as the 2025 National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year! — MLB (@MLB) November 11, 2025]
The race wasn’t very close at all. Baldwin won in a blowout, receiving 21 first-place votes over nine votes for Horton, who finished second. The BBWAA definitely got it right, and no disrespect to Horton or Durbin, as they were both great in their own right, but Baldwin was just on a different level the entire season.
It was extremely well-deserved for Baldwin, who has a bright future in Atlanta. He is the tenth player in franchise history to earn ROY honors, and the third Brave to win the award over the last decade (joining Ronald Acuña Jr. in 2018 and Michael Harris II in 2022).
