Last night, 21 out of 30 voters made the right choice, resulting in Drake Baldwin being named the National League Rookie of the Year.
A season to remember.
Congratulations to Drake Baldwin, the 2025 National League Rookie of the Year! pic.twitter.com/IWUSrXHq0b
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 11, 2025
The odds to win the NL Rookie of the Year award seemed to swing in a different direction with each passing week over the final couple of months of the season. By the end of the campaign, Drake Baldwin wasn’t even viewed as the favorite, with oddsmakers believing Cade Horton had done enough to claim the award after his late-season surge.
Horton certainly made a strong case down the stretch, posting a 1.03 ERA over his final 12 starts. However, the cumulative weight of Baldwin’s performance won out, making him the third Braves player since 2018 to take home Rookie of the Year honors, joining Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II.
It’s a fantastic milestone for the 24-year-old, but it also comes with massive implications for the Braves. Because Baldwin was a top-100 prospect and spent the entire season on the active roster, Atlanta will receive an extra draft pick at the end of the first round along with roughly $4 million added to their draft pool. That gives the Braves a lot of flexibility heading into next year’s draft, especially with the team currently holding the sixth-best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft Lottery.
This now has the makings of a pivotal draft for a farm system that’s sorely lacking in depth. It could also influence the Braves’ strategy in free agency this winter. With the added draft capital, Atlanta may be more inclined to pursue a player who has been extended a qualifying offer, something they’ve typically avoided since signing such players costs a draft pick.
—
Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire