Lake Forest High School alum Caleb Durbin finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting after playing a key role in helping the Milwaukee Brewers reach the National League Championship Series.
Durbin, a member of the LFHS Class of 2018, wrapped up his rookie season with 11 home runs, 53 RBIs and a .256 batting average. He finished with 69 points in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Rookie of the Year voting, trailing winner Drake Baldwin of the Atlanta Braves (183 points) and Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton (139).
Traded to Milwaukee from the New York Yankees last December, Durbin made his major league debut on April 18, collecting two hits against the Athletics, who played their 2025 home games in Sacramento. After a slow start that saw his average drop to .169 by May 20, Durbin—nicknamed “Happy” by manager Pat Murphy—rebounded and hit .278 the rest of the way as he settled in as the Brewers’ regular third baseman.
He led all National League rookies with 18 stolen bases, ranked second with 60 runs scored and finished third with 25 doubles. Durbin, 25, also led the NL with 24 hit-by-pitches.
Among his individual highlights were a walk-off home run on June 7 against the San Diego Padres and scoring the winning run on Sept. 13 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Brewers won the National League Central and advanced past the Cubs in the Division Series. Durbin went 4-for-16 with a stolen base in the five-game set, including a 2-for-2 performance with a walk in the decisive Game 5.
Although Milwaukee was swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, Durbin went 4-for-13 in the series and recorded a double and a stolen base in Game 4 against Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
Durbin told MLB.com that he underwent arthroscopic surgery after the season to address a bone spur in his right elbow but expects to be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.