ATLANTA — Drake Baldwin can now proudly say he is one of just three catchers over the past three-plus decades to be named Rookie of the Year in either the National or American League.
Baldwin was named the 2025 Jackie Robinson NL Rookie of the Year via MLB Network’s live announcement on Monday night. He is the 10th Braves player to receive this honor. The only other franchises with at least 10 Rookie of the Year winners are the Dodgers (18) and Yankees (10).
“I didn’t know I was going to be that nervous,” Baldwin said. “But once I got on that [MLB Network announcement] call, my heart was beating. It was a really cool moment.”
Baldwin dealt with some of the anxiety while hanging out at Braves teammate Spencer Schwellenbach’s Atlanta residence. This is where the Madison, Wisc., native has come to watch his beloved Green Bay Packers every weekend. But there was plenty to celebrate before Monday night’s matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The balloting wasn’t as close as expected. Baldwin received 21 of the 30 first-place votes cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Runner-up Cubs pitcher Cade Horton received the other nine first-place votes. Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin was the only other finalist for this honor.
“It’s still kind of surreal right now,” Baldwin said. “It was just an incredible year, and I’m super excited it ended this way.”
How rare is it for a catcher to be named Rookie of the Year? Baldwin is just the 10th catcher to win this honor since it was first presented in 1947, and the first since the Giants’ Buster Posey in 2010. Three of the other previous nine catchers to win this award are Hall of Famers: Mike Piazza (1993), Carlton Fisk (’72) and Johnny Bench (’68).
Baldwin joins Michael Harris II (2022), Ronald Acuña Jr. (’18), Craig Kimbrel (’11), Rafael Furcal (’00), David Justice (1990), Bob Horner (’78), Earl Williams (’71), Sam Jethroe (’50) and Alvin Dark (’48) as the only Braves to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Williams is the only other member of this group who was a catcher.
“You think you know what it takes to be a catcher in the big leagues, with not only hitting but also controlling a pitching staff and learning how to help them, but then you do it,” Baldwin said. “It’s pretty cool to be a catcher and do this.”
While Horton was one of the game’s top pitchers during the season’s second half, Baldwin was a consistent contributor going all the way back to Opening Day, when he made his MLB debut and began proving there would be no need for him to return to the Minors, even after 2023 All-Star catcher Sean Murphy came off the injured list during the regular season’s second full week.
Along with ranking near the top of every offensive category among NL rookies, Baldwin’s success and value covered the entire season. This was something the other NL finalists couldn’t tout.
One month after introducing himself to the big league scene, Baldwin caught fire. He exited April with a .731 OPS and then posted a 1.003 OPS in May. He also had an .800-plus OPS during each of the season’s final three months.
Horton had a 1.03 ERA in 12 starts after the All-Star break. But he posted a 4.45 ERA while making just 11 appearances (10 starts) before the break.
“It was just the consistency,” Braves veteran starter Chris Sale said of Baldwin. “Coming out of the first month, [Baldwin’s] numbers weren’t great, but some of the peripherals were really jumping out. He probably had more 100 miles-per-hour-hit baseballs with nothing to show for it. The frustration could be overwhelming. You could take it out on defense, which he never did.
“For a guy to be able to overcome that start and excel behind the plate, it’s special.”
There was early concern about how an inexperienced catcher might handle a veteran like Sale, who doesn’t shake off a catcher’s pitch calls. But the 2024 NL Cy Young Award winner found immediate comfort with his new young catcher and continued to sing his praises throughout a memorable season.
“It honestly went by real quick because of how much fun it was,” Baldwin said.
