Braves Baldwin Leading Way in NL Rookie of the Year Race

Baldwin is arguably having his best stretch yet since the calendar turned to August. Since the start of the month, he’s batting .324 with an .861 OPS with two home runs and 11 RBIs.

On Aug. 7 against the Marlins, he had his second game with five RBIs in a game this season. Before Baldwin, no rookie had achieved this since Kelly Johnson did so in 2005. 

Twenty years of waiting, and now, a ballplayer has done it twice during his rookie campaign. 

The case for rookie of the year didn’t begin this year, but while he was in the minors in 2024. He was the Braves’ rep in the All-Star Futures Game and then tore through Triple-A to finish the year. 

Come the offseason, he was named by Baseball America the organization's Minor League Player of the Year. 

He started the season as the Opening Day starting catcher while Sean Murphy was out with a rib injury. Once Murphy returned, he spent most of the season platooning.

Even during this time, Baldwin stood out. He won the National League Rookie of the Year honor in May. 

This honor came while he was a backup. It helped that during that time, he had some clutch moments off the bench, including a walk-off single against the Reds on May 8.  

Following the All-Star Break, manager Brian Snitker started alternating Baldwin and Murphy at catcher and designated hitter to get their bats in the lineup more often.

The cost was Marcell Ozuna riding the bench for a time, but it worked for a couple of weeks until the usual DH found his way again at the plate. 

He’s far from locking down his case. It’s mid-August. A lot can happen. But an important part, taking the lead, has been accomplished. Now, he just needs to keep up the pace and push himself until he gets to the finish line.

By then, the formal vote by the writers will simply be a formality. 

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