Aug 29, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Isaac Collins (6) hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Brewers Breakout Star Predicted To Win NL ROY

Originally posted on Milwaukee Brewers on SI
By Curt Bishop | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Milwaukee Brewers have been a pleasant surprise this season. They had won the National League Central in three out of the last four years, but had lost some significant pieces last offseason. Willy Adames left to sign with the San Francisco Giants, while Devin Williams was traded to the New York Yankees. But the Brewers have overcome those losses and now have the best record in Major League Baseball.

Milwaukee leads the National League Central by 5 1/2 games over the second-place Chicago Cubs. They have had several key players step up after suffering such big losses in the offseason. One such player is 28-year-old rookie outfielder Isaac Collins.

When listing each Major League team's best candidate to win an award at the end of the 2025 season, Levi Weaver of The Athletic had listed Collins as a candidate to win NL Rookie of the Year honors.

Brewers Breakout Star Listed As ROY Candidate

"This was the easiest pick of the exercise for me. Collins isn’t just a good story, having a breakout rookie season at 28 years old. He also leads all NL rookies in fWAR, with 2.6, and has been a key cog for a Brewers team that has been this season’s biggest surprise," Weaver writes.

"For Collins, his biggest competition is probably Braves catcher Drake Baldwin (2.5 fWAR), and I do wonder if having two other reasonable ROY candidates (Chad Patrick, Caleb Durbin) on his team will impact his vote totals."

Collins made his Major League debut late last season and appeared in just 11 games. This year, he was given an opportunity, and he has run with it. The 28-year-old is hitting .276/.373/.426 with eight home runs, 51 RBI, 16 stolen bases, a 2.7 WAR and a .799 OPS.

He was drafted in the ninth round in 2019 by the Colorado Rockies out of Creighton University. He certainly was a late bloomer, but he has emerged as one of the top players in the league thanks to a very solid rookie season.

Winning Rookie of the Year honors at the age of 28 would be a major accomplishment for Collins, who spent years trying to break into the Major Leagues but has now taken full advantage of his opportunity.

We'll see if the Baseball Writers' Association ultimately votes for him as the NL's top rookie.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Brewers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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