Two Braves take home MLBPA’s Players Choice awards

This year’s MLBPA’s Players Choice awards have been announced, and a couple of Braves were recognized, with Ronald Acuña Jr. winning National League Comeback Player of the Year and Drake Baldwin named the National League’s Most Outstanding Rookie.

Ronald Acuña Jr.’s comeback from his second torn ACL didn’t get nearly the attention it deserved, largely because the Braves were out of the playoff picture not long after he returned. In just 95 games, he hit .290 with a .417 on-base percentage, 21 home runs, and a .935 OPS — a night-and-day difference from his first return from ACL surgery in 2022, when he posted career lows across the board, including a .764 OPS over 119 games.

Drake Baldwin receiving this kind of recognition from his peers is equally well-deserved. The soft-spoken 24-year-old doesn’t draw much attention, and with the Braves out of contention, there wasn’t a national spotlight on what he accomplished as a rookie catcher. Splitting time with Sean Murphy, Baldwin still managed to post 3.3 WAR, showing advanced instincts at the plate and proving to be well above average defensively.

Hopefully, the National League Rookie of the Year voters see it the same way. If they do, the Braves will earn an extra draft pick at the end of the first round — something their relatively thin farm system could desperately use.