Braves catcher Drake Baldwin wins NL Rookie of the Year award
Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin was awarded the Jackie Robinson National League Rookie of the Year award on Monday.
Baldwin, 24, stepped up for Atlanta after No. 1 catcher Sean Murphy was sidelined by a cracked rib in spring training. While Murphy was limited by injuries for much of the year, Baldwin hit .274 with 19 homers, 80 RBIs and an .810 OPS in 124 games.
Baldwin's win secured an extra selection for Atlanta after the first round in next year's amateur draft under the collective bargaining agreement's prospect promotion incentive.
"I was just going into it with an open mind, kind of realizing how cool it is to even be a finalist for it," Baldwin said. "But I didn't know how it was going to turn out. I know it's tough to rank or try to judge who had a better year between a pitcher and a hitter or a catcher."
Baldwin received 21 of 30 first-place votes. Cubs right-hander Cade Horton got the other nine first-place votes and finished second, followed by Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin. The balloting was conducted before the postseason.
Baldwin said Horton had a fantastic year.
"Either way, even if he would've won, I would have had all the respect in the world for him and I'd have understood why," he said.
Baldwin was a third-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Missouri State University. He started on opening day for Atlanta and got his first major league hit on March 29 at San Diego.
Baldwin had one of his biggest days of the season on July 21, driving in six runs in a 9-5 victory over San Francisco. He went deep twice and finished with five RBIs in his first career multihomer game on Aug. 7, an 8-6 win over Miami.
Baldwin is the seventh catcher to win the NL honor and the second from the Braves, joining Earl Williams in 1971. He is the 10th winner from the Braves franchise overall, second in the NL behind the Dodgers with a record 18.
Baldwin's new manager, Walt Weiss, was the 1988 AL Rookie of the Year with the A's. Weiss had been the Braves' bench coach since 2018.
"The last game of the year he told me good luck," Baldwin said. "Even being on the same list as him is pretty cool. Everyone respects him. He's a great guy."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.