The National League Rookie of the Year race is heating up like a late-summer pennant chase. What once looked like Drake Baldwin’s award to lose has suddenly become a three-horse sprint down the stretch, with the Braves’ young catcher now looking up at two serious challengers.
Just a few weeks back, Baldwin had the inside track. The kid was raking, winning NL Rookie of the Month in May, and giving Atlanta a steady bat behind the plate even while sharing time with Sean Murphy. But baseball doesn’t wait around for anyone, and the field has caught up fast.
Horton’s Dominance Changes the Race
Right now, the sportsbooks say the favorite is Chicago Cubs right-hander Cade Horton, sitting at +135 on BetOnline. And it’s hard to argue against him. In August alone, the rookie starter has been almost untouchable: five starts, 25 innings, just two earned runs total, with three of those outings scoreless.
Going back to July, Horton put up six scoreless starts in his last nine. That’s not just good — that’s historic kind of dominance for a rookie. If you’re wondering why Baldwin’s odds have slipped, well, there’s Exhibit A.
Second in line is Milwaukee’s Isaac Collins at +180, another name surging in this race. Collins picked up Rookie of the Month honors in July and has been a steady offensive spark in the Brewers’ lineup. ESPN even listed him as the frontrunner recently, giving him negative odds, which basically means the oddsmakers see him as the “safe bet” right now.
Baldwin Still Has the Bat to Make Noise
And then there’s Baldwin, now sitting at +200. Don’t let the odds fool you, though — he’s very much alive in this race. The numbers still pop: a .278 batting average, an .802 OPS, 14 home runs, and 58 RBIs, even while splitting time.
More impressively, 17 of those RBIs have come in his last 12 games, with three different nights of driving in three or more runs. Those are the clutch swings that have saved games for Atlanta and reminded everyone why he was the frontrunner in the first place.
Behind these three, there are names like Marlins’ catcher Augustin Ramirez, but the oddsmakers see them as long shots. Realistically, this is now Baldwin vs. Horton vs. Collins, and every at-bat, every start, every clutch moment in September is going to matter.
If Baldwin can keep producing like he has in the past two weeks, he could flip this race back in his favor. If not, he may still end up a finalist — which is no small feat given how quickly he’s risen in the Braves’ system. But you know Baldwin would much rather cap his breakout year with the hardware.
One month left. Three young stars. And no clear-cut winner. This Rookie of the Year race is shaping up to be one of the most dramatic finishes in the league this season.
