Atlanta Braves rookie Drake Baldwin surprised everyone in 2025. It looked like he had been playing professional baseball all of his life. An injury to Sean Murphy at the beginning of the season unexpectedly thrust him into a starting role.
This helped Atlanta get a very good look at what their top prospect could do in the big leagues and it could not have gone much better for Baldwin. His discipline and approach at the plate were outstanding. Defensively, there are some improvements to be made, but overall, he did a fine job.
That impressive season led to Baldwin being one of the favorites to win NL Rookie of the Year.