With just a month left before we shift gears to the postseason, we’ll take a brief step back and dive into the future (and present) of baseball today.

Rather than our solely prospects-focused angle in our Tuesday edition, we’ll find the in between as we review the top rookie performers from this then looking into the future at the top prospects who will be rookie eligible come 2026.

Before we get into all of that, we had an incredible guest on the Just Baseball Show yesterday. Jeff Passan, the king of MLB breaking news, joined us for an interview filled with so much intel. Listen to the show here and read a recap of it here !

For now...young stars are fun, so let’s talk about them.

MLB Rookie Report

Unlike last year, there is a runaway in the Rookie of the Year odds within one league. While it was a teammate of his leading early and then became a close race for a few weeks, one player has all but locked up the AL award.

Meanwhile, the NL has been a MESS all year with numerous names becoming the favorite for the award throughout the season.

Nick Kurtz in His Own Tier

There is one rookie who stands so far above the rest. And over the past couple months, he really stands above the rest of the entire league.

Nick Kurtz is putting up one of the greatest seasons we have ever seen from a rookie. He has been beyond impressive, particularly since the break. He is hitting .395 (!!!!!) with a 245 wRC+ in his 33 games since the break.

He could go hitless the rest of the season and would probably still win the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Following a historic Rookie of the Year season by Paul Skenes last year, Kurtz has done his best to match it.

Confusing NL Race

From Roki Sasaki, Matt Shaw, and Dylan Crews opening as favorites to the two weeks where Jacob Misiorowski became the favorite after two games in the league, this race has been unpredictable to say the least.

Now, we have two players leading the pack that where not even on the radar to open the year. Drake Baldwin, who opened at +5000, and Isaac Collins, who was not even listed until June, are leading the pack.

Baldwin, who will be the future behind the dish for Atlanta, has been a force all season since debuting sooner than expected due to a Sean Murphy injury. He has an .801 OPS with 14 homers without even being an everyday player for much of the season.

Meanwhile, Collins represents the success of the best team in baseball in Milwaukee this season. A minor league Rule 5 pick by the Brewers in 2022, Collins has been a well-rounded key piece of that team’s success led by his elite plate approach.

It might be too late for them to make a real push, but a pair of Cubs youngsters are having huge a second half of the season. Matt Shaw took a while to find his groove and spent some time earlier in the year in Triple-A, but has been one of the best third baseman in the past month.

Cade Horton has been lights out recently and could actually have a shot to emerge in this race if he keeps this pace.

Excellent Runner Ups in AL

Last year, Roman Anthony or Jacob Wilson would have been good enough to win this award in the American League. Wilson missed some time with injury while Anthony didn’t truly heat up until recently. The Red Sox wasted no time locking up their future star , and now his production lately has shown that was likely a wise decision.

On the other hand, Wilson was the favorite prior to Kurtz going bonkers and he’ll be a huge part of Oakland’s future alongside Kurtz. If we were playing in a Kurtz-less league, this race would be so much tighter.

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Who were the 2020 shortened season Rookie of the Year runner ups?

A) Cristian Javier and Alec Bohm

B) Willi Castro and Jake Cronenworth

C) Sean Murphy and Devin Williams

D) Luis Robert Jr. and Alec Bohm

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2026 Rookie Class

Once August 15th came and went, the floodgates opened for teams promoting top prospects while being able to retain their rookie eligibility for 2026.

Why, you may ask? The Prospect Promotion Incentive allows teams to earn an extra valuable draft pick for a rookie that either breaks camp with the team or is called up within the first two weeks of the season.

Long story short, plenty of top prospects debuted recently but will be involved in what should be a competitive 2026 Rookie of the Year race. This rookie class is LOADED…

Already Debuted Candidates

Samuel Basallo inked an eight-year extension with Baltimore after debuting a few days prior. He was possibly the best hitter in MiLB this season and the 21-year-old will surely be a favorite to take home the AL award next season.

Bubba Chandler got the call last week and just carved in his MLB debut as a reliever, earning a rare four-inning save for the Pirates. Can he be Pittsburgh’s second ROY pitcher in three years?

Carson Williams debuted this past week and has impressed early and often in Tampa. He is 5-for-12 to start his big league career and should rack up WAR in his full rookie season with plus defense at shortstop and ample power upside.

Non-Debuted Top Prospects

Kevin McGonigle could end being the missing piece for Detroit down the stretch here, but even if they hold off, our top prospect in baseball will be a top rookie next season. He has a 1.020 OPS this season across three levels of MiLB and has not slowed down one bit.

Byrce Eldridge has as much upside as anyone and has proven himself in Triple-A . The 6-foot-7 20-year-old could be the type of player who runs away with the award, but could also take some time to acclimate to the bigs.

JJ Wetherholt is just about ready to go and profiles as the most well-rounded rookie on the NL side. He’s our 4th-ranked prospect in MLB and will instantly be a core piece for St. Louis.

Jonah Tong is one of the fastest rising prospects in baseball. He has ascended to the upper tiers of pitching prospects this season, striking out 179 (!!!) batters in 113.2 innings this season. He just reached Triple-A recently, where he has thrown 11.2 innings of shutout ball with 17 strikeouts.

Other Headlines

• Pirates top prospect Konnor Griffin made his Double-A debut this week at just 19 years old amidst an unreal first full professional season. Our Jay Staph was live in Altoona for his first week at the level and has the full story here !

• Mariners top prospect Colt Emerson has made adjustments this season that have led to him becoming our 5th-ranked prospect in all of baseball. Aram Leighton broke down the changes Emerson has made here !

Just Baseball Discord

We launched a Just Baseball community on Discord!

Our Discord channel is the ultimate baseball group chat while also providing exclusive access to Peter’s MLB best bets, Aram’s prospect content, giveaways, and direct connection to the entire Just Baseball staff.

Read all the details about our Discord community here.

Trivia Answer: D) Luis Robert Jr. and Alec Bohm

In the weirdest baseball year ever, Robert finished behind Kyle Lewis in the AL. Meanwhile, Bohm had an .881 OPS but lost to Devin Williams, who allowed just one run in 27 innings in his rookie campaign.

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