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As we head into full offseason mode, the rumor mill is starting to heat up, and this week represents awards week for the standouts of the 2025 MLB Season.

Last night, the Rookie of the Year winners were announced, with a surprise winner in the National League and a unanimous one, as expected, on the other side.

We’ll look back at these winners and the other top rookies around baseball this season today!

If you’re fired up for free agency, check out our full free agency guide from last week for everything you’ll need to know.

AL Rookie of the Year: Nick Kurtz

Was there ever any doubt? Nick Kurtz just put up one of the greatest rookie seasons we have ever seen, winning AL Rookie of the Year unanimously.

Despite playing just 117 games in his first professional season, Kurtz crushed 36 home runs with an unreal 1.002 OPS and some of the best underlying metrics in the entire league. He was the best rookie in baseball, and it was not even slightly close.

Jacob Wilson finishes as the runner-up to his teammate. This was a pretty excellent season for the future of the A’s, with the top two rookies in the league on their roster. Wilson was the early favorite before Kurtz started going absolutely bonkers.

Despite missing some time with an injury, Wilson hit .311 with the second-lowest strikeout rate in all of MLB. Despite being on the opposite spectrum of the power scale from Kurtz, Wilson’s hit tool is exceptional and he’ll be near the top of the lineup for the A’s for many years to come.

Roman Anthony’s season was cut short, but he’s a star in the making. While we didn’t really get to see a full season of Anthony, Just Baseball’s former top prospect is going to be special. He showed plenty of signs prior to his season-ending injury and will be a huge name to watch next season.

Noah Cameron, Colson Montgomery, and Carlos Narvaez among other standouts. These players finished behind that initial trio in voting and stood out as impressive rookies as well. Cameron emerged as a key rotation piece for Kansas City, Montgomery hit an incredible 21 home runs in just 71 games, and Narvaez took the starting catcher job in Boston.

Just Baseball Media Internship Program

We are hiring! For the first time, we’re launching a full internship program for students to gain hands-on experience in the baseball media industry

Internships are available for social media, graphic design, video editing, journalism, and more. These will be unpaid, but can be used for school credit and may lead to a future role with Just Baseball.

If you think that you or someone you know would be a great fit to work with us, please apply and reach out to me at [email protected] with any questions!

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.

Which team has won the most Rookie of the Year Awards in the 21st century?

A) Rays

B) Mariners

C) Marlins

D) Braves

NL Rookie of the Year: Drake Baldwin

Drake Baldwin surprisingly takes home the hardware. Despite Cade Horton being the favorite to win the award, it’s Baldwin who got 21 of 30 first place votes in the National League. With Sean Murphy suffering an injury in the spring, Baldwin was put onto the big league roster to open the season and emerged as one of the best young catchers in baseball.

He proved to be an all-around threat with solid defense behind the dish and strong overall offensive output including an .810 OPS and 19 home runs.

Cade Horton dominated but ultimately fell short. It took him a bit to settle into a role at the big league level, but the right-hander posted possibly the best second-half of any pitcher in the league. He was excellent down the stretch and his ROTY runner-up season deserves praise.

Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins were crucial for Milwaukee. The third- and fourth-place finishers for this award were key parts of the Brewers being MLB’s best regular season team this year. These two both contributed in every aspect of the game and will remain key pieces for Milwaukee heading into 2026.

Daylen Lile, Agustin Ramirez, Jakob Marsee, and others impressed. While the field was weaker than expected at the onset of the year in the National League, plenty of players still showed ample promise. Marsee and Mets’ pitcher Nolan McLean may have been the favorites had they debuted earlier in the season.

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Trivia Answer: D) Braves

With Drake Baldwin winning last night, the Braves now have five Rookie of the Year winners since the start of the 21st century.

Rafael Furcal, Craig Kimbrel, Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, and Baldwin.

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