Well then, Monday was certainly eventful for the Atlanta Braves and their fans. Not only did we finally get an answer as to whether or not Ha-Seong Kim was going to opt out of his deal, but we also got the surprise news that the Braves were hiring Walt Weiss to be their next manager.
What is even crazier is that in all of the chaos that unfolded after the biggest news of the day, there was even more going on with the Braves than fans think. Here is some of the news you may have missed in all of the hustle and bustle of the manager and HSK news.
Drake Baldwin's march toward NL Rookie of the Year is one step closer after being named a finalist
For the vast majority of the 2025 season, Drake Baldwin was considered to be among the favorites to win NL Rookie of the Year. There are several deserving candidates this year to be sure, but Baldwin has a really strong case as an everyday player at a premium position who also putting up the counting stats voters like.
Well, we don't know if Baldwin is going to win just yet, but he was named a ROY finalist on Monday which is the first step. Former Braves prospect Caleb Durbin current Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin as well as Cubs pitcher Cade Horton were also named finalists, though most outside oddsmakers have the race coming down to Baldwin or Horton.
Braves' delay in hiring a manager apparently didn't have anything to do with Danny Lehmann
One of the more shocking things about the Braves' manager search is that Atlanta essentially waited a month just to hire the obvious internal option in Weiss. Most thought (and understandably so) that the Braves were waiting for the end of the World Series so that they could contact guys like the Dodgers' Chris Woodward and especially Danny Lehmann.
However, that may have not been the case. According to MLB's Braves beat writer Mark Bowman, who has been chronicling the Braves' search, the Braves' wait had nothing to do with Lehmann or any other candidate at all. Instead, Atlanta was instead taking all of this time just "getting a better feel" for all of the candidates and figuring out how putting Weiss at manager would work. Make of that what you will.
Braves prospect Patrick Clohisy continues to terrorize the Arizona Fall League
Shifting gears to the minor leagues, Patrick Clohisy is a weird prospect. He is a pretty small guy drafted in the 11th round out of a small school with average at best pop. However, the one thing he can absolutely do is run and run a lot as his 79 stolen bases in 2025.
Well, the Arizona Fall League is now getting to experience the chaos that Clohisy can cause on the base paths. Not only did he hit .357 last week in the AFL, but he added six stolen bases to his tally. Overall, Clohisy is tied for first in the Arizona Fall League in steals with 17 and there is a good chance he will threaten the AFL record of 29 set last year by ROY finalist Durbin.