In a season where more went wrong than right, Drake Baldwin taking home National League Rookie of the Year honors is more than just a nice silver lining for the Atlanta Braves, but also a building block for better days ahead.
After a stellar rookie season that saw Baldwin take on a larger role earlier than expected, thanks to Sean Murphy going down in spring training with a cracked rib, Baldwin didn't just sneak out with the award; he dominated the voting.
A .274/.341/.469 line with 19 homers made the selection an easy one, but the historic context of Baldwin's rookie year shines a light on just how easy he made it on the voters.
Drake Baldwin's history-making rookie year made the Braves catcher a very easy choice for Rookie of the Year
Baldwin's stat line is impressive for any rookie, but it is especially impressive when you consider that the 24-year-old is a catcher. As we know, putting up exceptional offensive numbers while spending hours a night in a squat is no easy task.
With a 125 wRC+, Baldwin was 25% better than the average big league hitter, which means he was drastically better than your average major league catcher, rookie or not. When you compare his offensive production to other catchers throughout history, you'll find that Baldwin's production has rarely been matched by rookie backstops.
Baldwin just became only the fourth catcher in history to hit at least .270 with a .340 or higher OBP, .450 or higher SLG, .800 or higher OPS, and at least 80 RBI. The other three are Mike Piazza in 1993, Matt Nokes in 1987, and Geovanny Soto in 2008.
Playing and producing offensively, as a catcher, was a key storyline in the American League MVP race, so it stands to logic that Baldwin's historic performance made him an undeniable choice over the likes of Cade Horton and Caleb Durbin as the NL's best rookie.
Speaking of catching, Baldwin was an overall solid performer at the position as a 92nd percentile performer when it came to blocking balls in the dirt, though his framing was a tick below average, and he struggled cutting down opposing base runners. Still, the tools are there for him to be a consistently above-average defensive performer behind the plate, in addition to his tremendous offensive potential.
All of this made his becoming the Rookie of the Year undeniable, even if his future value is still criminally underrated by those outside of Atlanta.