The Rookie of the Year race in the National League this year has been very chaotic to say the least. Roki Sasaki was a heavy favorite coming into the season, but his injury took him out of the running. Isaac Collins, Jacob Misiorowski, Agustin Ramirez, and Cade Horton have all taken turns amongst the frontrunners over the course of the season. However, the one constant has been that Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin has consistently been among the favorites.
After a somewhat slow start to his rookie season after being pressed into service this spring when Sean Murphy got hurt, Baldwin has established himself as one of the Braves' most consistent hitters who also seems to have a flair for performing late in games. Baldwin's pitchers also seem to love throwing to him and regardless of how the ROY voting goes this year, it is pretty clear that he is going to be a big factor for Atlanta at catcher for years to come.
However, after his latest hot stretch, Baldwin seems to have gained a narrow edge in the race and it may be his to lose.
Odds that Drake Baldwin wins NL Rookie of the Year are looking better and better
There has been a good bit of flip flopping among the top rookies in the National League in 2025 especially when it comes to the actual odds. However, after a stretch where some of his competitors have pulled back a bit while Baldwin has posted a .979 OPS over his last 11 games, he is starting to build a bit of a consensus as the NL ROY favorite.
According to odds from ESPN as well as Fox Sports (again, just two examples..pump the brakes on the hate mail if we didn't use your favorite oddsmaker), Baldwin is currently the favorite to win. ESPN has him as a -105 favorite over Horton's +125 and Fox has it pretty close to the same with Baldwin having the edge at -110 over Horton's +160.
Baldwin has one big thing going for him in that he is a hitter in this race. Horton has been great, but pitchers have traditionally struggled among voters for Rookie of the Year. If Horton pitches his brains out and the Cubs make a real run at a playoffs, then he absolutely has a chance. However, if Baldwin keeps hitting like he has all season long and there is separation in the actual numbers, it is likely that the Braves are going to have yet another Rookie of the Year.