Nick Kurtz And Drake Baldwin Win Baseball Digest Rookie Of The Year Aw

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 5:39 PM

nick kurtz and drake baldwin win baseball digest rookie of the year aw

Atlanta Braves’ Drake Baldwin hits a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Aug. 19, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard, File) Athletics’ Nick Kurtz rounds third base before scoring during the first inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers Aug. 27, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sergio Estrada, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz and Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin were picked as rookies of the year by Baseball Digest. The 22-year-old Kurtz made his debut April 23 and batted .290 with 36 homers, 86 RBIs and a 1.002 OPS in 117 games this season. He became the youngest player in major league history and the first rookie to hit four home runs in one game on July 25 at Houston. Drafted fourth overall from Wake Forest last year, Kurtz received all 11 first-place votes for the American League award from a panel of baseball writers and broadcasters. NEW YORK (AP) — Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz and Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin were picked as rookies of the year by Baseball Digest. The 22-year-old Kurtz made his debut April 23 and batted .290 with 36 homers, 86 RBIs and a 1.002 OPS in 117 games this season.

He became the youngest player in major league history and the first rookie to hit four home runs in one game on July 25 at Houston. Drafted fourth overall from Wake Forest last year, Kurtz received all 11 first-place votes for the American League award from a panel of baseball writers and broadcasters. Baldwin, 24, made his big league debut on opening day in late March and hit .274 with 19 homers, 80 RBIs and an .810 OPS in 124 games. He was selected first on seven ballots for the National League prize. Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton garnered the other four first-place votes and finished second. Results were announced by the publication Thursday.

Drafted fourth overall from Wake Forest last year, the former Aviators first baseman received all 11 first-place votes for the American League award from a panel of baseball writers and broadcasters. NEW YORK — Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz and Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin were picked as rookies of the year by Baseball Digest. The 22-year-old Kurtz, who appeared in 20 games with the Aviators this season, made his debut April 23 and batted .290 with 36 homers, 86 RBIs and a 1.002 OPS in 117 games this... He became the youngest player in major league history and the first rookie to hit four home runs in one game on July 25 at Houston. Drafted fourth overall from Wake Forest last year, Kurtz received all 11 first-place votes for the American League award from a panel of baseball writers and broadcasters. Baldwin, 24, made his big league debut on opening day in late March and hit .274 with 19 homers, 80 RBIs and an .810 OPS in 124 games.

He was selected first on seven ballots for the National League prize. Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton garnered the other four first-place votes and finished second. Nick Kurtz and Drake Baldwin secured the MLB Rookie of the Year awards for their leagues in 2025. These two athletes stood out in their first seasons. Kurtz, in the American League, posted a strong .305 batting average. He smashed 32 home runs and accumulated 98 RBIs.

These accomplishments put him significantly ahead in the race for the award. Baldwin, in the National League, impressed everyone with 28 home runs and 85 RBIs. His consistent performance had fans excited about his future. The Rookie of the Year honors come from the votes of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Both players excelled in crucial parts of the game. Kurtz quickly made an impact, catching attention as early as September.

Despite being new to the majors, he played with the skill level of a seasoned player. Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz was a unanimous choice for American League Rookie of the Year, and Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin won the National League award. The 22-year-old Kurtz batted .290 with 36 homers, 86 RBIs and a 1.002 OPS in 117 games this year. The first baseman became the eighth rookie since 1901 to finish with an OPS over 1.000 while making at least 400 plate appearances. A’s teammate Jacob Wilson was second in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America that was announced on Monday night. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony was third.

Baldwin, 24, stepped up for Atlanta after No. 1 catcher Sean Murphy was sidelined by a cracked rib in spring training. While Murphy was limited by injuries for much of the year, Baldwin hit .274 with 19 homers, 80 RBIs and an .810 OPS in 124 games. Baldwin’s win secured an extra selection for Atlanta after the first round in next year’s amateur draft under the collective bargaining agreement’s prospect promotion incentive. Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz waits for the pitch during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif.

(AP Photo/Scott Marshall, file) Atlanta Braves’ Drake Baldwin (30) celebrates Marcell Ozuna (20) in the second inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, file) Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson dives by can’t reach a ball hit for a single by Pittsburgh Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen during the first inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, file) Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton (22) throws against the New York Mets during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, file) Athletics slugger Nick Kurtz was accompanied by a good friend as he joined one exclusive club on Monday night.

A couple of weeks after the conclusion of the 2025 MLB season, every baseball award winner for the regular season has been honored. From the MVPs of both leagues to the Gold Glove winners and even the All-MLB team, the awards have been announced. Let's take a look at the best in the game and why they were crowned as such this season. This vote was probably the most talked-about ballot of the bunch this season. The race was tight between Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh, but thefuture Hall of Fameredged out the Seattle catcher with 17 first-place votes to his 13. Judge is the third player in history to win a batting title (.331) with at least 50 HRs in a year (53).

This was his third AL MVP in his career. There's not much else to say about Shohei Ohtani. He might just be the best to ever step foot on a baseball field. This was his FOURTH time being unanimously voted MVP, and he is the first to ever win multiple MVP awards in both leagues. He slugged 55 HRs and led the entire MLB with 146 runs scored, as well as putting up a 2.87 ERA over 47 innings on the bump. As only the 12th player in MLB history to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards, Skubal should be proud of the work he put on display from the mound in 2025.

He led the AL with a 2.21 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP, along with striking out 241 batters in 195.1 innings, going 13-6 on the season. He will be heading to the highest bidding team this offseason on what will most likely be a historic contract. In a unanimous vote, Paul Skenes continued the historic start to his MLB career by taking home his first Cy Young. The ace led the MLB with a 1.97 ERA, and became just the third guy in MLB history to take home Rookie of the Year and Cy Young awards in their first two seasons...

Nick Kurtz And Drake Baldwin Win Baseball Digest Rookie Of The Year Aw

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