Copyright Forbes
Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz and Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin are MLB’s Rookies of the Year for 2025. They had the best seasons of hundreds of first-year players – though Justin Dean made the most improbable headlines. The award in each league is named after Jackie Robinson, the first rookie winner in 1947. Kurtz won in the American League following one of the best MLB rookie seasons ever. After only 32 games in the minors, the fourth overall pick in the 2024 Draft out of Wake Forest led all rookies in home runs (36), RBIs (86), extra-base hits (64), runs (90), slugging percentage (.619) and OPS (1.002). On July 25 in Houston, he had one of the greatest performances in history, going 6-for-6 with four homers against the Astros. He became the first rookie with a four-homer game and only the 20th player overall. National League winner Baldwin batted .274 -- second among NL rookies -- with 19 homers. The 24-year-old handled the experienced Braves staff and gained their confidence by being adeptly blocking pitches thrown in the dirt. MORE FOR YOU Baldwin is the seventh catcher to win the award, first since Buster Posey in 2010 for the San Francisco Giants. He was Atlanta’s third-round choice in 2022 from Missouri State. Kurtz is the 14th unanimous winner in AL history. The NL has had 13 unanimous winners. Justin Dean: The Hitless Wonder Justin Dean epitomizes the bizarre world of chance in sports. Dean didn’t record an MLB hit this season, but he played a critical role in the Dodgers’ World Series run. Dean is the 28-year-old who made millions of fans scratch their heads and say, “Who … what … how?” by not making a play in the outfield that became one of the biggest plays in World Series history. In Game 6, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts inserted Dean for defense in the ninth inning to help preserve a 3-1 lead. It turned into a stroke of genius. With a Toronto runner on first base, Blue Jays slugger Addison Barger blasted a ball to deep left-center that incredibly wedged itself at the bottom of the padded fence. Dean put his hands in the air to signal it was unplayable. The umpires agreed. “I was just trusting that the rule and help it, and trusting that the ball fit into the description,” Dean told reporters afterwards. “It’s just something that you are taught from an early age, like. ‘Hey, if you see this, throw your hands up,’ like I said I’ve seen it half before… I saw the ball did not bounce back to me at all. I just trusted that that was going to be the call. And luckily, that was the call.” It kept speedy Myles Straw from easily scoring from first base and gave Barger a double instead of possible RBI triple. It helped the Dodgers wriggle out of a huge jam. The next night, Dean again played the ninth as the Dodgers held a 5-4 lead and won the World Series. It was his 13th postseason appearance – all on defense. Dean made his MLB debut on defense against the same team on August 8 in Los Angeles in a 5-1 regular-season win over Toronto. He played in 18 regular-season games, batting twice. He struck out against Toronto’s Tommy Nance on August 9 and grounded out against Cincinnati Reds rookie Zach Maxwell on August 26. In 689 games in the minors, mostly in the Atlanta Braves’ system, Dean hit .252 with 239 RBI and 239 stolen bases. 2025 Rookies Poised For 2026 Impact A total of 447 MLB players held rookie status in 2025, including 274 pitchers; 242 made their MLB debuts this year and 143 were pitchers. Among the long list of talented 2025 rookies set to take center stage in 2026 are: Catchers Moises Ballesteros, Cubs; Carter Jensen, Royals; Carlos Narvaez, Red Sox; Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel, White Sox; Augustin Ramirez, Marlins. Infielders Caleb Durbin, Brewers; Luke Keaschall, Twins; Hyseong Kim, Dodgers; Coby Mayo, Orioles; Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth, White Sox; Javier Sanoja, Marlins; Matt Shaw, Cubs; Cam Smith, Astros; Eric Wagaman, Rays; Jacob Wilson, Athletics. Outfielders Roman Anthony, Red Sox; Isaac Collins, Brewers; Dylan Crews and Daylen Lile, Nationals; Heriberto Hernandez and Jakob Marsee, Marlins; Jake Mangum and Chandler Simpson, Rays. Pitchers Chase Burns, Reds; Noah Cameron, Royals; Joey Cantillo, Guardians; Bubba Chandler, Pirates; Logan Henderson and Jacob Misoriowski, Brewers; Cade Horton, Cubs; Jack Leiter, Rangers; Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, Mets; Trey Melton, Tigers; Cam Schlittler, Yankees; Shane Smith and Mike Vasil, White Sox; Matt Svanson, Cardinals; Justin Wrobleski, Dodgers; Trey Yesavage and Braydon Fisher, Blue Jays. Remember these names. All performed well enough in 2025 to be considered important to their team in 2026 and beyond. Yes, Yes, Yes Trey Yesavage still qualifies for the 2026 AL Rookie of the Year Award despite starring in the 2025 postseason. The 22-year-old right-hander made his MLB debut for the Toronto Blue Jays on Sept. 15. He was the 23,606th player in MLB history, according to Baseball-Reference.com and earned his first win Sept. 27 against the Tampa Bay Rays. His playoff debut was sensational on Oct. 5 against the New York Yankees: 5 1/3 hitless, scoreless innings with one walk and 11 strikeouts. Overall in the postseason, he went 3-1 with 39 Ks in 27 2/3 innings. Yesavage got a $4.175 million signing bonus as the 20th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. He’s on track to make millions more, bases upon his meteoric rise this year. Future Of MLB Rookies Of The Year Nick Kurtz and Cade Horton are primed for stardom. They were first-round picks and performed even better than the high expectations placed upon them. Justin Dean was claimed on waivers by the San Francisco Giants on Nov. 6. Who knows what lies ahead for him to get back to the majors and try for his first hit. He also is still eligible for the 2026 MLB rookie award but will have to prove he can hit big-league pitching – if he gets the chance to do so in spring training at age 29. Dean did hit .284 with 27 steals at Triple-A Oklahoma City before being call up. Maybe he’s just a very late bloomer. His time in the limelight was remarkable, reminiscent of Gonzalo Marquez. He was 32-year-old rookie who batted .625 (5-for-8) as a pinch hitter in the 1972 postseason for the World Series Champion Oakland A’s. In 76 regular-season games for Oakland and the Chicago Cubs until 1974, Marquez hit .235. He played in the Mexican League until 1979 and died in 1984 at age 44. It remains to be seen if Dean will join Marquez and so many athletes who proved Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) correct when the French leader said, “Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.”
