Baldwin entered the year as one of the top players in baseball. Since he finished the 2024 season at Triple-A, he had a shot at a big league job to start 2025. However, Atlanta would open the season with Sean Murphy as a primary backup. Instead of being a backup at the Major League level, there was an argument for Baldwin to stay at Triple-A and get regular reps.
In early March, Murphy suffered a rib fracture, an injury with a timeline of four to six weeks. That opened the door for Baldwin to get an opening day job. He hit well in the spring and Atlanta added him to the roster prior to Opening Day. Although Murphy got healthy in early April, Baldwin had already started producing and never really stopped. The two split catching duties fairly evenly for a few months, although Murphy returned to the injured list in September due to a labral tear in the right hip.
Baldwin finished the year with 446 plate appearances in 124 games. He hit 19 home runs and slashed .274/.341/.469 for a wRC+ of 125. That means he was 25% better than the league average hitter, although that’s even further above par for a catcher. Most media thought his defense was a little below average, but not by much. FanGraphs credited him with 3.1 Wins Above Replacement on the year.
While Baldwin’s win is certainly satisfying for him personally, it also benefits the team. The current collective labor agreement introduces measures to prevent manipulation of service hours. If a team promotes a top prospect early enough for him to earn a full year of service, then that player meets certain compensation criteria. The team will receive an additional pick just after the first round in the next draft. Because Baldwin was a consensus top prospect at the top all year, his win as Rookie of the Year gives Atlanta a PPI bonus pick in 2026.
There’s more to come.
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