Drake Baldwin has now won a few of the Rookie of the Year equivalent awards, which are awesome recognitions for him. We still await the results in the BWAA NL Rookie of the Year that is the most prestigious
of these awards, but also would have a first round pick attached to it for the Braves. It seems like a good sign for Baldwin, the Braves, and for rationality that he has won these peripheral awards, but it’s always possible that some writers could pull out some dubious rational to vote for someone other than Baldwin. I will reiterate that an asset as valuable as a first round pick hanging all-or-nothing in the balance on whether Baldwin finishes first or second for this award is pretty silly, but that’s where we are with CBA nonsense.
Braves News
Ronald Acuna and Drake Baldwin each were honored with Players Choice Awards from the MLBPA, for Comeback Player and Outstanding NL Rookie, respectively.
Gaurav reviewed 2024 first round pick Cam Caminiti’s electric 2025 season in the minors, which held a lot of promise for the lefty’s future.
Gaurav also took a look at Blake Burkhalter’s promising 2025, which seemed to be well on track for him to join the major league squad in 2026.
In a more opaque player review, Mark took a look at Jose Suarez’ brief Atlanta stint.
MLB News
The Blue Jays pulled within one game of winning the World Series, taking game 5 in LA, before coming home to Toronto for the final two games.
The Twins are hiring Derek Shelton as their new manager, as the managerial openings continue to be filled league-wide.
The Padres are reportedly down to three candidates for manager, none of which seem to overlap with reported names that Atlanta has interest in.
The Nationals reportedly have interest in Rocco Baldelli and Danny Lehman (who might be the favorite for the Braves’ job at the moment), among others for their open managerial position.
