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Nick Kurtz (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
This year, all the top rookies play for American League clubs.
That is a contrast to the 2024 season, when the top overall rookies were all National Leaguers: Paul Skenes, Jackson Merrill and Jackson Chourio.
In this final rookie update for 2025, Baseball America ranks its three favorites for Rookie of the Year in each league and presents an overall top 20 ranking that accounts for what has happened through five months this season and what we expect will happen in September.
American League Rookie of the Year
1. Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics
A four-homer game. The rare rookie with a 1.000 OPS at the 350-plate appearance threshold. One of the highest slugging percentages to the opposite field of the Statcast era. Kurtz has accomplished a lot as an Athletics rookie. His batting performance bears a striking resemblance to the 22-year-old version of Yordan Alvarez, back when he was AL Rookie of the Year in 2019.
2. Roman Anthony, OF, Red Sox
Anthony has reached a new level in the second half, hitting four of his six homers and posting a wRC+ north of 150. His groundball rate is down sharply, and his pull rate is up dramatically. That’s bad news for the rest of the American League, because Anthony also is a .300 hitter with a .400-plus OBP in the second half.
3. Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics
A hit-by-pitch on July 8 resulted in a hand contusion and took a bite out of Wilson’s production. He managed just a .409 OPS for the month of July before finally going on the injured list. Back and healthy as of Aug. 22, Wilson’s production has rebounded, and he’s back to his high-contact, all-fields ways.
National League Rookie of the Year
1. Drake Baldwin, C, Braves (PPI Eligible)
Baldwin is the lone rookie with a chance to reward his club with a PPI draft pick if he wins a Rookie of the Year trophy this year. He would be a fine choice in a weak NL rookie field. Baldwin’s expected wOBA trails only Kurtz and Anthony, and he’s shown above-average defensive skill and a high level of adaptability as a 24-year-old catcher who’s still learning the ropes.
2. Cade Horton, RHP, Cubs
Called up on May 10, Horton has held a rotation spot all season while picking up the pace in his last handful of starts. In July and August, he has gone 5-2 with a 1.11 ERA with 44 strikeouts and 15 walks in 48.2 innings. Horton’s swinging-strike rate is one…