At the start of the 2025 season, I had Dylan Crews of the Washington Nationals as my pick for National League rookie position player of the year and Roki Sasaki of the Los Angeles Dodgers as NL rookie pitcher of the year. Yup, I whiffed on both of them just like I did with my preseason AL rookie picks.

Crews is slashing just .199/.276/.336 with seven home runs and 14 steals over 66 games. He also missed approximately three months with an oblique strain. Sasaki made eight starts for the Dodgers, going 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA, before suffering a right shoulder impingement. He has yet to return to the big leagues since the injury but is currently rehabbing in the minor leagues.

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin ended up running away from the rest of the NL rookie field thanks to his durability and production on offense and defense. Interestingly, the next four best NL rookies have all been starting pitchers — Nolan McLean of the New York Mets, Cade Horton of the Chicago Cubs, Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers and Hurston Waldrep of the Braves. None of the four have made enough starts or pitched enough innings to overcome Baldwin in my top 10 rankings.

Here is my breakdown of the top 10 National League rookies. Let me know in the comments who you think should have made the list but didn’t, and vice versa.

(Statistics are through Sunday, Sept. 7.)

1. Drake Baldwin, C, Atlanta Braves

Slashline: .276/.349/.447 | fWar: 2.5

Baldwin, 24, is my prediction to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award based on his overall body of work. He has played in 106 games so far, 80 at the catcher position. He’s produced consistently at the plate, posting a 122 OPS+ with 12 doubles, 15 home runs and 63 RBIs. Regardless of pitch type, he’s hit well against pitches in the strike zone, hitting the ball hard (84th percentile Average Exit Velocity) and limiting his swing-and-miss (15.7 strikeout percentage). Behind the dish, he’s ranked in the 72nd percentile in Blocks Above Average and in the 67th percentile in Pitch Framing. He also has been solid at game calling and handling the Braves pitching staff.

2. Nolan McLean, RHP, New York Mets

W-L: 4-0 ERA: 1.37 IP: 26 1/3 SO: 28 WHIP: 0.76 | fWar: 0.9

How does McLean, 24, make this list after just four starts? By virtue of his dominance in those outings in the midst of a postseason race. In his brief MLB career, he’s only allowed 13 hits and seven walks while striking out 28 batters in 26 1/3 innings. His stuff is just ridiculous, led by his high spin rate curveball (3267 rpm) that has 18.2 inch horizontal break and 13.1 inch vertical break. His four-seamer comes in mostly 95-97 mph and his sinker sits at 93-95 mph. He features a sweeper, changeup and cutter, as well. A two-way player at Oklahoma State and during his first two minor league seasons, McLean is an outstanding athlete who has really come into his own as a pitcher after finally focusing solely on pitching. He looks like the most talented rookie pitcher this season, and he has the highest ceiling.

3. Cade Horton, RHP, Chicago Cubs

W-L: 9-4 ERA: 2.78 IP: 103 2/3 SO: 81 WHIP: 1.14 | fWar: 1.7

Horton, 24, began the season in Triple A and made his major-league debut in May. It took him a little while to hit his stride in the big leagues, but since late July, he’s been the Cubs’ best starter. He has allowed just four earned runs total in his last nine starts, going 6-1 with a 0.77 ERA in 47 innings, allowing just 24 hits with 44 strikeouts and 14 walks. His success is thanks to his elite secondary stuff that includes his sweeper (.178 BAA), his curveball (.167 BAA) and his changeup (.111 BAA). His breaking stuff is so good it ranks him in the 85th percentile in the sport. Horton hasn’t racked up a ton of strikeouts, but he’s limited walks and hard contact and induced a lot of groundballs. He’s quickly become the ace of the Cubs’ rotation.

Jacob Misiorowski’s stuff is still elite but he’s struggled with his command since returning from an IL stint. (Justin Berl / Getty Images)4. Jacob Misiorowski, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers

W-L: 5-2 ERA: 4.09 IP: 55 SO: 77 WHIP: 1.09 | fWar: 1.4

Misiorowski, 23, debuted on June 12 and got off to a fast start, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA over his first five starts. He was so dominant he was placed on the NL All-Star team — a stunning decision given he’d made only those five starts and had been hit hard in one of them (he did throw a scoreless inning in the Midsummer Classic). On Aug. 3, he landed on the injured list with a left tibia contusion and hadn’t pitched well since returning from the IL until his most recent start this past weekend, when he went seven innings and allowed just one run against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Command and control issues have been the root cause of Misiorowski’s struggles, but his stuff remains elite. His fastball hits the triple digits regularly and batters hit just .167 against it. His wipeout slider is devastating and he has a knee-buckling curveball. Misiorowski also has elite extension down the mound, ranking in the 99th percentile.

He has all the stuff to develop into a top of the rotation ace if the command and control can return, though both have been an issue throughout his professional career. The Brewers have to find a way to get him back pitching like he did in his first five starts between now and when the playoffs commence. Maybe his latest start will be the beginning of another good run for him.

5. Hurston Waldrep, RHP, Atlanta Braves

W-L: 4-0 ERA: 1.33 IP: 40 2/3 SO: 38 WHIP: 1.06 | fWar: 0.8

Waldrep, 23, has been incredible since joining the Braves in the beginning of August. He has given up one earned run or fewer in six of his seven appearances (and two runs in the other). Batters are hitting just .085 against his wipeout split-finger, which is his calling card. The pitch has a 6 inch horizontal break and a 34.4 inch vertical drop. He throws it to righties and lefties and can locate it to either side of the plate.

Waldrep throws his cutter about two-thirds of the time and his sinker about one-third of the time and rarely throws the four-seamer anymore. He’s also upped his curveball usage, using it more instead of the slider, which comes in at the same velocity as his split finger but without a lot of break. That has been an important adjustment to his repertoire. The Braves just keep developing good pitching prospects and Waldrep is another example.

6. Isaac Collins, OF, Milwaukee Brewers

Slashline: .275/.371/.433 | fWar: 2.8

Collins, 28, won the left field job for the Brewers out of spring training and has never looked back, posting a .371 OBP with 21 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 16 stolen bases in 118 games. He also has been great defensively, as he’s in the 89th percentile in Outs Above Average. The Brewers acquired Collins from the Colorado Rockies in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft before the 2024 season, an absolute steal of a selection. He’s been a sparkplug for a Milwaukee team that has been the best in baseball for most of the season.

7. Agustín Ramírez, C, Miami Marlins

Slashline: .228/.286/.415 | fWar: -0.2

Ramirez, 23, has the most raw power of anyone in the NL rookie class. This year, in 507 plate appearances, he has belted 28 doubles and 19 home runs for Miami. His Bat Speed is in the 90th percentile and his xSlug is in the 70th percentile. He’s also swiped 12 bases. On the other side, he’s struggled to hit for average and get on-base consistently. Defensively, he has ranked well below average behind the plate and almost half of his starts have come at DH. He has some work to do, but the physical tools are all there for him to develop into a middle of the lineup force.

8. Matt Shaw, 3B, Chicago Cubs

Slashline: .228/.296/.393 | fWar: 1.2

Shaw, 23, made the Cubs’ Opening Day roster but struggled to start the year and was sent to Triple A for a reset on April 15. He returned a month later but continued to struggle for a while, slashing just .198/.276/.280 with two homers over his first 63 games in the majors. He began to swing the bat better around the All-Star break, and since then, he’s hit .275/.329/.573 and settled in as the Cubs’ everyday third baseman. He has a short, high-effort swing with quick wrists, which allows him to make consistent sweet spot contact and spray the ball around the field. Shaw is a solid baserunner, as well. He has really improved defensively at third base, so much so that FanGraphs credits him with 11 defensive runs saved.

9. Caleb Durbin, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers

Slashline: .254/.327/.389 | fWar: 2.1

Last December, the Brewers acquired Durbin, 25, from the Yankees, along with left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes in the Devin Williams trade. Surprisingly, Durbin has performed the best of the three players involved in the deal. He’s won the everyday third base job, becoming a fan favorite along the way. Durbin has reached base at a roughly 33 percent clip while producing 10 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 437 plate appearances. His calling card is his hustle and bat-to-ball skills. He makes consistent contact, doesn’t chase out of the strike zone and squares up the ball regularly. He boasts low strikeout and whiff rates that rank in the 97th and 95th percentiles, respectively.

10. Jakob Marsee, OF, Miami Marlins

Slashline: .315/.388/.538  | fWar: 1.8

Marsee, 24, was drafted by the Padres in 2022 and acquired by the Marlins as part of the trade package they received from San Diego for infielder Luis Arraez. Marsee made his MLB debut on Aug. 1 and has been raking ever since (153 OPS+), earning the NL Rookie of the Month award for August. Before the promotion, he had an .817 OPS in Triple A with 14 homers and 47 stolen bases. The Marlins are thrilled with his long-term potential and consider him a part of their future core of players to build around.

(Top photos of McLean and Baldwin: Al Bello, Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)