The annual MLB awards presentations have commenced, with the disclosure of this year’s outstanding first-year players Monday acting as the preliminary event in a week commending baseball’s elite performers from the 2025 campaign.
Nick Kurtz of the Athletics secured the Jackie Robinson AL Rookie of the Year Award by unanimous decision. His teammate, shortstop Jacob Wilson, claimed second place with 23 second-place votes. Roman Anthony of the Red Sox concluded the race in third place, receiving three second-place votes and 15 votes for third.
Drake Baldwin, the catcher for the Atlanta Braves, was also proclaimed NL Rookie of the Year on Monday.
This year’s Rookie of the Year ballot featured an updated format, expanding from three to five slots, granting voters the chance to acknowledge a wider array of standout rookies from the past season. (For context, MVP ballots have traditionally included 10 slots, and Cy Young ballots transitioned from three to five in 2010).
The electorate for each award consists of two representatives from each of the 15 chapters of the Baseball Writers Association of America, aligning with the 15 markets in each league, culminating in a total of 30 voters. This year, our MLB team was represented by two of the 30 voters for AL Rookie of the Year: Russell Dorsey from the Chicago chapter and Jordan Shusterman from the Cleveland chapter.
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Although Kurtz’s unanimous award was anticipated, given his prowess at the plate, several other compelling narratives among AL rookies rendered the completion of the ballot a challenging task. Presented below is an inside perspective on how Dorsey and Shusterman cast their votes, along with the reasoning behind their endorsement of the five players featured on their ballots.
Jordan Shusterman’s ballot
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1. Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz
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2. Athletics SS Jacob Wilson
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3. Red Sox OF Roman Anthony
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4. Red Sox C Carlos Narváez
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5. Royals LHP Noah Cameron
Russ Dorsey’s ballot
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1. Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz
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2. Red Sox OF Roman Anthony
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3. Athletics SS Jacob Wilson
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4. Royals LHP Noah Cameron
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5. White Sox SS Colson Montgomery
Nick Kurtz’s exceptional performance
Nick Kurtz wasn’t merely the premier rookie in the 2025 class; the A’s budding first baseman emerged as one of baseball’s most formidable hitters. While his ascent commenced with his remarkable four-homer game against the Houston Astros on July 25, it merely scratched the surface of the 22-year-old slugger’s capabilities. To fully grasp the magnitude of Kurtz’s season, one need only examine any advanced metric, including his staggering 170 wRC+ across 489 plate appearances. Kurtz joined luminaries such as Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge as the sole MLB players boasting an OPS exceeding 1.000 this past season, further solidifying his exceptional season with the AL Silver Slugger Award for first base. The A’s slugger demonstrated that transitioning to the major leagues within a year of being the No. 4 overall draft pick posed no obstacle. Kurtz culminated his outstanding rookie campaign by leading all rookies in home runs, runs scored, RBI, walks, and OPS. — Dorsey
Although Trey Yesavage, the Blue Jays pitcher, may have garnered attention as the most captivating story from the 2024 draft class, Kurtz’s offensive achievements in his debut season, just a year after being drafted, warrant recognition as historic. Kurtz’s 1.002 OPS ranked as the sixth-highest ever for a rookie with at least 450 plate appearances in a season, and he tied for fifth in the AL in home runs with 36, despite participating in only 117 games. Kurtz’s peak occurred midsummer, as he posted an astonishing .395/.480/.953 across 23 games in July, highlighted by his six-hit, four-homer performance on July 25.
While that memorable display marked the pinnacle of his rookie season, Kurtz scarcely regressed afterward, underscoring that his torrid July was not an anomaly. From his four-homer game through the end of the season, Kurtz hit .271/.394/.530, resulting in a 154 wRC+ that ranked 11th in MLB over that stretch. Although his elevated strikeout rate and struggles against left-handed pitchers present minor concerns, this iteration of Kurtz is delivering ample offensive firepower to justify the strikeouts and platoon splits. Considering he will turn just 23 before Opening Day next year, it is reasonable to anticipate that Kurtz will address his current weaknesses and unlock an even greater offensive ceiling, establishing himself as one of the game’s most feared sluggers for years to come. — Shusterman
The Red Sox felt the absence of Roman Anthony late in the season and during the October games. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
(G Fiume via Getty Images)
Jacob Wilson vs. Roman Anthony for the runner-up position
Following a lackluster first half, the Red Sox surged to claim the second AL wild-card berth after Roman Anthony’s arrival on June 9, amassing a 57-38 record thereafter. As Boston sought offensive stability, baseball’s top prospect provided the necessary impetus. Anthony’s .396 on-base percentage is particularly noteworthy, and the rookie phenomenon’s well-rounded skillset was undeniable, evidenced by his .292 batting average and .463 slugging percentage before his season concluded prematurely due to an oblique strain.
The challenge in selecting my second-place vote stemmed from weighing impact against cumulative performance. Jacob Wilson maintained a consistent level of performance throughout the rookie class this season, and there was a period before Kurtz’s emergence when he appeared poised to secure the Rookie of the Year Award. However, my decision to vote Anthony second and Wilson third was based on my belief that the Red Sox would not have reached the postseason without Anthony’s immediate impact and contribution to the lineup. This was evident in the team’s diminished performance following his injury. Wilson had an exceptional campaign, but he did not elevate the A’s level of play in the same manner that Anthony did for the Sox. — Dorsey
The Red Sox unquestionably performed at their peak with Anthony in the lineup, and his absence was keenly felt down the stretch and into October. If given the choice of which American League rookie I would want on my team for the long term, I would opt for Anthony over Wilson, given his significant offensive potential, and I would even contemplate selecting him over Kurtz.
Ultimately, this award recognizes the players who had the most outstanding rookie seasons, and I considered the playing time and positional disparity to be substantial enough to give Wilson the edge over Anthony on my ballot. Wilson started 124 games at shortstop, while Anthony started 32 games in right field, 17 games in left, and another 17 at DH. Even if Wilson’s defensive abilities were not particularly noteworthy and may ultimately be better suited for second base, his extensive workload as a rookie at a premium position was significant, particularly given Wilson’s fairly compelling offensive statistics.
He tied with Bo Bichette for second in the American League with a .311 batting average, and his 13 home runs exceeded both my and many evaluators’ expectations for his slugging output. Wilson may not hit the ball with exceptional force, but he has already demonstrated a talent for translating his elite contact ability into extra-base hits, inspiring optimism that he can evolve into an all-around offensive threat in the majors. Given their vastly different skill sets, Wilson and Kurtz represent an exciting duo for the Athletics to build their lineup around. — Shusterman
Do not dismiss Noah Cameron
In a season characterized by a lack of standout rookie starting pitchers, Royals rookie left-hander Noah Cameron distinguished himself from the competition. Cameron was given the opportunity to pitch every fifth day in a Kansas City rotation that was depleted for much of 2025, and he capitalized on those opportunities. In his first 13 starts, Cameron allowed more than three earned runs on just three occasions, demonstrating his ability to hold his place in the rotation. While Cade Horton received greater recognition on the National League side for his contributions to the Cubs’ success, Cameron, who finished fourth in the ROY race with three second-place votes, merits similar acknowledgment for his body of work in ’25. — Dorsey
In the wild-card era, prior to 2025, 18 pitchers threw at least 130 innings in their rookie season while maintaining an ERA under 3.00, including just four in the American League. All 18 received Rookie of the Year votes, with five winning the award outright and another seven finishing as runner-up. Cameron joins this group, as his 2.99 ERA in 138⅓ innings across 24 starts helped stabilize an injury-ridden Royals rotation throughout the summer, a sufficient body of work to warrant inclusion on my ballot.
Cameron was a joy to watch in 2025, a crafty left-hander with two distinct breaking balls that were rated as elite pitches based on run value, including a curveball that ranked among the best of its kind in the league. While his modest peripheral statistics and velocity suggest that he may not have much more potential than what he exhibited, Cameron demonstrated enough to indicate that the Royals could boast a formidable trio of left-handers in 2026 if Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic can fully recover from injuries. — Shusterman
Russ’ ultimate selection: Colson Montgomery
The fifth spot on my ballot came down to two players who both deserved recognition: Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez and White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery. Narváez had the advantage in terms of cumulative performance, and being the starting catcher for a playoff team constitutes a compelling argument. However, Montgomery’s power output was difficult to overlook. The White Sox rookie hit 21 home runs in just 255 at-bats and concluded the season with a very respectable .841 OPS.
Montgomery’s season bears similarities to Gary Sánchez’s 2016 rookie campaign, in which he burst onto the scene with 20 home runs in 53 games. Sánchez recorded an astonishing 1.032 OPS and achieved this feat over the final two months of the season. Sánchez finished as the ROY runner-up that season, and while that placement would be too high for Montgomery in this year’s class, there is precedent for recognizing a similar body of work. Additionally, while not particularly renowned for his defense, Montgomery concluded the season as an above-average defender at shortstop, with plus-seven defensive runs saved and plus-six outs above average, placing him in the top 10 among shortstops in both categories. — Dorsey
Jordan’s ultimate selection: Carlos Narváez
Montgomery’s power production, coupled with his surprisingly solid defense at shortstop, was difficult to ignore, and he played the same number of games as Anthony (71), so the sample size was not necessarily a disqualifying factor. However, I ultimately opted to vote for Narváez, a catcher who made an impact on a playoff team, emerging as one of Boston’s more unexpected key contributors after arriving via a rare trade with the rival Yankees last winter.
Russ accurately noted the improvement in Boston’s performance upon Anthony’s arrival in the lineup, and Narváez had a similar effect throughout the season. The Red Sox went 67-40 (a .626 winning percentage) in Narváez’s 107 starts behind the plate and just 22-33 otherwise. This is largely attributable to his defensive contributions, with Narváez grading as a plus blocker, plus framer, and nearly unrivaled in controlling the running game while consistently receiving praise from his pitching staff as a competent field general and game-caller.
While his second-half decline at the plate resulted in a mediocre 99 wRC+ (.241/.306/.419) by the end of the season, even league-average production with exceptional defensive skills at the catcher position translates into an immensely valuable player. In a season that began with considerable anticipation surrounding Boston’s top three prospects in Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer, it was Narváez who emerged as Boston’s second-best rookie in 2025 and earned a spot on my ballot. — Shusterman
