Horton's dominant second half and historic pitching numbers weren't enough for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Major League Baseball announced the winners of the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award on Monday evening. Drake Baldwin, Cade Horton, and Caleb Durbin were announced as the finalists for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Unfortunately, Horton did not win the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Baldwin received the most first-place votes, which ultimately helped him secure the win.
The Braves catcher received 21 of 30 first-place votes, while Horton received only nine first-place votes. The Cubs right-hander also received 16 second-place votes and four third-place votes.
As a result, Horton was the runner-up for this year’s NL Rookie of the Year Award. Baldwin earned 183 points on the voting scale, Horton came in at 139, and Durbin was a distant third at 69 points. Isaac Collins (62 points) and Daylen Lile (17 points) rounded out the top 5 in NL Rookie of the Year voting for the 2025 season.
Horton had the chance to close out a fantastic rookie season by bringing home the Rookie of the Year Award. Admittedly, the Cubs pitcher should have won over Baldwin in this year’s voting.
He was far and away the best pitcher in the second half of the season. The 24-year-old had a 1.03 ERA and 54 strikeouts across 61 ⅓ innings and literally put the team on his back across the final two months. Horton led all pitchers in ERA after the All-Star break.
Now, Baldwin definitely had a strong year as well. He hit .274 with 19 home runs, 18 doubles, and 80 RBI across 124 games for the Braves. Those 80 RBI led all NL rookies, and his 3.3 WAR ranked tied for second among all rookies.
However, what Horton did as a pitcher is something baseball fans haven’t seen in a very long time. His 2.67 ERA was the lowest among all rookie starting pitchers, and his 11 wins were the most among all rookies.
The rookie literally had a generational second-half, and that wasn’t even enough to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Horton only needed 118 innings pitched to finish the season with an impressive 2.0 WAR.
While Baldwill had an excellent rookie campaign, Horton was the more impactful player for his team. He helped lead the Cubs to the top Wild Card spot in the National League and was the best pitcher in baseball in the second half of the season.
It's fair to say that Horton was robbed of the Rookie of the Year Award.