Braves News: Streak snapped, NL ROY race, more

Well the NL Rookie of the Year decision is just about set, with the season nearing its conclusion and Cade Horton, the betting favorite, done for the season. Horton finishes his season with a 2.67 ERA over 118.0 innings. That is pretty much the entirety of his case for the award, as his ERA is pretty much entirely smoke and mirrors off of a fine but unspectacular performance, with a 3.59 FIP, 3.81 xERA, and 4.27 xFIP. Horton has a 2.1 fWAR and a 2.0 bWAR, even as bWAR is typically more friendly to ERA shenanigans (their formula has more nuance than ERA, but also is based on actual runs, rather than fWAR’s FIP-based formula). Even Fangraphs’ calculated RA9 WAR is only 3.5, not much more than Drake Baldwin’s 3.0 fWAR and counting. This will really be a litmus test for the voters here, as Horton’s case is dubious and entirely based on some run prevention luck, with Baldwin as clearly the best rookie season in the NL and at the catcher position to boot.

As we all likely know by now, this award wouldn’t just be a great accomplishment for Drake, it also would bring a pick at the end of the first round to the Braves’ franchise, along with upwards of $3 million in bonus money, which is a huge deal. It’s pretty ridiculous that such a large teambuilding asset hangs in the balance of Baldwin winning this award with no consolation for finishing second and pretty arbitrary parameters, but here we are. If the Braves miss out on that pick due to Baldwin not winning this award, Drake and Braves fans will be entirely justified in being extremely annoyed and feeling cheated.

Braves News

The Braves saw their ten game win-streak snapped in a tight 4-3 loss to the Nationals.

MLB News

Astros’ pitcher Luis Garcia is getting elbow surgery and will miss all of the 2026 season for Houston.

Former Brave Ramon Laureano has a fractured finger and will miss at least the first round of the playoffs for the Padres.

The Nationals are finishing a deal with a top Red Sox executive, Paul Toboni as their new head of baseball operations.

The Cubs are hoping for the return of star outfielder Kyle Tucker on Friday, just in time for the playoffs.

Guardians’ David Fry will be getting facial surgery and will be out 6-8 weeks after being hit in the face by a Tarik Skubal fastball.