On November eleventh, Major League Baseball announced its Rookies of the Year, with Nick Kurtz of the Athletics and Drake Baldwin of the Atlanta Braves taking home the prestigious awards. Kurtz, a first baseman, unanimously won the American League honor, receiving all thirty first-place votes. His teammate, shortstop Jacob Wilson, finished second, making the Athletics only the ninth team in history to have the top two spots in rookie voting. Meanwhile, in the National League, Braves catcher Drake Baldwin secured his Rookie of the Year title with twenty-one first-place votes. These awards highlight the exceptional talent emerging in professional baseball this season. Kurtz, who is twenty-two years old, had an outstanding season despite missing time in May and June due to a hip injury. In one hundred seventeen games, he batted two hundred ninety and led all MLB rookies with thirty-six home runs, eighty-six runs batted in, and ninety runs scored. His remarkable performance included a historic four-homer game on July twenty-fifth against Houston, where he also recorded eight runs batted in and six hits, matching an MLB one-game record with nineteen total bases. Baldwin, at twenty-four years old, stepped into a starting role early in the season when veteran Sean Murphy was sidelined with a cracked rib. He made the most of his opportunity, hitting two hundred seventy-four with nineteen home runs for the season. His notable moments included driving in six runs against San Francisco on July twenty-first and hitting two homers on August seventh to spark a comeback victory against Florida. These young stars have certainly made their mark, bringing excitement and impressive statistics to their respective teams and setting a high bar for future rookie classes.

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