Within the last few years, the Rookie of the Year award has grown to have more meaning than it had in the past. Changes in the most recent collective bargaining agreement allow the award to bestow a full year of MLB service time on the top two finishers, even if they would have otherwise entered the offseason with le s than that. Beyond that, any player who was a top-100 prospect on a pair of prominent preseason lists (Baseball America, MLB.com, ESPN) can net his club an extra pick by winning the award if he breaks camp with his club or was called up le s than two weeks into the season. Thats raised the stakes on the two Rookie of the Year races, but who will ultimately come out on top? Heres a look at this years candidates in the National League, listen in alphabetical order by last name: , C, Braves The 24-year-old Baldwin is having a banner rookie season for Atlanta after an injury suffered by during Spring Training opened up the Opening Day catcher job. Baldwin took the reins and never looked back. Through 96 games, hes hitting Zach Deloach Jersey .276/.347/.454 with a wRC+ of 126. Hes smacked 14 homers in 337 plate appearances, but more impre sive is Baldwins plate discipline. The youngster is striking out just 16% of the time while walking at a solid 8.9% clip. That production has been enough to get the lions share of time behind the plate in spite of Murphys status as a former All-Star and Gold Glove award winner on a hefty contract. If theres an i sue with Baldwins profile, its that hes a merely pedestrian defender behind the plate. Scouts expected him to be no more than average behind the plate, and so far the metrics have played that out as he has -1 Catching Runs this year . Baldwin and Murphy are now splitting the workload between catcher and DH, so Baldwin should see regular at-bats down the stretch. If he wins the award, hell net the Braves a PPI pick. , OF, Brewers Collins celebrated his 28th birthday last month, making him by far the oldest player on this list. Hes been a game changer for an excellent Brewers club in left field, however, with a .270/.368/.421 (125 wRC+) slash line in 109 games. Collins has chipped in 28 extra-base hits and 15 steals and drawn walks at an excellent 12.3% clip. That penchant for drawing walks fuels an on-base percentage that sits just barely outside the top 20 among hitters with at least 300 plate appearances this year. Collins age and lack of a premium defensive position could hold him back in the eyes of some voters, but the switch-hitter does have one big thing going for him: hes doing his best work now. Since the All-Star break, Collins has hit .288/.377/.475 with a wRC+ of 139. , RHP, Cubs The Cubs first rounder in the 2022 draft, Horton came up to fill out the rotation in a pinch back in May and has generally looked the part of a quality big league starter. Hes pitched to a 2.88 ERA and 3.71 FIP in 93 2/3 innings of work. Thats by far the best ERA among all rookie pitchers with at least 80 innings, and hes been on the shortlist for the best pitcher in baseball since the All-Star break with a microscopic 0.49 ERA, a 2.61 FIP, and 24.8% strikeout rate. Hortons season-long strikeout rate of just 20.1% isnt all that impre sive, and his relatively limited innings may hurt him with some voters. Even so, the 24-year-old should get plenty of attention with the way hes pitched in the second half so far, and a big final month could further cement his case. Horton was a consensus top-100 prospect prior to the season but wasnt called up early enough to net the Cubs a pick based on this years Rookie of the Year voting (though he could still garner them a pick with a top-3 Cy Young finish before reaching arbitration). , RHP, Brewers Patrick might be overlooked by some voters who could be attracted to the strong second half numbers of Collins and Horton. Even so, hes a legitimate contender for the award. Patricks 105 innings acro s 21 appearances (20 starts) lead NL rookies. Hes posted a 3.60 ERA with a nearly identical 3.68 FIP while striking out 23.9% of his opponents. Perhaps the biggest flaw in Patricks case is that the Brewers optioned him to Triple-A for just over a month. He didnt pitch in the majors between July 5 and Aug. 19. Hes also worn down as the season has gone on, with a 5.09 ERA and 4.45 FIP in his last seven starts. Patrick will need to turn things around in September if hes going to make a play for the award, but a strong start to his big league career in April and May could be enough to keep him in the conversation. Other Options That aforementioned quartet appear to be the likeliest candidates for the award, but they arent the only names to consider. Playing time will be a factor for Miamis , but if the 24-year-old can keep hitting the way he has in 26 games since his Aug. 1 recall (.356/.422/.667, 195 wRC+), his otherworldly performance will get some attention anyway. Teammate leads NL rookies in home runs (18) and plate appearances (463), but hes posted awful defensive marks behind the plate and is sitting on a .287 on-base percentage (.228/.287/.424 overall). Brewers righty was the talk of the game after his first few starts, but he spent two weeks on the injured list after being clipped by a comebacker and has been tagged for 13 earned runs in his past 14 1/3 innings (four starts). Hes only at 43 2/3 innings on the season, too, which hurts his candidacy. has been an above-average hitter for the Dodgers and contributed defensive versatility, but hes been on the injured list for a month and is unlikely to get enough playing time to merit consideration. Nationals righty is in the midst of a solid season as a swingman, but a 5.47 ERA in August does him no favors.Third basemen and have both had decent enough years but are sure to be overshadowed by their teammates when it comes to balloting. Who do MLBTR readers think will ultimately come out on top in the NLs Rookie of the Year balloting? Have your say in the poll below: Who will win NL Rookie of the Year? Drake Baldwin 45.56% (2,241votes) Cade Horton 25.68% (1,263votes) Isaac Collins 20.25% (996votes) Someone Else 7.32% (360votes) Chad Patrick 1.20% (59votes) Total Votes: 4,919 Prelander Berroa Jersey