The Milwaukee Brewers have been the best team in Major League Baseball since the All-Star Break. Pat Murphy has found a good mix of snacks and lineup tweaks to lead his team to dominance. However, one of the team's unsung heroes is outfielder Isaac Collins. The young standout is a National League Rookie of the Year candidate alongside Cade Horton and Drake Baldwin.
Collins came to the Brewers' major league team in 2024, but he barely played on the contending team. However, he got valuable experience around his teammates and parlayed it into an effective 2025 campaign. He stepped up when Milwaukee was without Jackson Chourio due to injury and kept the team's momentum going. He figures to be a big piece of any potential playoff run.
When it comes to the NL ROTY race, it is a three-player competition for the most part. Horton has been great for the Chicago Cubs, a fellow NL contender. Baldwin has played well for the Atlanta Braves, but a litany of other issues have them on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. Despite his team's struggles, he is as deserving for the award as the other two rookies are.
Picking a winner out of the trio of young stars is tricky. However, Collins' clutch moments throughout the season might be enough to give him an edge. If the playoffs were included in the calculations, he would have a chance to run away with the award. However, his case is still compelling enough that he deserves the nod, even if it is by the smallest of margins among the voters.
The Brewers have lofty goals as their regular season comes to an end. They need Collins to continue producing like the ROTY if they want to hit those marks.
Collins' role and his production in it make him the clear favorite
Collins is the only NL ROTY candidate that plays every day for a contending team. While it is out of Baldwin's hands and Horton is a pitcher, that has to mean something in Collins' favor. The rookie was asked to do a lot when the season began and has done everything Murphy expected from him and more. Without him, Milwaukee would struggle mightily to maintain its success.
In award races, key moments are just as important as the overall body of work. Luckily for the Brewers outfielder, he has both. Collins' has come through in clutch for his team, stealing wins for Milwaukee. However, he has also been a key cog in Murphy's well-oiled machine. Collins and his manager have echoed one another when it comes to the Brewers' dominance this season.
The outfielder has the moments, but what do his overall numbers look like? In a word, great. Slashing .275/.373/.433 as a contact hitter is great for any player, much less a rookie. Collins had a couple of “welcome to MLB” moments earlier this year, but he settled in quickly and became a reliable bat. Murphy has put him all over the order and the rookie has excelled everywhere.
Collins' 2.5 WAR might be a side-effect of being on a good team. However, the stat impressive for a young player, no matter what situation they find themselves in. He has almost everything going in his favor at this point. All he needs to cement the deal if for Milwaukee to secure the top spot in the NL playoff picture and play a key role in the team winning the pennant.
Collins is the most valuable rookie in MLB this season
Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson was an All-Star this season. He and Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski took the league by storm with their red-hot starts to the season. However, Collins has played under the radar, giving his team what it needs without dominating the spotlight. He did not make as big of a splash as his peers, but is every bit as important to his team, if not more so.
Collins has embodied the attitude the Brewers attacked the season with all year long. Having him play an important position like left field gave Murphy the opportunity to put Christian Yelich at designated hitter. The result has been great for Milwaukee's offense, one of the best in the league. That should not be ignored when deciding who the NL ROTY Award should go to.
Horton's streak of scoreless innings was impressive. Baldwin burst onto the scene and was better than anyone expected. At the end of the day, though, the NL ROTY Award is Collins' to lose. He is more important to his team than any of the other candidates and has another chance to prove it this fall.
