This story was excerpted from Mark Bowman’s Braves Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here . And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ATLANTA -- Sean Murphy broke a rib so that the Braves could prosper for many years to come.

Well, that wasn’t necessarily the plan when he was pelted with a fastball during the first week of this year’s Grapefruit League season. But if Murphy hadn’t started this season on the injured list with this injury, would Drake Baldwin have won the Jackie Robinson National League Rookie of the Year Award ?

Maybe. Michael Harris II won the honor in 2022 , despite not debuting until the end of May.

Would Baldwin have been on Atlanta’s Opening Day roster?

Maybe. The Braves hadn’t ruled out the possibility of Baldwin starting th

See Full Page