This week, we’re back to the Rookie of the Year race. For last week’s Cy Young review, click here. For the MVP race the week before, click here. Next week I’ll return to the MVP award. All stats are as of June 4th.
The American League Rookie of the Year race is everything it should be. Featuring brilliant foreign imports, a pair of top prospects and a surprise candidate, this is a race to watch all year long.
As for the National League, well, let’s just say that any of my five American League players, along with just-off-the-list pitchers Yordano Ventura and Roenis Elias, would be comfortably in the lead. As an expression of just how unexciting this race has been, I’ve only included a top four this week, as the players in contention for fifth are hardly worth mentioning. The door is wide open for newly-promoted Oscar Taveras or the soon-to-be-revealed Gregory Polanco to make their mark.
AL Rookie Race
1. (1.) Masahiro Tanaka, P, NYY: 8-1, 2.06 ERA, 88 K, 78.2 IP, 0.95 WHIP
The more you look at Tanaka’s numbers, the better they get. He is leading the league in ERA and WHIP, has a 10.1 K/9 ratio and is striking out seven batters for every walk. He hasn’t given up more than three earned runs in any start this season and hasn’t allowed a home run in five straight starts. He is averaging seven innings per start. Last time around I predicted that Tanaka and Jose Abreu would battle all season long for this award, but Tanaka is clearly pulling away.
2. (2.) Jose Abreu, 1B, CWS: .266/.318/.620, 17 HR, 47RBI, 31R
In three games since coming off the disabled list, Abreu has two homers and five RBI. He had been sidelined since May 17th with an ankle injury, but has picked up right where he left off. Despite missing those two weeks, the Cuban slugger is still on pace to hit 45 homers and 125 RBI. Unfortunately, Abreu’s value as a player, and his rank on this list, is hindered by his lack of discipline. He’s drawn just 11 walks in 201 plate appearances, leading to his .318 OBP.
3. (-) Xander Bogaerts, SS/3B, BOS: .297/.389/.453, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 31 R
The Red Sox’s signing of shortstop Stephen Drew won’t cost Bogaerts any playing time: he has now shifted to third base and has hit two homers in three games at the hot corner. At the ripe age of 21, Bogaerts has been showing an excellent combination of power and patience and has yet to go through anything resembling a slump. While this season looks lost for the Red Sox, their future looks bright.
4. (3.) Yangervis Solarte, 3B, NYY: .298/.366/.457, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 23 R
A 26-year-old non-prospect, Solarte was the Yankee’s third base job out of a lack of a better idea. Through May he was hitting .303/.404/.461, clearly due for regression. However, May saw him hit .296/.339/.469, making him look here to stay. He has 21 walks to 23 strikeouts, and has given the Yankees aging lineup some much needed flexibility; he has played 13 games at second and five at shortstop, all acceptably well. Though by far the least exciting of the players on this list, Solarte nonetheless has been an very valuable player.
5. (-) George Springer, RF, HOU: .250/.344/.482, 10 HR, 29 RBI, 25 R
Coming off a minor league season in which he hit .303/.411/.600 with 37 homers and 45 steals across two levels, the expectations were sky-high for the 24-year-old outfielder. Through his first 17 games, however, Springer was hitting a pathetic .191/.257/.221. He has turned it on since, hitting .290/.98/.660 with 10 homers in 26 games since. However, Spring hasn’t quite gotten into a grove on the bases yet, having stolen just one and being caught twice. He is also going to need to cut down on his strikeouts (he has 61, good for fourth in the league), but overall the Astros are getting everything they could have hoped for.
Off the list –
(3.) Yordano Ventura
(5.) Roenis Elias
NL Rookie Race
1. (1.) Chris Owings, SS, ARI: .276/.318/.436, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 19 R, 6 SB
Though far from the superstars-in-the-making featured in the AL race, Owings looks merely like a fine player having a nice season. He doesn’t get on base much, and won’t hit many home runs, but he is 6-for-6 on the bases and been playing stellar defense. With his glove, a .754 OPS is more than acceptable for a shortstop. While not much has gone right for the Diamondbacks this season, giving Owings the starting job out of spring training was clearly the right choice.
2. (2.) David Hale, P, ATL: 1-0, 1.38 ERA, 19 K, 39 IP, 1.18 WHIP
Starting the year in Atlanta’s injury-ravaged rotation, Hale went 1-0 with a 2.31 ERA in 23.1 innings over four starts. He has pitched 15.2 innings out of the bullpen since and has yet to allow a run, albeit striking out just four batters. Hale, however, is a 26-year-old with an uninspiring minor league track record and a 1.12 K/BB ratio, suggesting he is due for regression. His place on the list is simply a reflection of the lack of competition.
3. (3.) Billy Hamilton, CF, CIN: .267/.302/.356, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 24 R, 22 SB
While Hamilton has picked things up from his brutal April, his flaws are still clearly apparent. His blazing speed had many predicting the young outfielder breaking 100, which he certainly has the ability to do, but reaching such a figure requires getting on base. As his .302 OBP would suggest, Hamilton has had difficulty doing that, as he’s drawn just 9 walks all season. Even on the bases Hamilton has been less than stellar, having been caught 7 times in 29 chances, good for just a 76% success rate. He certainly has the talent to win this award, but he’ll need to start hitting and stop getting thrown out.
4. (-) Kolten Wong, 2B, STL: .264/.326/.341, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 13 R, 8 SB
After starting the year in St. Louis, Wong was sent down at the end of April after hitting a measly .225/.276/.268. Since being recalled on May 16th, however, he has hit .310/.385/.431 with five steals, cementing his place as the Cardinals second basemen of the future. Unlike teammate Oscar Taveras, who we could very well see on this list in three weeks time, Wong was never considered a top prospect. He was, however, viewed as a fine player, one who could hit for average, steal bases and play good defense. Since being recalled, he has certainly looked like that type of player.
Off the list –
(4.) Chris Withrow
(5.) Mike Olt
For more on sports injuries, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
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