With less than six weeks left in the 2023 regular season, there have been a few notable candidates for the AL Rookie of the Year. This season has seen unlikely teams like the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers rise. This could be, in part, because of rookies like Gunnar Henderson and Josh Jung on their roster. As this season has provided fans with such great candidates up for consideration, here are the top contenders.
Looking at the AL Rookie of the Year Favorites
Gunnar Henderson
Since the departure of Manny Machado, Baltimore has been looking for a solid player for the left side of the infield. At long last, Gunnar Henderson seems to be the answer. This season, the 22-year-old has split his time between third base and shortstop for Baltimore. Offensively, Henderson is hitting .248/.328/.477 with 21 home runs and 61 RBI. After being drafted by Baltimore in 2019, he rose to the top of the prospects list in 2022. Coming into this season, Henderson was the consensus top prospect in the majors, and this season Henderson remains the favorite to win Rookie of the Year. If he does, he will be Baltimore’s first rookie of the year since Gregg Olson won it in 1989.
Gunnar Henderson, newest member of the MLB 20-HR club.
438 ft, 111.4 mph for the @Orioles infielder and former No. 1 overall prospect: pic.twitter.com/5HrF6EwuO2
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 19, 2023
Masataka Yoshida
The Boston Red Sox in 2023 have been underwhelming. However, one of the bright spots of this season has been outfielder Masataka Yoshida. Yoshida was a highly touted player from the Orix Buffaloes in Japan’s NBP. The free agent was sought after by a handful of teams but eventually chose Boston last winter. This season, the left fielder has a .295 average in 113 games with Boston, leading the team in hits with 130.
Triston Casas
In addition to Masataka Yoshida is his Red Sox teammate Triston Casas. The Red Sox took Casas in the first round of the 2018 draft. The 22-year-old has spent most of the season at first base for Boston. In 113 games with Boston, he is hitting .251/.352/.471 with 20 home runs and 49 RBI. Casas was a late September call-up for the team in 2022 and has found himself as one of the best rookies in the majors. The first baseman has shown that he and the Red Sox have a bright future together.
Tanner Bibee
The Cleveland Guardians have been a team known for developing great pitchers. Tanner Bibee does not appear to be an exception to this rule. The 24-year-old right-hander has been great. In 20 starts with the Guardians, he is currently 9-3 with an ERA of 3.01. Additionally, that gives Bibee an ERA + of 137, a WHIP of 1.21, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.11. Heading into the 2023 season, Bibee was in Triple-A Columbus and was not even one of the top 50 prospects in baseball. After failing to make the team out of spring training, he has earned his spot in the rotation for years to come.
Josh Jung
The Texas Rangers have been a high-flying offense, and Josh Jung has been one of the notable contributors to that. In 109 games with the Rangers, Jung has hit .274/.323/.489 with 22 home runs and 67 RBI. Unlike Gunnar Henderson or any other rookie on this list, Jung received a selection for the All-Star Game in July. Additionally, Jung was the first Ranger in franchise history to start an All-Star Game as a rookie. Jung has been a staple at third base and has a good combination of power and speed. Although he may get overlooked by other stars on the team, players like Josh Jung have successfully developed within their farm system. Consequently, this allows the Rangers to contend in 2023 with their depth on the roster.
Main photo credits:
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
