Last year’s Rookie of the Year Award winners saw Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson winning for their respective leagues. While there is no real favorite in the American League, there is a clear-cut favorite in the National League, much like last year with Carroll. Below are the odds for the AL and NL Rookie of the Year Award with a breakdown of the early top options.
Will any of these players stand out as the two most valuable rookies in baseball this year?
Early Rookie of the Year Watch
American League
AL Rookie of the Year Odds
| Player | Team | Odds |
| Evan Carter | Texas Rangers | +280 |
| Jackson Holliday | Baltimore Orioles | +340 |
| Wyatt Langford | Texas Rangers | +700 |
| Colt Keith | Detroit Tigers | +1000 |
| Junior Caminero | Tampa Bay Rays | +1000 |
Evan Carter, CF, Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers called up Carter towards the end of the season for their World Series run. Carter finished his first stint in the majors with a 1.065 OPS over 75 plate appearances. He even reached base in every game during the Rangers’ postseason run, finishing with a .917 OPS. Carter certainly has the skills to be an everyday center fielder in the big leagues. The hitting and on-base skills are there, and if he can show more consistency, he could run away with it.
Jackson Holliday, SS, Baltimore Orioles
The No.1 pick of the 2022 MLB Draft was none other than Holliday himself. He is the No.1 prospect on the Top 100 of MLB.com. He played his first full season across four levels, finishing in Triple-A. Jackson played the whole season at age 19 with a combined .332/.442/.499 line, 24 stolen bases and walked over 100 times. The hope is that he gains more power as he matures and gains experience at the major league level. His strong track record on the basepaths could keep him in contention for the honors.
Wyatt Langford, LF, Texas Rangers
Carter isn’t the only Rangers player who can make a case for the Rookie of the Year race. Langford could very well join him in the majors for Opening Day. In his first pro season, Langford walked through four levels, hitting .360/.480/.677 with 17 doubles, 10 home runs and 12 stolen bases. Unlike Holliday, the former Flordia Gator has power at the plate, hitting 47 home runs over his last two seasons at Florida. Carter and Adolis García are locks for the outfield and one way for Langford to snag the final spot is to have a strong spring over the incumbent Leody Taveras.
Colt Keith, 3B, Detroit Tigers
The Tigers were thrilled when Keith got a taste of his first fully healthy minor league season. Keith finished with 27 home runs, 68 extra-base hits and a .552 slugging percentage across 126 games at Double-A and Triple-A. He shouldn’t face much resistance in making the Tigers’ lineup this season. Detroit needs offensive help and Keith can provide them with just that and power at the plate.
Junior Caminero, 3B/SS, Tampa Bay Rays
Caminero hit 31 home runs and slugged .591 over 117 games at High-A and Double-A last season. While he was called up for the stretch run, there is something there in Caminero’s game. The quality of his contract should let Tampa Bay to turn to him in 2024 as an infield option, preferably at third base or shortstop. Caminero has the potential to hit 25-plus homers over a full season. Henderson, Carroll and Francisco Álvarez all reached the plateau last season.
National League
NL Rookie of the Year Odds
| Player | Team | Odds |
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Los Angeles Dodgers | +180 |
| Jackson Chourio | Milwaukee Brewers | +850 |
| Jung Hoo Lee | San Francisco Giants | +900 |
| Shōta Imanaga | Chicago Cubs | +1100 |
| Noelvi Marte | Cincinnati Reds | +1100 |
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Yamamoto doesn’t qualify as a prospect. He is, however, eligible for the Rookie of the Year honors, like his fellow countrymen Kaz Sasaki and Ichiro when they won in 2000 and 2001. Given his success in Japan and at last year’s World Baseball Classic, Yamamoto is going to fit in with a playoff-caliber team’s rotation like the Dodgers. It’s also easy to believe that he could very well be a favorite for the NL MVP Award, too. The last starting pitcher to win NL Rookie of the Year honors was Jacob deGrom in 2014.
Jackson Chourio, CF, Milwaukee Brewers
Jackson Chourio made noise when he signed an eight-year, $82 million deal with the Brewers before his major league debut. The 19-year-old put in a 20-40 season and reached Triple-A to end the season. Despite having the second shortest odds to win the NL Rookie of the Year, Chourio isn’t a lock to start the season in the majors. That said, he will make his debut at some point as he enters the year as the second-ranked prospect on MLB.com. It’s rare to see a 65-grade power from a player of Chourio’s size at 5’11” and 165 pounds. Over three minor league seasons, Chourio compiled a .490 slugging percentage.
Jung Hoo Lee, CF, San Francisco Giants
Jung Hoo Lee is expected to open the season as the Giants’ everyday leadoff hitter and centerfielder. Lee was the KBO MVP in 2022 and the first high school rookie to start every game in that league. Over five KBO seasons, Lee posted a .340 batting average and .898 OPS. Even though Lee isn’t known for his power, he did put up 22 home runs in his MVP season while racking up 113 RBI in the process. The transition to MLB will be interesting for Lee, but he has the bat skills and plate discipline to adjust his game.
Shōta Imanaga, SP, Chicago Cubs
Shota Imanaga is going to surprise many. The 30-year-old southpaw signed with the Cubs after a stellar 2023 season. He led the NPB Central League with 188 strikeouts and posted a 2.66 ERA along the way. Over eight seasons in the NBP, Imanaga compiled a 64-50 record, 3.18 ERA and a 9.2 K/9.
Noelvi Marte, 3B, Cincinnati Reds
Noelvi Marte could be a very good dark horse pick here. Marte hit .316/.366/.456 during his 35-game big league debut. He reeled off a strong finish to his season thanks to a long hitting streak. He could very well put up some big numbers with a Reds team that is on pursuit of a team breakthrough. Marte is known as a well-rounded hitter, compiling a .282 batting average and .834 OPS. He stole 24 bases between two levels last season after swiping 23 of 24 bases the prior two years.
Main Photo: © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
