The rookie crop of 2013, while perhaps not as exciting as in
years past in terms of twitter-ready star power (Bryce Harper, etc.) has a bevy
of talent that should not be overlooked.
This year’s class features some great pitching (Jose Fernandez, Shelby Miller
among others) as well as some .300 hitters (Wil Myers, Jose Iglesias) and some
middle infielders (Nick Franklin, Andrelton Simmons) who are going to be
fixtures at the top of their respective teams lineups for years to come. Let’s handicap the rookies chances of winning
ROY trophies in their respective leagues. You’ll notice this year’s biggest
challengers to bring home the ROY hardware tend to come from contending teams.
American League
Wil Myers, OF, Tampa Bay- Odds 4:1. The Tampa Bay Rays
always seem to have a rookie in the discussion, which is the by-product of
their constant youth-enization of their roster.
The Rays are constantly trading guys in their primes for other teams top
prospects. Last year they traded away
starter James Shields for Myers and some others. Myers has been a godsend to the Rays; skipper
Joe Maddon has batted him everywhere from second to sixth Myers has responded
hitting .326 with nine homers and 37 RBI in 47 games. He’s stolen five bases and has a .904
OPS. He strikes out probably too much (46
whiffs) but has hit .367 with runners in scoring position. The big lights don’t faze him and he doesn’t
wear batting gloves. A good postseason
performance will have Myers running away with the AL ROY.
Jose Iglesias, 3B-SS, Detroit – Odds 7:1. Rarely does a ROY
challenger get traded mid-season but that’s exactly the story with Jose
Iglesias, going from the Red Sox to the Tigers midseason. Iglesias was called up and came out of the
gate smoking hitting like Ted Williams in his first 40 games. The Tigers
pounced on the chance to acquire Iglesias as the PED suspensions claimed Jhonny
Peralta. Iglesias is Omar Vizuel-lian in
his fielding prowess, exhibiting good range and offensively he’s cooled down
(.313 -2-22) and he’s hitting ninth in the lineup but he’s still plans on
figuring in a postseason march; which could help him overtake Myers.
Honorable Mentions: 2B/SS Nick Franklin (.242-10-35),
Mariners; SP Chris Archer (6-5,3.10 ERA) , Rays; C/1B Yan Gomes (.313-8-28),
Indians; SP Dan Straily (6-6,4.19 ERA), Athletics
National League
The National League has clearly got a handful of exciting
players that can/will be on All-Star rosters for years to come. These contenders for NL ROY include Jose
Fernandez, Yasiel Puig, Julio Teheran, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Shelby Miller just to name
a few.
Yasiel Puig, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers –Odds 3:1. The pomp and circumstance created by Yasiel
Puig notwithstanding, the Dodgers who were listless busts before he was called
up June 3rd, are now 45-18 with him on the roster. They have been darn near unbeatable in July
and August (40-8 since June 22nd) and are running away with the NL
West. Puig, who’s hitting .368, has the
highest batting average of anyone in the sport this year with over 250 plate
appearances. He’s bashed 11 homers,
stolen seven bases , hit seemingly twenty walkoffs this year and threw out
bumbling base runners flatfooted from the wall.
It’s all true, and he’s got Dodgerland amped up. The tools he possesses have made the injury
issues of Matt Kemp an afterthought in Tinsel Town.
Jose Fernandez, SP, Miami – Odds 8:1. The Marlins (46-73) for all their faults
continue to find talented youngsters right in their backyards. Of course
Miami’s “backyard” also includes major talent hotbeds without US zip codes. They picked a winner in Jose Fernandez a top
of the rotation type guy who right now at age 21, is one of the most unhittable
pitchers in baseball. He sports a 1.02
WHIP to go with a tidy 2.45 ERA and an 8-5 record with 149 strikouts in 139.2
innings. He loses the award to Yasiel
Puig because while Fernandez has played more games, Puig has made a greater and
more relevant impact in a bigger market.
Also Fernandez’s innings will be capped, he plays for the worst team in
the NL, and Puig looks to make more folks into Dodger fans in the postseason.
Shelby Miller, SP, St. Louis Cardinals – Odds 20:1. Of course had the award been handed out in
late May this would be the guy. He’s
part of a never ended stream of talent in St. Louis and the big right-hander might be the best player
out of this class when all said and done.
He’s gone 11-8, with a sparkling 2.97 ERA and 136 K’s in 127 innings of
work.
Julio Teheran, SP, Atlanta Braves – Odds 25:1. The most second popular Julio in Atlanta struggled
mightily to go deep in games but he’s evened up the score by tallying ERA’s of
1.95, 2.93, and 3.18 in June, July and August, respectively. Teheran has been under the radar with his
(9-6, 3.08 ERA, 127 K’s) because the other rookies have been so dominant.
Honorable Mention: SP Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-3, 2.91 ERA), SS Andrelton
Simmons( .240-11-40),
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