Could Nolan Reimold Win the AL Rookie of the Year Award?

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Before the season started, most analysts were calling for David Price, Elvis Andrus, Matt Wieters, or Travis Snider to win the AL Rookie of the Year award.

Orioles' outfielder Nolan Reimold would probably be only the third Oriole considered, after super-prospect Wieters and Japanese import Koji Uehara. But after being called up to the majors on May 14, Reimold has quickly shown he is very capable of placing himself in the discussion.

Despite a 1-for-9 start of his career at the plate, Reimold has hit .278 with four RBI and two home runs, including a massive 400-foot bomb off of Mariano Rivera, in his first nine games. His 0-for-4 night at Washington on Saturday was only the second time in his short career he hasn't recorded a hit (though he reached base on an error). He's also proved his defensive doubters wrong, with 59 innings of very solid play in left field.

Oh, by the way, he's the only player to ever hit his first career MLB homer off of Rivera.

The 25 year-old has proved very worthy of his promotion to a crowded left-field in Camden Yards. Despite his .394 average at Triple-A Norfolk, Reimold had to wait until injuries to Adam Jones and Luke Scott for him to get his chance to play in the big leagues. But he's played well enough to continue to earn time, even after Jones has returned.

Perhaps more importantly, he's the starting left-fielder for the Orioles in their current series with the Washington Nationals. This is especially important due to the lack of designated hitters in the National League ballpark, giving one less spot for the combination of Reimold, Felix Pie, and Lou Montanez to compete for.

It seems likely that Reimold will continue to have significant playing time even after Luke Scott returns from injury.

It's too early to crown the AL Rookie of the Year, and Reimold has an even smaller sample size. It would be an understatement to say a lot can change between now and the end of the season.

But if Reimold continues to produce at this level, he'll be on the short list of players in contention for the honor at the end of the season.

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