There certainly doesn't seem to be much suspense over who is going to win the Rookie awards in the AL or NL, does there? It has been such a foregone conclusion that Geo Soto of the Cubs will win the NL award, and that the Ray's Evan Longoria will take the award in the AL that it feels like it has already happened.
But no, the actual awards will be announced this afternoon, at 2 p.m. ET.
In fact, there is much speculation that Soto could be unanimous. And it's not because there are no other worthy candidates.
Actually, the NL boasts several strong candidates for Rookie-of-the-Year. Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds had a solid rookie campaign, .297/.368/.504, with the most home runs of any candidate in the league.
However, Soto's offensive numbers were almost as strong, and when you combine his stats with the demanding position he plays (catcher), his relative value is much higher. Catching is draining, both physically and mentally. And Soto did a solid job handling the Cubs' pitching staff, preparing well and displaying maturity beyond his years.
Other candidates in the NL include Atlanta starting pitcher Jair Jurriens, who went 13-10 with a respectable 3.68 ERA. Reds outfielder Jay Bruce hit 21 homers. And both Hiroki Kuroda (Dodgers) and John Lannon (Nationals) ended up with sub-4 ERAs, despite posting losing records.
In the American League, Longoria has hit well, played strong defense at third base, and got a ton of publicity via the success the Rays enjoyed this season.
Longoria led all rookies with 27 homers.
Among other hitting contenders in the AL, Alexei Ramirez (White Sox) hit .290 with 21 homers, and 13 stolen bases. His OBP was a paltry .317, however. Jacoby Ellsbury (Red Sox) hit .280 with 50 stolen bases and played excellent defense in center field.
But the closest competition for Longoria may well be Mike Aviles, rookie shortstop from Kansas City. He led all rookies with a .325 batting average.
Among rookie pitchers in the AL, Armando Galarraga (Tigers) went 13-7 with a 3.73 ERA. Nick Blackburn (Twins) won 11 games.
Still, it looks like smooth sailing for both Longoria and Soto, come to think of it.
8 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Brandon Heikoop 7 months ago
How did you ignore Mike Aviles?
If you look closely at the statistics, and consider performance relative to position, Aviles is VERY close to Longoria. In fact, he is probably closer to Longoria then he is to the next best rookie in the American League.
While you are correct that there was not a lot of suspense with these picks, that is not due to a poor rookie class, rather it is due to the media, which made Longoria 'the face' of the Rays (they were trying to do such with David Price as well).
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Bob Warja 7 months ago
I did not think Aviles qualified; if he does, then by all means he belongs. He hit something like .325 if my memory serves me at shortstop for KC. But when I went to espn.com "Stats" and hit rookies and qualified, he doesn't show up. And you're right, he would be the second choice in the AL.
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Brandon Heikoop 7 months ago
Aviles had never played a Major League game entering this season-I'd say he's a rookie ;)
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Bob Warja 7 months ago
No, I know - I was just saying that the reason I forgot about him was when I researched for the article, Aviles didn't show up among the "qualified" stats for rookies because he didn't have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. That, of course, has nothing to do with ROY, so my bad. I've added a couple sentences about him.
The article's pretense remains unchanged. The winners are Longoira and Soto, no suspense there.
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Todd Civin 7 months ago
Aside from the minor feau paux, a well written piece as usual.
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Bob Warja 7 months ago
Thanks Todd. And I can't say that I wasn't aware of Aviles, so I'm really disappointed in myself for that mistake. In fact, espn's Keith Law picked Aviles second, over Ramirez, so I definately knew about him. I hear there's some talk of moving him to second base?
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Todd Civin 7 months ago
No crisis. If that's the only screw up you have today, I tip my cap to you. Try to remember Aviles in your article about the Sophomore Slump next year.
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Bob Warja 7 months ago
OK. I hope that slump doesn't hit Geovanny Soto.
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