AL Rookie of the Year Rankings: American League West Owns ROY Race so Far

Jun 7, 2018

If you're looking to catch a glimpse of the best rookies in the American League in 2012, I recommend looking out west.

The American League West is home to several AL Rookie of the Year contenders, chief among them being Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout and Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish. For the most part, both of them have been excellent this season.

They're not the only ones in the AL West who are doing work in the early goings this season. The way things are looking, the odds are very good that the AL Rookie of the Year is going to come from the AL West for the third time in the last four years.

As things stand right now, here's how the top AL Rookie of the Year contenders stack up.

Note: Feel free to check out last week's rankings.

Honorable Mentions

1 of 7

Yoenis Cespedes, CF, Oakland Athletics

He's on the disabled list and it's unclear when he'll be able to return. He'll be back in the mix eventually, but not right now.

Scott Diamond, SP, Minnesota Twins

I know I asked this last week, but seriously, who is this guy?

Felix Doubront, SP, Boston Red Sox

He's been Boston's most consistent starting pitcher.

Will Middlebrooks, 3B, Boston Red Sox

He has a legitimate case to be in the top five, but playing time is going to be hard to come by for him now that Kevin Youkilis is back. I'm considering his ROY candidacy to be on hold for the time being.

Tommy Milone, SP, Oakland Athletics

He's not flashy, but he's tied for first in the American League with six wins. Definitely a guy to watch.

Addison Reed, RP, Chicago White Sox

He's getting back on track after a brutal performance against Kansas City on May 13th.

Drew Smyly, SP, Detroit Tigers

He's got the ERA. He just doesn't have much else.

5. Jesus Montero, C/DH, Seattle Mariners

2 of 7

Last Week: No. 5

Jesus Montero has played in more games than any other rookie in the American League, and it's really not close. He's played in 41 games, and nobody else has played in more than 30.

That's the biggest feather in Montero's cap. It's just too bad the rest of his numbers leave a lot to be desired.

Montero is hitting .257/.293/.421 this season with six home runs and 22 RBI. These numbers don't look hideous by any stretch of the imagination, but Montero was batting close to .300 earlier this month, and there's really no excusing an OBP under .300.

Things are looking up, though.

Montero went through a couple long stretches in April where he didn't take any walks. He's been taking his walks in the last couple weeks, and that's led to a steady increase in his on-base percentage.

This is a scary sign for the rest of the American League. If Montero can be selective on a daily basis, the sky's the limit. He's got a dangerous bat.

4. Wei-Yin Chen, SP, Baltimore Orioles

3 of 7

Last Week: No. 2

When I last wrote about Wei-Yin Chen, he was 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA, and it looked like the Baltimore Orioles had found something special.

Then he went out and gave up six earned runs in 4.1 innings against the Washington Nationals, one of the most inept offensive teams in baseball.

Chen is still a pretty good find by the Orioles, but his numbers look slightly more pedestrian after his drubbing at the hands of the Nats. His record now sits at 4-1, his ERA is up to 3.35 and his WHIP is up to 1.32.

Chen is still a top-five Rookie of the Year candidate, however. His bad start against Washington is really the only bad start he's made all season, there shouldn't be too many more of those to come. Chen is not dominant, but he showed in his first seven starts that he can be consistently effective. There's no reason to panic.

Although, that could change depending on how he fares in his next start against the Kansas City Royals.

TOP NEWS

Washington Nationals v Los Angeles Angels

Bleacher Report1w

Bleacher Report1w

3. Ryan Cook, RP, Oakland Athletics

4 of 7

Last Week: Unranked

I've wanted to move Ryan Cook into the top five for a couple weeks now. As you can tell, I figured it's been long enough. Time to give him his due.

It's happening under the radar, but Cook is having an excellent season. After notching yet another clean outing on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels, Cook has now pitched 22.2 scoreless innings this season.

Among relievers with at least 20 innings pitched, only Cook and Aroldis Chapman have perfect 0.00 ERAs. Just as important, Cook has yet to allow any inherited runners to score. Not even Chapman can say that.

Basically, when Cook has taken the mound this season, teams haven't scored. That's a pretty remarkable accomplishment.

Oh, and Cook has 10 holds, tying him for third in the American League. I absolutely adore holds, don't you?

2. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels

5 of 7

Last Week: No. 3

Mike Trout entered Wednesday's matinee against the Oakland A's batting .333/.402/.571 with a .973 OPS, four home runs and six stolen bases in 22 games.

He proceeded to go 0-for-5, dropping his batting line to .315/.382/.539.

Nuts.

Still, we're talking about a guy who was hitting .350 a couple days ago. Trout has been the Angels' best hitter in the month of May, and he'd already established himself as the most valuable rookie in the American League.

At last check, the folks at FanGraphs had Trout's WAR at 1.4, which was far and away the best WAR among AL rookie position players.

This is just the start of what is sure to be a very bright career.

1. Yu Darvish, SP, Texas Rangers

6 of 7

Last Week: No. 1

Priority No. 1 for Yu Darvish for the rest of the season needs to be figuring out the Seattle Mariners.

In two starts against Seattle, Darvish has an 8.38 ERA over 9.2 innings pitched. He hasn't had good control against them, and they've hit him at an even .300 clip.

In seven starts against everyone else, Darvish is 6-1 with a 1.94 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 46.1 innings pitched. Those are some pretty good numbers.

Even despite his struggles against the Mariners, Darvish's numbers look pretty solid. He has a 6-2 record, a 3.05 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 56 innings pitched. That's good for a K/9 of 10.13, which is second among American League starting pitchers and first among rookies.

Darvish is secure in the top spot for now, but Trout is definitely making a run at him. It's shaping up to be a fun race between two guys who will be facing each other a lot in the years to come.