AL Rookie of the Year Rankings: Has Mike Trout Overtaken Yu Darvish?

Jun 4, 2018

Never mind Bryce Harper. The most exciting rookie in Major League Baseball plays in Los Angeles.

Er, Anaheim.

At any rate, his name is Mike Trout, and he's been phenomenal for the Angels ever since they called him up in late April. In just 29 games, he's hitting over .300 with five home runs and eight stolen bases, and he's made some amazing plays in the field.

Trout has been gaining ground in the American League Rookie of the Year race for weeks. With over a month of big league service under his belt this season, we now have to ask if he's the man to beat.

Well, let's take a look. Here are my updated AL Rookie of the Year rankings.

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

Honorable Mentions

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Yoenis Cespedes, CF, Oakland Athletics

He has good numbers, but he hasn't played since early May because of a hand injury. He'll be back on the field soon, and back in the top five in the ROY race soon after that.

Ryan Cook, RP, Oakland Athletics

He finally allowed an earned run. Check that, two earned runs. Given his tendency to walk hitters, these runs were overdue.

Scott Diamond, SP, Minnesota Twins

He's been challenged in his last couple starts, but he still has solid numbers.

Jesus Montero, C/DH, Seattle Mariners

He's played in more games than any other rookie in the AL, but he's just 12 for his last 66.

Jarrod Parker, SP, Oakland Athletics

He has good numbers, but I need to see a larger body of work.

Drew Smyly, SP, Detroit Tigers

He's not really fooling anyone anymore, but his numbers are still decent.

5. Wei-Yin Chen, SP, Baltimore Orioles

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Last Week: No. 4

If it wasn't for his poor start against the Washington Nationals on May 20, Wei-Yin Chen would have excellent numbers.

As it is, his numbers are pretty good anyway. In nine starts, Chen has a 4-1 record with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He's holding hitters to a respectable .250 average and he's not walking too many guys.

Chen doesn't dominate when he pitches. He just goes out and throws strikes, and he trusts his defense to do the rest. And for a guy who induces as many fly balls as he does, it's pretty impressive that his HR/FB rate is a mere 7.9 percent.

That number is on the way up, though. Chen gave up two home runs in his first six starts, and he's given up four home runs in his last three starts.

Even still, only two AL rookie pitchers have a higher WAR than Chen's 0.8, according to FanGraphs. He hasn't gotten a whole lot of attention, but he's been one of the best rookie hurlers in the Junior Circuit this season.

4. Felix Doubront, SP, Boston Red Sox

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Last Week: Unranked

Speaking of guys who haven't gotten their just deserves, Felix Doubront has been the most consistent pitcher in the Boston Red Sox's rotation this season.

Not Jon Lester. Not Josh Beckett. Felix Doubront. Go figure.

Doubront has a tendency to be inefficient with his pitches, but he's still managed to log at least six innings in six of his 10 starts, including four of his last five. For the season, he has a 3.86 ERA and a 9.48 K/9 that ranks fourth among all AL pitchers.

Doubront has been particularly impressive in his last four starts. He's pitched 23.2 innings in those four starts, striking out 27 while compiling a 2.28 ERA.

Believe it or not, Doubront is actually tied with Yu Darvish for the highest WAR among AL rookie pitchers. The only reason he's not higher on this list is because Darvish has a comfortable edge in innings pitched.

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3. Will Middlebrooks, 3B, Boston Red Sox

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Last Week: Unranked

We go from a Red Sox rookie pitcher to a Red Sox rookie hitter. This particular rookie hitter has been impressive since the moment he set foot in Fenway Park in early May.

Will Middlebrooks entered Wednesday's action hitting .308 with a .549 slugging percentage. He proceeded to hit a two-run home run off Drew Smyly, bringing his home run total to six and his RBI total to 24.

That's not bad for a 24-game span. In fact, that's pretty darn good.

I should have included Middlebrooks in my top five weeks ago, but I held off because I wasn't sure there was going to be playing time for him once Kevin Youkilis returned to the lineup. Instead of sending Middlebrooks back down to Triple-A or clearing room for him on the bench, Bobby Valentine has found ways to keep Middlebrooks in his lineup.

So it's official: Middlebrooks is legit, and he's here to stay.

There's only one rookie hitter in the American League having a better season than him.

2. Yu Darvish, SP, Texas Rangers

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Last Week: No. 1

Yu Darvish-Mania was fun for a while there, but he hasn't been very sharp in his last five outings.

In his first five starts, Darvish was 4-0 with a 2.18 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 33 innings. In his last five starts, he's 3-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 28 innings. He does have 33 strikeouts in those 28 innings, but he also has 18 walks.

The good news? Despite his recent struggles, Darvish still has a respectable 7-2 record and a respectable 3.25 ERA. His 9.74 K/9 ranks second among all AL hurlers.

And like I mentioned a couple slides ago, Darvish is also tied for the AL lead among rookie hurlers in WAR.

He hasn't been great, but he's been pretty darn good. Especially for a rookie.

1. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels

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Last Week: No. 2

Here's the answer to our grand question. Mike Trout is indeed the man to beat in the AL Rookie of the Year race.

Trout has excellent numbers across the board. He's hitting .304/.364/.522 with five home runs, and he's stolen eight bases in 10 tries.

Trout's defense has been just as impressive as his hitting. There are few balls he can't get to in the outfield, and the numbers suggest he's been as good as he's looked. Per FanGraphs, Trout has a 27.6 UZR/150 and five defensive runs saved.

It's also very much worth noting that Trout's energy has rubbed off on the Angels. Without him, they probably don't get to 18 wins in the month of May (though Albert Pujols' resurgence has definitely helped).

Trout's WAR is already 1.7. That's the best mark among AL rookie hitters, and it's not close.