NL Rookie of the Year Rankings: Bryce Harper Re-Emerges as Contender

Most of the leading contenders for NL Rookie of the Year struggled over the past week, resulting in not much change among our top five candidates.

Atlanta Braves shortstop Tyler Pastornicky, No. 5 on our list last week, was nudged out of the rankings after batting 2-for-22 (.091) over the past eight days. He's tumbled right along with his team, which slogged through a recent eight-game losing streak. (After Wednesday's game, the Braves sent Pastornicky down to Class Triple-A Gwinnett.) 

That created an opening for Bryce Harper to rejoin the top five contenders. Though, even without Pastornicky's slump, Harper has played so well over the past week that he would've pushed his way back into the rankings. 

So here's how this week's list of five NL Rookie of the Year candidates shakes out.

5. Wade Miley, Arizona Diamondbacks

Last week: No. 4

After allowing one run in his previous two starts, Wade Miley was roughed up a bit in his most recent outing.

The Milwaukee Brewers tagged Miley for five runs (three earned) and eight hits in six innings. But Miley didn't take the loss. He actually earned the win, thanks to the Arizona Diamondbacks scoring eight runs for him. 

The victory gave Miley six for the season, tops among D-Backs starting pitchers. He also leads Arizona starters with a 2.41 ERA. That figure also ranks him eighth in the National League. 

One concern for Miley could be the number of hits he's allowing recently. In his past five starts, he's given up 39 hits in 31and a third innings. Pounding the strike zone is keeping his walks down, but it's also giving opposing hitters plenty to hit.

A 3.31 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) and 4.41 xFIP indicate that he's not pitching quite as well as his record and ERA would lead you to believe. 

4. Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds

Last week: No. 3

After pushing his batting average back up to .250 and his OPS over .720, Zack Cozart appears to be struggling with the bat again. Over his past eight games, Cozart hit 7-for-32 (.219) with a home run and two RBI.

More of a concern is that Cozart drew zero walks, which isn't something you'd prefer to see from a leadoff hitter. Yet, that's where Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker continues to bat him. 

Would Cozart benefit from moving down in the order, perhaps in the lower third of the lineup? Perhaps, as it might allow him to work on his approach without the pressure of getting on base for the Reds' RBI men.

But Baker apparently feels he doesn't have any other viable options to bat leadoff. Unfortunately for the Reds, he's probably right. Though, with the way Cozart's been hitting lately, Baker should probably consider moving someone like Brandon Phillips to the top of the order. 

3. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

After being absent from our NL Rookie of the Year rankings for the past few weeks, Bryce Harper has re-emerged as a contender, due in large part to swinging a scorching hot bat.

Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson recently moved Harper to the second spot in the batting order, and the 19-year-old has found his comfort zone there. As the Nats' No. 2 hitter, Harper is hitting .314/.397/.608 with two home runs, six RBI and seven walks in 58 plate appearances. 

Over his past eight games, since we last posted these rankings, Harper batted 10-for-27 (.370) with two triples, two homers and four RBI.

That stretch has pushed Harper's OPS up to .891, second only to Adam LaRoche among Nationals hitters. Harper now leads all major league rookies in that category. His .368 on-base percentage ranks third among his fellow rookies, trailing teammate Steve Lombardozzi. 

Riding some ups and downs was to be expected for Harper after getting the call-up to the majors. But at no point has he looked overwhelmed by the big-league level of play, making up for his mistakes with an all-out effort. Now, Harper's talent is beginning to catch up, and he's developing into the player so many of us have been eagerly anticipating. 

2. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, New York Mets

Last week: No. 2

Just as New York Mets manager Terry Collins isn't moving Kirk Nieuwenhuis from the second spot of his lineup, we're not moving him from the second spot in these rankings. 

Nieuwenhuis continues to be a solid contributor for a team starved for offense. Since last week's rankings were posted, Nieuwenhuis batted 7-for-21 (.333), giving the Mets a consistent performance at the top of the order. 

At one point, it looked as if Nieuwenhuis might be the victim of a roster crunch with Andres Torres coming off the DL to reclaim center field and Jason Bay getting set to return from his injury. 

But Torres has slumped terribly, giving Nieuwenhuis an opportunity to stay in the lineup. And with Ike Davis' season-long struggles, it's entirely possible that Collins will opt to move Lucas Duda to first base and shift Nieuwenhuis to right field when Bay is ready to play left field again.

Collins can't afford to take his rookie outfielder out of the lineup right now and probably for the rest of the season. 

1. Yonder Alonso, San Diego Padres

Last week: No. 1

Holding down the top spot in our rankings for the second straight week is San Diego Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso. 

Alonso didn't have a great week with the bat, hitting 7-for-32 (.219) with two doubles and an RBI. That's dropped his batting average below .300 and his OPS below .800. In a different week, that might be enough to knock him down a spot or two among the five leading NL rookie candidates. But with none of the other contenders making a big push, moving Alonso down isn't justifiable. 

With his .286/.364/.394 slash average, Alonso is still the Padres' leading hitter. But he's probably ill-suited to bat fourth or fifth, which is where manager Bud Black has had to put him with few other options. However, with the return of Carlos Quentin, more of a typical cleanup hitter, Alonso now has a true power threat behind him and should see more pitches to hit. 

Alonso should flourish as the No. 3 hitter his skills are best suited to be. But if he doesn't keep hitting, he could be looking up at Bryce Harper in these rankings and forget about any award consideration very soon.

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