MLB Rookie of the Year 2013: Breaking Down Top Contenders in Each League

As we enter the final weekend of the 2013 MLB season, the NL and AL Rookie of the Year awards are still very much up for grabs.  While the NL can go in only few directions, the AL is still anyone's race and could come down to the final game of the year.

This time last year, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper were both runaway winners for the award, but 2013 is entirely different.

Let’s looks at the top three candidates for Rookie of the Year in both leagues.

National League

3) Shelby Miller, SP, St. Louis Cardinals

Miller has been an incredible addition for an injury-depleted Cardinals rotation. He stepped into the No. 2 spot extremely well and is 15-9 on the year with an ERA 3.06. The Cardinals and Miller have both been mindful of his number of innings pitched and as a result he is ready to go for the postseason.

2) Yasiel Puig, RF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Arguably the most exciting player in baseball in 2013, Puig not only is going for Rookie of the Year, but also NL MVP. Since making his debut in June, no player has been more entertaining on the field.

While he has cooled off since then, he still has the ability to make big plays at the plate and in the field. If the Dodgers can win the World Series, Puig will be a big reason why. 

1)   Jose Fernandez, SP, Miami Marlins

Fernandez has been the lone bright spot for the Marlins this year. He is already the ace in the rotation at 21-years-old and this year finished with an astounding ERA of 2.19 picking up 12 wins along the way.

The Marlins shut him down two weeks ago, and for good reason. Miami need Fernandez to be as good as he was in 2013 for the next 5-7 seasons if they want to compete.

American League

3) Jose Iglesias, SS, Detroit Tigers

Iglesias has been a great acquisition for the Tigers since All-Star shortstop Jhonny Peralta was suspended. Although Peralta is set to become active this week heading into the postseason, Inglesias appears to be the long-term answer for the Tigers at shortstop.

It will be interesting to see how manage Jim Leyland uses Iglesias in October.

2) Dan Straily, SP, Oakland Athletics

The A’s have an extremely young pitching staff behind Bartolo Colon and Straily is their best "young gun." This year he leads all American League rookie pitchers in starts, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts.

He has been excellent down the stretch winning four out of his last five games giving up only eight earned runs. The A’s need Straily to be a dominant No. 2 pitcher in the postseason, and all signs point to that happening.

1) Wil Myers, RF, Tampa Bay Rays

Much like Yasiel Puig, Myers came up to the big leagues on fire. By the end of July he was hitting .331 with seven home runs and 27 RBI’s. In August Myers cooled off, but has since been getting hot again and looks to be the favorite to win the award this year.

Myers could really make a name for himself if the Rays can pull out one of the final two wild card spots.