Colby Rasmus: Your 2009 NL Rookie of the Year?

Going into 2009, there were a lot of great young hitters expected to compete for the Rookie of the Year award in both leagues.

We heard names like Cameron Maybin, Matt Wieters, Gordon Beckham, Travis Snider, Jordan Schafer and Elvis Andrus.

But the hitter who is having who is having the best rookie campaign so far for a hitter is St Louis Cardinals OF Colby Rasmus.

Heading into Friday’s action, Rasmus leads all rookies in HR with seven and RBI with 26. He also sports a .272 average and has scored 28 runs in 60 games for the Redbirds.

Rasmus has always been a top prospect for the Cardinals, and now he is getting the opportunity to make an impact at the major league level.

His impact was felt on Wednesday night against the Detroit Tigers. Rasmus went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI in the Cardinals’ 4-3 win over the team they defeated in the 2006 World Series. 

The most impressive thing about Rasmus’ night is that his two RBI’s gave the Cardinals a lead on two separate occasions. That is some solid clutch hitting.

Rasmus, as long as he stays in the lineup (with La Russa, you never know) should get plenty of good pitches to hit, hitting in front of Albert Pujols. If he keeps this up, he might just be your 2009 National League Rookie of the Year.

Here are some other facts about Colby Rasmus…

Age: 22

College: None. Went to Russell County High School in Seale, Ala.

Drafted: 28th pick of the first round in the 2005 Draft

Minor League Stats

2005 Rookie Ball: .296 with seven HR, 27 RBI, 13 SB’s and a .362 OBP in 62 games.

2006 Single A: .310 with 11 HR, 50 RBI, 17 SB’s and a .373 OBP in 78 games.

2006 Single A+: .254 with five HR, 35 RBI, 11 SB’s and a .351 OBP in 53 games.

2007 Double A: .275 with 29 HR’s, 72 RBI, 18 SB’s and a .381 OBP in 128 games.

2008 Triple A: .251 with 11 HR, 36 RBI, 15 SB and a .346 OBP in 90 games.

Keith Law Ranking and Analysis

Ranking: No. 12 out of 100 best prospects in baseball

Analysis: “Don’t hurt yourselves jumping off the Colby Rasmus bandwagon, OK? Rasmus played his entire injury-plagued 2008 season in Triple-A at age 21, and by the time he made a few adjustments and started hitting, he hit the disabled list twice and played just five more games before the season ended. (After an 0-for-22 stretch in mid-May, Rasmus hit .336/.444/.517 over 171 plate appearances until he hurt his groin on July 1.)

The scouting report on Rasmus hasn’t changed: He still has quick hands and gets the bat to the ball quickly, projects to have plus power, is an above-average runner, plays a solid center field, has the arm to play right, and shows a generally advanced feel for the game given his age.

He also has a history of good plate discipline and solid contact rates. So, please, before you send him off in endless trade proposals, remind me again what’s not to like here?”