Midseason MLB Rookie of the Year Favorites
There is a plethora of young talent in the majors, but who will walk away with the hardware for ROY in each division? (via MLB.com)
The Rookie of the Year award in the MLB has always been a hit-or-miss sort of award. There are those players that win the award and fulfill their destiny to become one of the game’s best (Mike Trout), and then there are those who fail to live up to their perceived potential (Bobby Crosby of the A’s?). Nonetheless, there are few things in the life of a sports fan that are more fun than engaging in pure, unadulterated speculation. Don’t worry, my picks for each league’s Rookie of the Year will have statistical backing. But at the end of the day, until the hardware is officially handed out, all I’m doing is guessing.
NL Rookie of the Year: Trevor Rogers (SP, Miami Marlins)
Marlins’ SP Trevor Rogers has emerged as one of the league’s best pitchers in 2021, rookies and veterans included. (via Icon Sportswire)
Trevor Rogers has seemingly come out of left field in terms of becoming the frontrunner for the NL Rookie of the Year award. Rogers currently ranks fourth among all pitchers in the majors with a 2.08 ERA, 18th in strikeouts with 101 and 19th in WHIP with a 1.04. Rogers also lands in the top-15 in quality starts on the year, among names like Yu Darvish, Tyler Glasnow and Zack Greinke. Furthermore, Rogers leads all rookie pitchers in wins, innings and strikeouts in 2021. Those numbers are good for any pitcher, let alone a 23-year-old rookie.
So why do I say that Rogers came out of nowhere to become the NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner? Well, for starters, back in January, an article on MLB.com didn’t even have Rogers as a top-5 candidate to win the award. In November of 2020, an article on CBS Sports didn’t list Rogers as one of their early favorites to win the award -- they didn’t even list him as an honorable mention! Suffice it to say, Rogers has been turning lots of heads, and he is my clear favorite in the NL to take home the Rookie of the Year honors in 2021.
AL Rookie of the Year: Adolis Garcia (OF, Texas Rangers)
Adolis Garcia of the Texas Rangers has made his name known among the best power hitters in baseball in 2021. Is it enough for AL ROY honors? (via Jae C. Hong)
It looks like the Rangers have found a superstar in their 28-year-old rookie outfielder. Adolis Garcia currently leads all rookies with 20 home runs and 52 RBIs, quite impressive for a player that the Rangers acquired for cash considerations prior to the 2020 season and was designated for assignment during that same year. More impressive is that Garcia already holds the Rangers rookie record for home runs, and we’re not even at the All-Star break yet.
In terms of numbers, among all hitters, Garcia currently ranks fourth in home runs and sixth in RBIs.His .276/.308/.552 slash line is nothing to laugh at either. His 132 OPS+ is a whole 32 points higher than the major league average of 100, and he’s added on seven stolen bases for good measure as well. Needless to say, Garcia has seemingly separated himself among the other AL Rookie of the Year candidates, and if he continues at his current pace, it looks like it’s his race to lose.