The favorites for the MVP and Cy Young awards of the American and National League from MLB have a few weeks to solidify their candidacies, but the contenders to the Rookie of the Year.
There are some careers that are flourishing in front of our eyes. We asked a panel of MLB.com experts which rookies have impressed them the most so far. Players received votes on a scale of 5-3-1 (5 for first place votes, three for second and one for third).
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1) José Adolis García, OF, Rangers (27 votes for first place)
The Cuban hasn’t had the most consistent season of all, but the numbers are hard to ignore. The Ciego de Avila native leads all first-year players with 29 home runs and 77 RBIs. If he reaches 30 homers, he would tie Pete Incaviglia (1986) for the franchise record for a rookie.
But it is more than power. Garcia started Friday with 12 assists from the outfield, trailing only Hunter Renfroe for the most among Major League troopers and his 9 Outs Above Average (according to Statcast) rank him among the top 10 patrollers of 2021. .
2) Randy Arozarena, OF, Rays (23 first-place votes)
Arozarena was by far the best hitter in the sport 11 months ago, when he set postseason records with 10 home runs and 29 hits. His bat got cold in the winter and had a hard time starting in the early months of the season, but he has been one of the best hitters in baseball in the second half.
Starting Friday, the Cuban was hitting .318 / .393 / .589 with eight home runs since the break. Arozarena also started Friday’s games leading the AL rookies in hits (120), doubles (24) and walks (45).
3) Luis Garcia, RHP, Astros (10 votes for first place)
The Astros didn’t start 2021 with the same type of rotation they’ve shown in previous years, but the Venezuelan’s rise has helped Houston get on track for the division title. Garcia passes opponents with a distinctive throwing style, frustrating them with a deep arsenal: cutter, slider, change and curve, which make him have an elite miss-per-swing rate of at least 39%. The mound started Friday leading the AL rookies in fWAR (2.8) and was tied in wins (10) and strikeouts (150). Opponents have hit him just .214 since he made his debut last year.
4) Ryan Mountcastle, 1B / OF / BD, Orioles (2 votes for first place)
Mountcastle started Friday only behind Garcia in home runs (25) and RBIs (74) among AL rookies, following a great August in which he hit .357 / .397 / .786 with eight home runs, six doubles and 16 RBIs. He is three homers away from tying Cal Ripken Jr. (28 in 1982) for the club record for a first-year player.
5) Wander Franco, SS, Rays (1 vote for first place)
Yes, the Dominican has participated in less than 60 games, but he has impressed what it takes to make an impact on the vote. At just 20 years old, Franco has the longest active streak in the majors with 34 games reaching at least one base, beating Hall of Famers Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Arky Vaughn and Mel Ott for the longest run. for any player age 20 or younger in American and National League history. He leads all rookies on the Young Circuit with 49 hits, 35 runs scored and 28 RBIs since the All-Star Game.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1) Jonathan India, 2B, Reds (46 first place votes)
No rookie has come close to India. Cincinnati has found another young hitter who, like Joey Votto, has a great sense of the strike zone. He started Friday’s session with an on-base percentage of .381; which would represent the best for any first-year player since Cuban José Abreu (.383) in 2014. But he not only negotiates walks, until Friday he led all rookies of the National in extra-base (43) and RBIs (59 ).
2) Trevor Rogers, LZ, Marlins (13 votes for first place)
Rogers is returning from an absence of more than a month due to a family emergency, but what he did through July was solid enough to rank second on this list. The left-hander’s 2.45 ERA is the best among qualified rookie starters and started Friday as third among first-year pitchers with 129 fans, even with that lost time.
3) Patrick Wisdom, 3B, Cubs (3 first place votes)
The silver lining of the Cubs season, after so many stars came out on the trade deadline, is 30-year-old Patrick Wisdom. The third baseman became the Cubs’ first rookie to string together two multi-homer games last weekend against the White Sox. He’s one homer away from matching Kris Bryant for the most in club history for a rookie.
4) Ian Anderson, RHP, Braves (2 first place votes)
Anderson hasn’t been the same dominant pitcher of the 2020 postseason; though he set the bar high, allowing two earned runs in 18.2 stages in October. Still, he has been a solid pitcher in the Braves leading men rotation, posting a 3.36 ERA with just nine homers allowed and a .344 opposing slugging in 101.2 innings.
Matt Kelly / MLB.com
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