MLB Awards Watch: Top 5 NL ROY candidates through August

Aug 30, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson (31) strikes out in the third inning of the game against the against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The National League Rookie of the Year battle has been one of the more fascinating stories to watch unfold this year in baseball. Through the All-Star break, it looked like it was going to be a two-horse race all the way. However, the last month or so has brought an unexpected shift, and now the competition seems to be heading in a very different direction.

Much of that shift has had to do with the continued fall of Joc Pederson. A mainstay in our rankings since the beginning, Pederson had a dreadful August, hitting .120 for the month (helping drop his season average to .211) and getting benched for a spell. His 24 home runs are still the most among rookies, but only four of them have come in the second half. It seems crazy that he would drop out of the top five considering his torrid start, but the other players on this list simply have more convincing resumes right now.

The Senior Circuit has a strong class of rookies this season, and it wouldn’t seem too outlandish for any of these names to make a big run at the prize in the final full month of the campaign. For now, here are the current top five NL rookies in our 2015 MLB awards watch.

Honorable mentions: Joc Pederson (LAD), Chris Heston (SFG), Odubel Herrera (PHI)

Next: Rookie #5