MLB Awards Watch 2015: Top 5 AL ROY end-of-season rankings
By Tim Haberin
Aug 22, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
If the 2015 American League Rookie of the Year race reminds us of anything, it is the great potential impact of midseason call-ups. For the first couple months, the AL rookie class looked decidedly less impressive than its NL counterpart. That is, until a handful of prospects made their debuts later on in the campaign. And these talented youngsters didn’t need full seasons to really show what they could do at the big league level.
With the regular season now complete, the Junior Circuit boasts a promising crop of rookies that should continue to excite us for years to come. Several who just missed the cut of this Top 5 list also have achievements worth discussing.
Tampa Bay Rays starter Nathan Karns dealt with some forearm issues and was rather homer-prone in the second half, but he still finished the year with a 3.67 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 2.59 K/BB ratio over 147 innings. The White Sox’s top pitching prospect Carlos Rodon was wildly inconsistent earlier in the year but settled down considerably after the All-Star break. In his last eight starts (54.2 IP) he posted a 1.81 ERA and held opponents to a .198 average.
The future looks bright for the American League and the game of baseball as a whole, so let’s continue our 2015 MLB awards watch with a final installment of our Top 5 AL ROY rankings.
Honorable mentions: Nate Karns (TB), Carlos Rodon (CHW), Eddie Rosario (MIN)
Next: Rookie #5