MLB: Top five American League Rookie of the Year candidates

There is a month left in the MLB season, and the American League Rookie of the Year race is coming down to the season’s final month.

At this time last season there was a spirited discussion about who was more deserving of the American League Rookie of the Year Award. The Houston Astros had Carlos Correa, who put up dazzling numbers to go with his impeccable fashion sense. The Cleveland Indians countered with Francisco Lindor, who was a defensive virtuoso and put up a 126 weighted runs created plus (wRC+) for good measure.

Correa ended up winning the award. He earned it, but Lindor had just as strong of a case. That’s why Correa beat Lindor by just 15 points once the voting ballots were tallied. It was clearly a two-horse race, as the third place finisher, Minnesota Twins designated hitter Miguel Sano, was 89 points behind Lindor.

The AL has a long string of formidable Rookie of the Year winners. The last player to win the award and then bust was Bobby Crosby, the 2004 winner from the Oakland Athletics. He hit 22 home runs that season but never again hit more than 10 in a season. He played in more than 100 games just once after 2004.

In between Crosby and Correa, the AL ROYs all turned out to be salty ball players. In order, they are: Huston Street, Justin Verlander, Dustin Pedroia, Evan Longoria, Andrew Bailey, Neftali Feliz, Jeremy Hellickson, Mike Trout, Wil Myers and Jose Abreu. Correa looks like he’s going to continue the streak.

This season, there aren’t any clear leaders but rather a collection of players who are productive but lack the lustrous patina of Correa or Lindor. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any future All-Stars among the group, just no prodigies.

(All stats entering play Tuesday.)

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