2. Matt Duffy
Sep 30, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Duffy (5) rounds third base on his way to score against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning at AT&T Park. The San Francisco Giants defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco Giants penciled in journeyman Casey McGehee as their Opening Day third baseman, but that arrangement wouldn’t last very long. Rookie Matt Duffy soon grabbed the reins and made the post-Pablo Sandoval era in San Fran look much brighter than initially expected.
Duffy was a very pleasant surprise in his first full big league season, posting a .295/.334/.428 batting line along with 12 home runs and 77 RBI. Though he slipped a bit down the stretch, batting .269 over his final 31 games, he hit over .300 each month from May through August.
The 24-year-old’s 4.9 WAR is second among all rookies (behind only the top-ranked player on this list) and sixth among all third basemen. He played stout defense for the Giants as well, boasting a 9.9 UZR at the hot corner.
Next: Rookie #1