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NL Rookie of the Year: The Top 5 Contenders

By Bobby Mueller

Aug 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits an RBI single during the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits an RBI single during the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 14, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher
Aug 14, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher /

SP Steven Matz, New York Mets

132.3 IP, 9 W, 3.40 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 8.8 K/9

After his impressive 35 2/3 innings in 2015, Steven Matz was a leading Rookie of the Year candidate coming into this season. He’s pitched well for the Mets, but is currently on the DL with a shoulder injury. His limited innings leaves him out of my top five, but he has a bright future if he can stay healthy.

RP Seung-Hwan Oh, St. Louis Cardinals

71.3 IP, 4 W, 16 SVS, 1.89 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 12.0 K/9

St. Louis Cardinals reliever Seung-Hwan Oh is not your typically Rookie of the Year candidate. He’s 34 years old and pitched 11 seasons in Korea and Japan before coming to the U.S. in the off-season. He was expected to be a setup guy for the Cardinals, but the injury and ineffectiveness of Trevor Rosenthal gave Oh the opportunity to be the team’s closer and he’s run with it, currently sporting an ERA below 2.00 and a WHIP below 1.00. Of course, Oh is no stranger to closing. He had 357 saves in 11 seasons overseas, including seven seasons with 30 or more.

SP Junior Guerra, Milwaukee Brewers

110.7 IP, 7 W, 2.85 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 7.6 K/9

Junior Guerra is another oddball Rookie of the Year candidate. He was originally signed by the Braves as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela in 2001. Since then, he’s pitched in the minor leagues in the U.S., the Hawaiian Winter League, the Venezuelan Winter League, and the Mexican League. The Brewers selected him off waivers from the Chicago White Sox last October after he pitched four big league innings in 2015. He started this year in Colorado Springs, then made his big league debut as starting pitcher on May 3 at the age of 31 and beat the Angels. His 2.85 ERA leads all National League rookie pitchers with more than 100 innings pitched.

SP Tyler Anderson, Colorado Rockies

96.7 IP, 5 W, 3.35 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 7.8 K/9

Left-handed pitcher Tyler Anderson only has five wins, but a 3.35 ERA for a pitcher in Colorado is impressive. In fact, Anderson has a better ERA at home (3.04) than on the road (4.21), although his FIP is nearly the same (3.56 FIP at home, 3.62 FIP on the road). Anderson was the Rockies’ first round pick in the 2011 amateur draft. He and fellow rookie Jon Gray give the team some hope for their future starting rotation.

These four pitchers are having good debut seasons, but they are just outside of my top five. The following players are the true contenders to finish in second place in the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year voting, along with the easy winner this year.

Next: The Speedy Centerfielder

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