MLB: AL Rookie of the Year candidates

The “Unknown” (Ben Gamel)

Gamel is the name likely known to the fewest readers today. The 25-year-old outfielder plays in the Pacific Northwest (be honest, did you even know which dude he was in the photo above?), doesn’t have a ton of prospect pedigree, and only has two home runs on the season. He’s not the type of player you’d add in your fantasy leagues, and he really doesn’t have anything distinct about him with the exception of his excellent flow (pictured beautifully above).

All that said, he’s also second to Judge in fWAR among all AL rookies. Now his margin over a few other names on this list is around a tenth of a win, well within the error bars for a stat like WAR, but it does go to show how strong of a season the long-haired maestro is having. Gamel is slashing .333/.400/.463, with the middle figure really jumping out. His .400 on-base percentage ranks 15th among all major leaguers with as many plate appearances this season, and he has drawn walks in over 10 percent of his plate appearances – a very solid figure for a rookie. (This is where we should note that Judge has a .448 OBP and 15.4 percent walk rate.)

Gamel has been doing some of his best work as of late, sporting a 154 wRC+ in June, his best month of the season. He’s been consistent too, though. His wRC+ of 120 in April was excellent, and he improved in May with a wRC+ of 134. That sort of progression is promising for a rookie, and he should start getting more and more playing time if he keeps hitting.

His .456 BABIP suggests he has been getting pretty lucky so far this season, but his line drive rate (31.0 percent) is no joke and could help float that number for a while.