The big names are Judge and Bellinger, but lesser known rookies are also having good years and deserve their spots on the All-Rookie Team.
The exploits of rookies Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger are well known among baseball fans. Judge was the story of the first half in the American League, as he launched 30 home runs before the All-Star break, many of them mammoth shots. Bellinger was his counterpart in the National League. He hit 22 home runs in 56 games across April and May. Both were All-Stars and participated in the Home Run Derby, which Judge won easily.
Those are the big name, top shelf rookies this year, but there are plenty of other rookies having good seasons. None have been as valuable as Judge and Bellinger, but they’ve been important contributors to their playoff-hopeful ball clubs. Andrew Benintendi, Manny Pina, Paul DeJong and more than one Colorado Rockies pitchers fit in this category.
There are also some rookies having good seasons on teams with little chance at the playoffs, like Johan Camargo and Manuel Margot, of the Braves and Padres, respectively. They won’t get the recognition that their more famous rookie peers will get, but their teams are hoping they can be important pieces in the future.
The season is just past the three-quarters point, so there’s plenty of time left for this list to change. Some of the leaders at specific positions (Judge and Bellinger excluded) are not leading by much and could be passed down the stretch.
The rookie pitchers, especially, could move up or down with a few good or bad outings in the heat of a pennant race. For now, though, here is the MLB All-Rookie Team: