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Who Will Win the American League Rookie of the Year Award?

By Phil Akre |
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 01: Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees hits a 3 run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on August 1, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 01: Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees hits a 3 run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on August 1, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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In recent years, baseball has been gifted with an abundance of young, elite talent. 2018 has continued the trend. The frontrunners for this years American League Rookie of the Year have stood out from the rest.

Take a moment to think about where baseball is right now.

Don’t let the downers fool you, the game is definitely fun right now. We have a few teams that will top 100+ wins this year. Even though it’s just August, the playoffs are essentially guaranteed to be nuts.

There are stars in every market, too. Mike Trout is Mike Trout, and he rules the West. But, so do Shohei Ohtani, Clayton Kershaw and for now, Manny Machado. The Cubs and Astros boast too many premier names to list here. In the East, Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge are what advertising agencies drool over.

Baseball is fun. Baseball is loaded with stars. And, it’s getting better everyday with the contributions of rookies who have quickly ascended to star status.

Once thought to have a clear shoe-in for the winner, the American League Rookie of the Year award is pretty much up for grabs. While the frontrunners are clear, the eventual winner is far from a sure thing.

Let’s break it down.

CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 03: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run off Mike Clevinger #52 of the Cleveland Indians during the third inning at Progressive Field on August 3, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 03: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run off Mike Clevinger #52 of the Cleveland Indians during the third inning at Progressive Field on August 3, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /

Shohei Ohtani

Before Shohei Ohtani signed with a Major League team, he was billed as the no-brainer pick for the award. And so far, he’s lived up to the astronomical expectations.

His season as a two-way player has been hindered due to some elbow problems, but his first stretch on the mound was certainly eye-opening.

In 49.1 innings across nine starts, Ohtani pitched to a 3.10 ERA, 11.1 K/9 and 0.9 HR/9. With fantastic numbers like that, there’s a reason Angels’ fans should be happy about his possible return to the mound.

Where he’s really done damage, though, is at the plate.

Across 198 at-bat’s, the 23-year-old has slashed .273/.351/.535 with 27 extra base hit’s. Additionally, he’s recorded 12 home run’s and 32 RBI’s.

Perhaps most impressively, he’s shown no fear in his first taste of the major leagues. Even though the Nippon Professional Baseball is considered one of the world’s best leagues, it’s simply not the MLB.

On the mound and at the plate, Ohtani has dazzled. While he might not quite be the shoe-in he was at the start of the year, it’s impossible to deny that baseball hasn’t seen a player like him in a long, long time. That alone could win him the award.

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 31: Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees in action against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on July 31, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Orioles 6-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 31: Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees in action against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on July 31, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Orioles 6-3. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Gleyber Torres

At this point, Gleyber Torres probably is the favorite for the award. Again, I said probably. I mean, look at what he’s done.

He’s played in just 75 games at the MLB level and he’s already an All-Star. Up to this point, he’s the leader in some pretty important categories amongst AL rookies.

  • HR (18)
  • RBI (52)
  • OPS (.871)

Aside from standing out amongst his fellow rookies, Torres’ has been one of the main reasons the Yankees’ have excelled this season.

Rather than starting Neil Walker, Ronald Torreyes or Tyler Wade at second base, he’s held his own on both ends of the field. When it comes to playmaking ability, he’s shown Javy Baez-esque tags and flashed highlight reel plays.

He spent some time on the DL, and his average currently sits at “just” .274. But, he’s shown the clutch gene, too. Quite a few of his home runs have either given the Yankees the lead or walked it off, like this one against the Indians.

Like any rookie, he’s slowed down a bit of late as he’s hit .179 in August. But, don’t let that fool you. This kid is legit.

NEW YORK, NY – JULY 29: Miguel Andujar #41 of the New York Yankees in action against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on July 29, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. New York Yankees defeted the Kansas City Royals 6-3. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JULY 29: Miguel Andujar #41 of the New York Yankees in action against the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on July 29, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. New York Yankees defeted the Kansas City Royals 6-3. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Miguel Andujar

Yup, another Yankee. Don’t scoff, Torres’ teammate is right in the race for the award.

In fact, one could argue that Miguel Andujar has been better than Torres. He’s hit 15 home runs, driven in 50 runs, and has hovered around .290 all season.

Forget about rookie numbers, those are fantastic numbers for any regular, especially at third base.

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His defense has left some to be desired, but his bat has more than made up for his shortcomings at the hot corner. Again, he’s just 23. He’s got plenty of time. Already, he’s shown he is the most consistent out of the Yankees’ lineup, evidenced by his team-high average.

Despite all this, it hasn’t quieted down the talk of Manny Machado to the Yankees.

While this definitely could still happen, one has to imagine the Yankees are very happy with their homegrown talent. There’s a reason he was held out of talks for Gerrit Cole and Brad Hand, for better or worse.

When Torres first burst onto the scene with Ohtani on the disabled list, it seemed clear that the prized prospect would run away with the award.

Next. Who are the AL MVP Frontrunners?. dark

But, Andujar is making his case. And he’s making a damn good one.

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