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MLB Awards: AL Rookie of the Year Award top 5 contenders

By Bobby Mueller

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 27: Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees hits a home run in the fourth inning during an MLB baseball game against the Chicago White Sox on August 27, 2018 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Chicago won 6-2. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 27: Gleyber Torres #25 of the New York Yankees hits a home run in the fourth inning during an MLB baseball game against the Chicago White Sox on August 27, 2018 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Chicago won 6-2. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /
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ST PETERSBURG, FL – AUGUST 23: Joey Wendle #18 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits a sac fly RBI in the third inning during a game against the Kansas City Royals at Tropicana Field on August 23, 2018 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Rookie Ray of Sunshine

2B Joey Wendle
Fangraphs WAR: 2.5
Baseball-Reference WAR: 3.2
Wins Above Average: 1.6
Win Probability Added: 1.0

Another player who won’t win the AL ROY Award unless he has a big September is Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Joey Wendle. That being said, if you’re a fan of either popular version of WAR, Wendle is right there at the top of the list of rookies in the American League this season. It’s not his fault he plays in a dismal stadium for a team known more for their quirky pitching shenanigans than for the impressive season they’re having.

Joey Wendle is hitting .298/.346/.427 in 116 games. He has 48 runs scored, seven home runs, 49 RBI, and 12 steals. His 112 wRC+ means he’s been 12 percent above average on offense after league and ballpark effects are taken into account. In the field, he’s in the top five defensively among second baseman in the AL according to the Fangraphs defensive metric.

Wendle doesn’t shine in any one area. He doesn’t have the 20-plus home runs that a pair of rookies on the Yankees have and he doesn’t have the dual-player profile of a certain Angels rookie. Even without those qualities, he’s been right there with those other higher profile rookies so far this season. In a more objective world, Joey Wendle would get strong consideration for the AL Rookie of the Year.

In this world, he won’t. He won’t get a first-place vote. He’ll likely finish in the top five, though, which he should. He’s an unsung player on an unsung team. The Rays are at the very bottom of baseball in payroll, yet are 11 games over .500. The San Francisco Giants are under .500 with the second-highest payroll in baseball. Joey Wendle is one of the reasons why the Rays can be as competitive as they’ve been this year despite their low payroll.

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