2020 AL Rookie of the Year: Kyle Lewis, Luis Robert remain on top
Kyle Lewis and Luis Robert are favorites to win the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year.
We’re halfway through the shortened MLB season. As much as baseball fans are enamored with Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert, there’s someone else who is trying to take his thunder. That someone is Kyle Lewis, the young outfielder for the Seattle Mariners who’s been a producing machine since he’s been in the big leagues.
Both are outfielders, and both are exciting to watch as they’re head-to-head in many stat categories. Both of these rookies have a strong lead on their competition.
Will one of these two be the AL Rookie of the Year?
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) August 26, 2020
(MLBStats x @GEICO) pic.twitter.com/n9IpmpHVNA
It’s obvious one of these promising players will take home the award. With that being said, here’s a breakdown of making a case for Lewis and Robert.
Making a case for Kyle Lewis
There’s plenty of reasons why fans of the Mariners are optimistic about Kyle Lewis. He played at Mercer University, where he had a decorated college career. In three seasons as a Mercer Bear, he was named Baseball America’s College Player of the Year in 2016.
The Mariners would draft Lewis with the 11th pick of the 2016 MLB Draft. He wasn’t a mega prospect to be excited about, but there was something special Seattle’s newest prospect.
Even before he got the call to the majors, he ranked No. 10 on MLB’s prospects to watch before the 2019 season. The potential was there when Lewis had a strong minor league career. In four seasons, the Snellville, Georgia native rose through the minor league ranks with the slash line of .260/.334/.417/.751. He hit 30 home runs, 171 RBI in 287 games.
Lewis didn’t need to play Triple-A ball as the 25-year old made an impact with the Mariners in a brief September call up last season. Lewis’ historic September saw him blast home runs in his first three major league games. The right-hander became just the second player in major league history to accomplish the feat.
Kyle Lewis certainly knows how to make a first impression.
— Sporting News MLB (@sn_mlb) September 11, 2019
The Mariners prospect homers for his first hit in the majors to break up Trevor Bauer's no-hit bid. pic.twitter.com/qjL9gpNpMx
The promising star is proving that his incredible September call-up wasn’t a fluke, and the rest of the league is starting to notice. Lewis’ OPS is over 1.000, and his .456 on-base percentage leads the league. His .368 batting average is second in the AL. Lewis has seven homers, as many as Robert.
Lewis’s offensive contribution is excellent, but this stat line speaks for itself: Last week, the outfielder was named the AL Player of the Week. Lewis batted .522/.633/.957 and hitting safely in all seven games for the Mariners.
We know he can mash, but Kyle Lewis is pretty good in the outfield, too. pic.twitter.com/C8sjeclh3V
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 19, 2020
It’s safe to say that Lewis has given Seattle some life this season thanks to his bat and his incredible defense in center field. In the bigger picture, Lewis is the first piece of the Mariner’s youth movement. Jarred Kelenic awaits his major league debut, but he remains the team’s future star.
Making a case for Luis Robert
Entering this season, Luis Robert was the consensus pick to win the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Unlike his counterpart in Lewis, Roberts’ road to the show was quite different.
Robert hails from Cuba. As a teenager, his baseball talent was on the radar of MLB teams. At 19-years old, he left his native country to pursue a baseball career in North America.
With a lot of speed and raw power, Robert signed a contract with the White Sox that came with a $26 million signing bonus. After all of that, Robert was sure to deliver on his promising potential, and he rightfully did so. The White Sox challenged the young Cuban by having him play through High-A to Triple-A, all in the same season.
The results? Well, let’s say Robert’s slash line in 2019 was .328/.376/.624/1.001. He would hit 32 home runs, 92 RBI, and 36 stolen bases. The pressure doesn’t affect the young outfielder. When he made his major league debut on July 24, he notched at least one hit in his first games.
Luis Robert put together a three-hit game on a memorable night for the #WhiteSox. pic.twitter.com/gMCjNSn66e
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 26, 2020
Robert did miss two games with a hand injury, but not even that won’t slow him down, or the current resurgence of a good team from the south side of Chicago. The young White Sox are living up to some of the hype as their second place in the AL Central with an 18-12 record.
Water covers 75% of the earth's surface.
— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 18, 2020
Luis Robert's got the rest. pic.twitter.com/AhTk0zFuW3
What’s better, perhaps, in this bizarre season, is that they’re exciting to watch. Eloy Jiménez, Yoán Moncada plus veterans José Abreau and Yasmani Grandal are a big reason why. However, the energy surrounding Robert in the big leagues seems to cause a shift in the team. The White Sox transitioned from being a team that might be good in a year to a team that’s good this year.
Next. 5 American League West prospects to watch in 2020. dark
The AL Rookie of the Year field is relatively shallow this season. Other rookies who have made their major league debut, don’t have enough time to make a dent in the race. Otherwise, bank on Lewis and Robert battling back-and-forth for the award.