MLB power rankings: American League Rookie of the Year candidates
With Major League Baseball’s Opening Day just around the corner, rosters are starting to take shape and fans are getting their first glimpses of which young players might make the biggest differences for their respective teams in 2022.
Of course, several of those young players will be in contention for Rookie of the Year consideration. This year’s rookies on the American League side are already providing excitement through their spring training highlights and have their fan bases salivating for what could be to come.
As the countdown to Opening Day continues, let’s look at these MLB power rankings to see which players are early favorites to win the American League Rookie of the Year crown.
Power ranking 5: Adley Rutschman, catcher, Baltimore Orioles
Rutschman will not start the season how he or the Orioles hoped as he has been ruled for Opening Day, both at the MLB and MiLB levels. It caps off what has been an injury-filled spring for Rutschman, who last took part in a spring game on March 11. Elbow pain was reported the next day and a triceps strain in his right arm was declared the next day. That has started what has turned into a wait-and-see approach for the prospect ranked second among MLB’s top prospects heading into the 2022 campaign.
When Rutschman returns to action and how quick he ascends to MLB action will determine exactly where he lands the next time these power rankings come out.
Power ranking 4: Shane Baz, starting pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays
Baz will start the season on the injured list after undergoing minor elbow surgery and he is expected to start throwing again by mid-April. That will certainly start his campaign for Rookie of the Year off slowly. However, he showed last season after a September 20 call-up that he can make an impact on the MLB level, posting a 2.03 ERA in three regular-season starts that spanned 13.1 innings.
Opponents hit just .130 against him in those three starts. Can he keep up those kind of numbers over a full season?
Power ranking 3: Julio Rodriguez, outfielder, Seattle Mariners
Is there a prospect in all of MLB that has generated more buzz in spring training than the 21-year-old Rodriguez. He will break camp with the Mariners and is expected to be the team’s center fielder for much of the season.
Need a glimpse into why Seattle fans are ready for his debut?
Here's the clip of Julio Rodríguez's monster home run to right-center just now ... His gap-to-gap power is something else: pic.twitter.com/CwT3JOIjlA
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) April 3, 2022
On the surface, Rodriguez has the fanfare heading into the season and could well play a part in Seattle breaking its 20-season postseason drought this year. Those facts alone could push him up the power rankings for our next installment. And, if the Mariners start the season hot and the player nicknamed J-Rod plays a role in that surge in the standings, expect him to climb the charts.
Power ranking 2: Spencer Torkelson, first base, Detroit Tigers
The top pick of the 2020 MLB draft is ready to show exactly why there has been plenty of excitement about his arrival in Detroit. Torkelson should be on display when the Tigers open the season on Friday at home against the Chicago White Sox.
Consider it a passing of the torch in Detroit as Miguel Cabrera, who has played first base for 12 of his 14 seasons with the Tigers, has not only said great things about Torkelson’s future in Detroit, but also symbolized the next generation taking the field for the Tigers in a “glove gesture.”
Tigers GM Al Avila just announced that Spencer Torkelson will make the Opening Day roster. Miguel Cabrera presented him with a first baseman's glove in what Avila said was an emotional moment in A.J. Hinch's office.
— Evan Woodbery (@evanwoodbery) April 2, 2022
Torkelson slashed .267/.383/.552 with 30 home runs and 91 RBI across three levels of Detroit’s minor league affiliates last season, including 40 Triple-A games. He proved himself last season, and the Tigers are going to give him the chance to show his skills in Detroit in 2022.
Power ranking 1: Bobby Witt Jr., third base, Kansas City Royals
The top prospect in all of baseball, Witt Jr. starts the season at the top spot on our list. After making the Opening Day roster, Witt Jr. is expected to start 2022 as Kansas City’s third baseman. It’s part of a youth movement in Kansas City that has Royals fans believing they can return to glory in the division and more in the not-too-distant future.
“He’s played exceptionally well,” Kansas City general manager J.J. Picollo said of Witt Jr. in this article. “There’s no doubt he’s performed well. … I don’t know if we can ever say a player doesn’t have anything left to prove — the great ones continue to get better. But he’s done a lot of really, really good things for the second year in a row in Spring Training.”
Those “good things” the 21-year-old has done this spring include batting .406 in his first 32 at-bats and posting a 1.222 OPS with three home runs, eight RBI, and a pair of stolen bases.
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Kansas City is expecting Witt Jr. to be one of the centerpieces of a rebirth for the franchise. If he performs as advertised, he’ll continue to stay on top of the power rankings for American League Rookie of the Year.