Pitcher
Filling out a rotation of five legit rookie starters is easy; the hard part is narrowing the list to five. Here goes.
Spencer Strider made two appearances at the end of 2021, and this year has gone 11-5 for Atlanta with a 2.67 ERA in 20 starts encompassing 132 innings. The synoptic number for measuring pitcher contributions is ERA+, where 100 equals league average. Strider sits at 155, a number which – if he had enough innings to qualify – would rank sixth in the National League.
Seattle’s George Kirby is a big reason why the Mariners are in line for their first postseason appearance since 2001. Since his May 8 debut, Kirby has produced a 7-4 record in 22 starts covering 118 innings. He’s carrying a 124 ERA+ and 2.98 ERA.
The Twins’ September collapse has been no fault of rookie right hander Joe Ryan. After being introduced via five starts in 2021, Ryan has delivered a 12-8 record and 3.61 ERA in 25 starts for the Twins. The Twins are just 5-12 since early September, Ryan delivering two of those five victories.
Chicago’s Justin Steele pitched just enough in 2021 for the Cubs to disqualify him and his 3.18 ERA for this team. But that opens up room for two surprising finds in Cincinnati, Graham Ashcraft and Nick Lodolo. Together with a third and more highly touted rookie, Hunter Greene, Lodolo and Ashcraft have given Reds fans hope for the future. They have a 9-10 record in 33 starts encompassing 185 innings for Cincinnati. Ashcraft’s ERA+ is 114, Lodolo’s is 117.
The Texas Rangers haven’t used Brock Burke in a save situation yet, but they’ll get around to it. Burke has a 7-3 record and 1.53 ERA in 49 appearances covering 77 innings. That works out to an extraordinary 261 ERA+.