Rookie Day

Major League Baseball (MLB) announces the Jackie Robinson Awards for Rookie of the Year tonight, Monday, starting at 6 PM. The three finalists for the National League honor are Kris Bryant, Matt Duffy, and Jung Ho Kang. The American League award comes down to Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, and Miguel Sano.

Bryant posted an impressive year for any player, rookie or not. His batting line of .275/.369/.488 shows that at age 23 he mastered most of the skills needed to be an outstanding offensive player. He played both third base and the outfield well.

Duffy also plays third base, and came in with a .295/.334/.448 slash line. He garners a higher BA than Bryant, but is more of a singles hitter. He strikes out much less than Bryant, so he is an excellent player to bat when the team really needs a hit. Duffy and Bryant’s defense are on par. Duffy is also a year older than Bryant, so has less upside.

Kang finished the season with a serious injury, finishing with a 267/.355/.461 slash line. He did not play as much as Bryant or Duffy, which lowers his value. On top of that, despite being a middle infielder by trade, his defense was just a bit above average. Couple that with his being in the middle of his prime, I don’t believe his numbers compare that well with Bryant.

I would rank Bryant first, Duffy second, and Kang third. In many years, any one of the them could have won the award, but this was a particularly strong season for young, left-side infielders.

Correa is an extremely young, power-hitting shortstop. That should put him in a very good position in any awards competition. He hit .279/.345/.512 in 432 PA. FanGraphs shows his defense needs some work, but for now his bat more than makes up for a lack of range.

Lindor is nearly identical. One year older, but still quite young, Lindor posted a .313/.353/.482 slash line, slightly less power with fewer outs, also as a shortstop in 438 PA. Becuase FanGraphs rates his defense higher, Lindor turned in a higher WAR.

Sano, the oldest at seasonal age 22 in 2015, played the least of the three but hit the best, .269/.385/.530. He was a designated hitter, however, so there is no available boost for defense.

I would rank them Lindor, Correa, and Sano. Once again, they are three great candidates, and I look forward to many years arguing Correa and Lindor like we argued Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez in the late 1990s.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/1H4r36a