With the 2017 Major League Baseball season three-quarters of the way over, we’ve seen no shortage of rookies* burst on the scene as potential long-term building blocks for their respective teams. Here, we’ll take a look at those who have enjoyed the finest introductions to the big leagues thus far.
1.) Aaron Judge, RF, Yankees: All rise for the American League home run leader (37) and the shoo-in AL Rookie of the Year winner. While the 25-year-old Judge has batted just .185/.346/.398 since the All-Star break and done significant damage to his MVP hopes in the process, the overall production this season has been awe-inspiring. After a rough, strikeout-laden debut in 2016, Judge has rebounded this season to slash a magnificent .291/.420/.614 in 502 plate appearances. Strikeouts remain a problem, though his 31.5 percent rate isn’t crippling when you pair it with the majors’ second-best walk rate (17.5). When Judge has made contact, he has punished the ball. The 6-foot-7, 275-pound monster ranks fourth in the game in isolated power (.323), and his expected weighted on-base average (.432) is right in line with his actual wOBA (.437, via Statcast and Baseball Savant).
While offensive brilliance has put Judge on the map, the advanced defensive metrics have thought enough of his work in right field to help give him a 6.2 fWAR – which ties him with Jose Altuve for first among all position players. Judge, Altuve and others will spend the next month and a half continuing to vie for the AL MVP, but the newest face of the Yankees has top rookie honors sewn up.
2.) Cody Bellinger, 1B/OF, Dodgers: Just as Judge has lapped the AL rookie field, Bellinger has emerged as the Secretariat of the NL race. Bellinger hasn’t quite matched his AL counterpart’s production, but the numbers have still been absolutely remarkable – especially considering he just turned 22 last month and didn’t debut until the end of April. The lefty-swinging Dodger has belted nearly as many homers as Judge (34) in 90 fewer PAs (412), posted a .277/.357/.621 line and logged the majors’ third-best ISO (.343, behind only Joey Votto and Giancarlo Stanton). In the process, Bellinger has given the dream team known as the Dodgers yet another star to build around for the long haul. He’s a lock to follow teammate Corey Seager as the club’s second consecutive NL ROY winner.
3.) Paul DeJong, SS, Cardinals: This is the second straight year in which a Cardinals shortstop has served as one of baseball’s most productive rookies. It was Aledmys Diaz in 2016, but his breakout hasn’t stuck, and he’s currently amid a woeful Triple-A season after beginning the year poorly in the majors. DeJong, 24, may not follow that path in 2018 – he and the Cardinals hope not, anyway – but a 30.9 strikeout rate against a paltry 3.7 percent walk means he’s carrying the second-worst BB/K ratio (.12) among hitters with at least 200 PAs. That will have to change if DeJong’s going to be a viable major league regular for the long haul. In the meantime, give DeJong credit for a .300/.327/.576 batting line through 269 trips to the plate. And even though DeJong didn’t reach the majors until the end of May, he trails only Judge and Bellinger among rookies in homers (18). He also tops all league shortstops in ISO (.276).
Between the offensive output and his plus defense, DeJong has accounted for 2.1 fWAR – putting him just in front of a prominent fellow shortstop, Boston’s Xander Bogaerts, who has been worth 2.0 fWAR in 220 more PAs. Whether DeJong can keep this up is highly debatable, but it’s inarguable that the 24-year-old’s work this season has helped the Redbirds stay in the playoff hunt.
4.) Austin Barnes, C/2B, Dodgers: The Dodgers are 85-34, so it’s not particularly surprising that they’re loaded with outstanding players. Barnes has flown under the radar, though – perhaps because he’s a 27-year-old rookie who has only amassed 180 PAs this season (after logging 37 apiece in the prior two seasons). The former Marlins prospect has taken advantage of his limited playing time, however, having hit a marvelous .293/.411/.513 with six homers and a .220 ISO. Barnes has combined that quality power with elite-level plate discipline, evidenced primarily by the fact that he has nearly as many walks (27) as strikeouts (30). League-average walk and strikeout rates sit at 8.5 percent and 21.6 percent, respectively, and Barnes is comfortably above the mean in each category (15.0 and 16.7). He also happens to own an even higher xwOBA than Bellinger (.379 to .372). It’s worth pointing out, too, that Baseball Prospectus regards Barnes as one of the majors’ preeminent pitch-framing backstops. The hype may not be there for Barnes, yet he’s clearly among the reasons the Dodgers are able to form Voltron on what seems like a nightly basis.
5.) German Marquez, SP, Rockies: As we’ve seen time and again, pitching in Colorado is no easy task. The 22-year-old Marquez has handled Coors Field with aplomb, though, and managed a 4.13 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 2.94 BB/9 and a 41.6 percent ground-ball rate across 113 1/3 innings in his rookie campaign. The run prevention isn’t eye-popping, but the hard-throwing right-hander’s 3.79 FIP, .319 wOBA/.312 xwOBA allowed and 2.5 fWAR all jump off the page. In a year in which the potentially playoff-bound Rockies have seen three other rookie starters eat up innings (Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela and Jeff Hoffman), Marquez has stood out the most among their new class of hurlers.
6.) Jordan Montgomery, SP, Yankees: The left-handed Montgomery has registered strikingly similar numbers to Marquez (3.94 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 8.55 K/9, 2.83 BB/9, 41.1 percent-grounder, .301 wOBA/.297 xwOBA against, 2.3 fWAR) through 121 frames. While extra credit goes to Marquez for surviving Colorado so far, Montgomery doesn’t exactly call a pitcher-friendly venue home.
7.) Trey Mancini, OF/1B, Orioles: In a season without Judge, it’s possible Mancini’s offensive output would make him the AL ROY front-runner. The 25-year-old has smashed 21 HRs, trailing only Judge, Bellinger and Matt Davidson among first-year pros, and has put together an appealing overall line (.290/.341/.517 in 411 PAs, with a .227 ISO). Granted, there are some red flags – including a subpar BB/K ratio (.25; league average is .39), a .342 batting average on balls in play that won’t hold and a decent-sized wOBA/xwOBA gap (.368 to .341).
8.) Andrew Benintendi, LF, Red Sox: Benintendi hasn’t been a force of nature this year like Judge or Bellinger, but it’s even more obvious than it was at the beginning of the season that he’s a long-term keeper for the Red Sox. Thanks in part to his three-homer series against Judge and the Yankees last weekend, the 23-year-old Benintendi has racked up 17 long balls, which ranks fourth among rookies. He also leads first-year men in stolen bases (14) and sits fourth in on-base percentage (.361).
9.) Matt Chapman, 3B, Athletics: Chapman, like Barnes, hasn’t seen a ton of big league action this year, having walked to the plate only 166 times. But the production is also very difficult to ignore in Chapman’s case. The 24-year-old has already been worth 1.4 fWAR since his mid-June promotion, thanks largely to otherworldly glove work. Chapman has recorded an extremely impressive 13 Defensive Runs Saved, which trails only Nolan Arenado and Jedd Gyorko among those manning the hot corner, to accompany a third basemen-leading UZR/150 (22.0). As Dave Cameron of FanGraphs wrote last week, that type of world-class defense plus Chapman’s brand of acceptable offense (.230/.301/.514) would make him a star-level contributor for the long term. Of course, whether Chapman can continue hitting at this type of clip is somewhat in question. Chapman’s strikeout rate (33.7 percent) drowns out a passable walk rate (9.0 percent), and his .301 xwOBA pales in comparison to his .343 wOBA.
10.) Chad Green, RP, Yankees: Rounding out the list is a third Yankee, Green, who may get lost in the shuffle as part of a bullpen that features Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, David Robertson, Tommy Kahnle and Adam Warren. And yet the 26-year-old Green has stood on his own as one of the premier relievers in baseball this season. Through 48 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, the former starter places seventh among relievers in ERA (1.66), fifth in strikeout percentage (40.1) and fourth in strikeout-walk percentage (33.3). The only other relievers who rank top seven in each of those categories are Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen. Decent company.
*For determining rookie status, we’re looking at players with less than 130 plate appearances or 50 innings pitched entering the season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Josh bell should be 4th but not even on the list smh
Why should he be three spots above Trey Mancini?
I was very surprised that he wasn’t even on the list.
Same with Ian Happ. Why isn’t he on this list?
He’s not a rookie. Exceeded rookie limits in 2016.
No he didn’t. He only had 128 AB in 2016.
He had 152 PAs. 130 is the limit.
No, it’s 130 at bats, not plate appearances.
The article above references 130 plate appearances as the cut-off the writers used for inclusion.
You have made your point regarding the arbitrary cut-off line. Please stop repeating it so I don’t have to keep deleting the comments.
The article is incorrect then. They may want to fix that. I won’t hold it against you, their fault. 😛
I repeated it because the same person posted the same false information (which was your guys’ fault anyway) three times. Why am I being chastised and not that person?
Honestly, I’m not sure if Connor considered Bell or not — I added the note and probably swapped in PA for AB since that’s our standard. (Also it’s less arbitrary, but this is all arbitrary.)
It’s truly not that important.
As regards Bell, he surely has a case, though the counter would be that he’s only a somewhat above-average hitter who’s a poor defender that has posted like 1 WAR as a more-or-less everyday player.
It isn’t incorrect in that we can choose whatever arbitrary cutoff point we like. Frankly, ABs are useless.
I will edit the post, though, to remove mention of any “standard” cutoff.
EDIT: I am not trying to chastise you or anything, just … you posted the same exact thing several times. The other commenter was making somewhat different points.
Can you really dismiss it as arbitrary though given that it’s the official baseline MLB uses? Rookies by definition are based on ABs, not PAs.
Also, Austin Barnes isn’t a rookie because he’s been on the MLB roster longer than 45 days (excluding September and DL) prior to this season. It’s why relievers who spend the entire season on the MLB roster but don’t surpass 50 IP still aren’t considered rookies.
I”m a bit surprised and puzzled that you would choose your criteria without openly addressing that your standards are different tgan MLB’s. Fortunately by the end of the year, these positions will have been jockied. AB in Boston will be much higher if he’s out of his early season funk. Moreover, Bellinger’s consistency puts hin number one on my ballot. a
Again as of today. Judge has certainly been impressive with his power but his strikeout rate hurts (you can tell I don’t believe in most sabre metric categories.
If you can give a compelling case for why 130 ABs versus some other number, then perhaps I will consider changing my position on the matter.
The 45-day rule thing confuses me, because Judge had 51 service days entering the year but has been getting rookie awards.
Well, we aren’t debating which player should receive the ROY award, so it doesn’t really need to be tied to the MLB standard.
But, as I suggested, I didn’t really put any thought into it. Connor wrote this post, I added that note as an afterthought (mostly b/c of Barnes’ hefty service time prior to this season), and then … here we are.
I suggest we simply focus on weighing the merits of the players who did or did not make the list.
No, Aaron Judge did not have 51 service days entering the year because September/October is excluded from “service days” because of roster expansion. I don’t know his EXACT call-up date last season, but his first game was August 13, which would give him 19 service days before September.
And there is no compelling case to choose that specific number, but you can’t just define rookie however you want it when MLB actually has a standard for the term “rookie”. If you’re talking about the Top 10 2017 MLB Rookies, you need to use THEIR standard whether you agree with their chosen metric or not. It does make a difference because Josh Bell is disqualified from your list despite him being a rookie by MLB standards (I don’t necessarily think he belongs on the list, but he deserves consideration)
Ah, that explains it. Thanks.
Respectfully disagree on the remainder. Anyway, I think all except Barnes would qualify as rookies as I now understand it. (Manny Pina, though, would not, for the record.)
EDIT: Actually I can’t say for sure re Pina. He had over a year of service entering the season, but seems maybe a chunk of that is due to a DL stint. Not looking at it further because this makes my head hurt and is ultimately not meaningful.
I’m not sure on Pina. I counted up his pre-September games before this year and it came to 41, but since it’s “service days”, that includes off-days and days he didn’t play, so I bet he probably passes the 45-day limit.
It’s the official criteria, so I think it’d be better for consistency (though I do agree that its be AB is strange).
Players are credited with service time for being on the roster in September, but those days during the month don’t count towards rookie eligibility.
It’s nice to see Barnes on this list, even though according to Baseball-Ref he exceeded his rookie limits last year. Will let others debate why. I have no idea.
Bellinger and Judge will be interesting to compare when they get beyond their rookie season(s). It quickly becomes about adjusting to the adjustments. Those who can prosper, those who can’t, often fade away. It is hard to sustain a SO rate as huge as Judge’s and be successful over a long haul. I think he needs to clean that up some.
When it comes to RotY talk it’s about more than just a stat line. In the NL who can be seen as having had a larger impact on a team than Bellinger? What the team’s done since he was promoted, and his defensive abilities, gets him into the MVP conversation as well.
It’s Rookie of the Year, not Most Valuable Rookie. The stat lines (both standard and advanced) and rookie eligibility rules are indeed pretty much all that matters.
To me, Top rookie rankings translates to the “ROTY” if the season were to end now. Anyway, the disagreenents went not nasty are interesting and really the basis for having comments.
intangibles don”t count? unlike mvp and POTY, there is only one award solely for rookies so of course the award needs to be based on more than just stats. this is real not fantasy baseball.
Not only did Manny Pina meet your sub-130 PA coming into the season but he is officially a rookie by MLB standards. 290/333/790 while throwing out 30% of runners and having the most pickoffs in MLB (could be tied for that) on a team contending for a division title that was supposed to finish 4th this year and he gets no love? lol
Stick to what you guys do best – reporting rumors that others have already reported and citing WAR as the determining factor for anything.
Yes, but as I noted, you also have to have fewer than 45 service days of non-September baseball under your belt. I counted up all of Pina’s service GAMES over the 2011, 2012, and last year…and he had 41 games. But it’s service days, so that also has to include days off and games he didn’t play. I bet he’s already surpassed 45 service days.
45 day rule excludes September.
1.8 WAR, the same as Barnes. I’d think if Barnes is #4, it’s tough to leave Bell of this list.
I disagree. ROY should be the player with the best stats.
You are welcome to think so, but the only actual mathematical criterion in RotY voting is service time. The sportswriters can cast their votes for eligible players using any criteria they wish. The same is true for MVP voting. Stats are going to figure heavily but not exclusively.
I’m aware the 45-day rule excludes September. I wasn’t including that in my calculations for Pina.
No he hasn’t in fact he was just listed on MLB network as a top Rookie performer!
Barnes is a backup catcher and has the exact same WAR as Bell
Depends on which metric you use. He has great framing and an on base around 400 last time I checked
Who care he sucks
Maybe not 4th, but yeah…on pace to break Eddie Murray’s record for HR by a rookie switch hitter.
I’d accept the “his defense isn’t great” argument against him, but Trey Mancini is on the list.
I know he’s not a true rookie because of his Cuban experience, but Yuli Gurriel has basically been tied for second with Benentedi for the second place ROTY race this year.
He seems to be having an impressive year.
Josh Bell was snubbed. He should’ve been 3rd on this list easy.
He’s not a rookie. Exceeded rookie limits in 2016.
3rd? Based on what?
was gallo past the 130 ABs?
Gallo had 153 PAs before 2017, so no.
WHERE’S MONCADA, HE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE THE GREATEST PLAYER EVER ON THIS PLANET – White Sox fans.
He hasn’t been in the league long enough
He’s hitting .187
I got the joke… but I doubt any White Sox fans says stupid stuff like this.
I’m curious to not see Margot or Renfroe here. Both are having very good years and check in with rookie status on BR.
Renfroe has been pretty terrible. Any bit of value he’s provided offensively has been negated by his lousy walk rate and his atrocious defense. He’s one of the worst defensive outfielders I’ve ever seen. Margot is holding his own at his age but nowhere near anyone on this list.
The article states that it is using PAs. And yes, a previous seasons ABs and PAs count in MLB.
No they don’t. It’s “in any given season”.
If I have exactly 10 ABs every season for 15 seasons, I’m still a rookie in that 16th season. They don’t combine together.
Well, the MLB rules state that it’s a cumulative amount, if you truly only had 10 PAs per season for 15 years you’d lose rookie eligibility with the first PA of the 16th season. But you would have long exceeded service time (45 day)limits, because each call-up would count for around ten days of service time. And yes, all these are cumulative. Joey Gallos 2015-16 PAs don’t disappear in 2017.
I guess different sources say word things differently. Since it’s so rare, I guess it doesn’t matter too much, but what I read said “in any given season” and some of them seem to say “in any previous season or sesason(s)”. Oh well, I’ll give the point to you.
Parker Bridwell 7-1 for Angels deserved pitching consideration.
Wins are meaningless and he has a 4.57 FIP.
Awards are based on solid metrics such as ERA, not projected metrics that can potentially predict progression or regression such as FIP
I don’t think this list is projecting awards. And I think we can all see very clearly that Bridwell’s “7-1 2.88 ERA” is not going to last. We’re better than that.
Too bad August had to happen, or Bradley Zimmer might be in the conversation.
Stupid August.
Ian Happ should be damn close.
I don’t think Gamel is a star, but how is he not ahead of some of these guys? Before his recent skid he was the second best hitter in the American League, to go along with great defense, if that’s not worthy of this list I don’t know what your basing this on.
I agree Gamel deserves to be on this list. If he’s being punished for a 2nd half slump, why does Judge get a pass?
Perhaps because he was the best hitter on the planet for 3 months prior to his slump, and not simply good for a rookie..
And Gamel’s defense is rated pretty terribly from what I see with a quick search…
Amounting to a whole 1.1 WAR
East coast bias snubbed both Gamel and Heredia. Both are proving they are young contributers to a contending team on a daily basis
Ben gamel has been worth 1.1 WAR. He’s done that while maintaining a .374 babip. He doesn’t hit for power and his defense is average at best. Who has he had a better season then on that list? Chapman has more WAR in half the games. Maybe Chad green because he hasn’t thrown that many high leverage innings? Okay, maybe but he’s not a snub.
Anybody else highly concerned about Judge and his strikeouts? It seems like once a good pitcher has figured him out, he can’t adjust. He’s still only a rookie, but high strikeout rates can be an underlying big problem.
I think it was the HR Derby he’s trying to do too much but kind of looks like he’s breaking out of it I’d love to see him get hot and hit 50 HR’s
Maybe someone will do a study on how player’s that participate in the Homerun Derby perform during the second half of the season? To play at that high of a level a player should never alter there swing for a silly contest. Risk simply outweigh the Reward.
Yah, that Home Run Derby really messed up Stanton’s swing.
People have check 538. The fact is that most people who are in the derby are playing way better than their career and it regresses in the second half. You could say that it helped Stanton this year.
I don’t think the homerun derby had anything to do with it. He had an unsustainable babip and was destined to regress. I don’t think anyone seen him falling off such a steep cliff though
Agree. And what isn’t mentioned enough is that in order to get into the HR Derby in the first place, there’s a good chance that you’ve been playing out of your mind in the first half. So Simply charting regression doesn’t tell the whole story. And assuming it messed up someone’s swing is just lazy.
I gotta admit it, as a Red Sox fan I’m loving the whole Judge consecutive strikeouts thing. But as a baseball fan the truth is I can only praise the guy. Personally I’m ok with a player with a high strikeout rate as long as they can produce.
The other side of things is Judge is 4th best in the majors at pitches seen per plate appearance and has an OBP over .400. In my opinion that just means even when he strikes out he forces a pitcher to work more which is good for the team. So I have to say his strikeout issues are not a bad thing.
“are not a bad thing.”
Probably not the best phrasing, more like, less meaningful than they might otherwise be. The issue with sky high strike out rates is that if there’s any regression or diminishing of other skills, his stat line could get ugly with a quickness. Put another way, he has a lower floor when/if things go wrong. Case in point, his BABIP regressed to .265 over the last 28 days, causing him to post a Ryan-Schimpf-esque .203/.366/.494. (Coincidentally, Schimpf’s 2016 line of .217/.336/.533 was performed in conjunction with a .260 BABIP).
Obviously he’s a talented player whose true floor is probably higher than Schimpf, but the strike outs, on some level, will always be a ‘bad thing’ because it allows for really low lows. Players that don’t strike out a bunch have fewer slumps, and the slumps are usually no where near as deep – I’d imagine you’d have trouble finding a single 28 day window in Tony Gwynn’s career where he hit .203.
Take Paul Dejong off this list.. his stats are unsustainable and inflated. His defense has been far worse than metrics suggest, he’s had a good amount of luck with hit/error scoring. I think Diaz will be making a comeback and Dejong will be Grichuk 2.0.
The list is not Future Superstars of the Year. The list is Best Rookies of the Year. It doesn’t matter what a player does next year or in 2022, this year is all that matters.
Who cares if his stats are unsustainable? At this point, he has been one of the best rookies this year.
As for defense, even if it is overrated it’s still well ahead what Diaz can (or can’t) do AKA Mr. Tiny-range-who-can-never-make-an-accurate-off-balance-throw.
Diaz has 1 more error than Dejong on the season, with 31 more innings. As I said previously, Dejong has also been graced with a lot of “Hit” calls when they should be errors.
Besides hit 18 home runs, what has Dejong done that most other rookies can’t? I don’t think he belongs on this list.
How do you have a backup catcher on here who isn’t really a rookie but not have Manny Pina on here who has been phenomenal offensively and defensively for a surprising brewers team this year. Pina is easily in the top 10 rookies this year
This list makes absolutely no sense.
is manny pina considered a rookie at the age of 30
I’m not saying Pina should be on it, but I’m agreeing with him that there should be others instead of who’s on it.
Age doesn’t matter, its 130 at-bats or 50 IP, or 45 service days on the 25-man roster (before September 1st) in previous seasons.
So I don’t think he is. He’s played in 41 pre-September games prior to this year, but it goes by days, so I bet he goes over the 45 day mark.
DeJong is a 3rd baseman who was moved over to short in AAA because of Patrick Wisdom another young Cardinal who should be in the majors next year because he’s having a good season in Memphis with 25 homers and 75 RBIs. DeJong’s range at SS is very good and I can only see him getting better at the plate. Look out, because he’s going to be a good SS for the next 10 years.
Ya that’s not happening. He your classic guy who gets the fan bases hopes up at the start and because of it will stick around for a few years.
We’ll see
Chad green should be the closer. Don’t @ me.
@
“DeJong didn’t reach the majors until the end of May, he trails only Judge and Bellinger among rookies in homers (18).”
Guessing this meant since his call up, since in Mancinis section it is mentioned 4 rookies with more HRs. Making Benitendi 6th not 4th.
DeJong shouldn’t be so high up. He has a .376 BABIP with a 30% k rate and 4% walk rate. 15% swinging strike rate. I guess there’s power, but that doesn’t justify him being ranked above a bunch of other guys imo
Who cares about that stuff for this list? The bottom-line results have been there so far, and that’s all that matters for this list
Those stats don’t just predict regression – they also show he hasn’t been good this year, just lucky. Who’s the real “top” rookie, the guy who’s been legit good or the guy who’s been lucky, but may have slightly better stats
I think too many people are looking at judges home run distances and not seeing his holes as a player. The guy is striking out way too often and I fear this could become an issue going forward. I see him as the next Adam Dunn no more.
You must not have been paying attention for most of the season.. Your personal future projections are irrelevant for this ranking. You don’t have to think he’ll keep it up, but he did have an MVP caliber 90 plus games. That’s more than good enough to stack up well against other rookies.
I have been paying attention have you? He is striking out at a record setting pace wise guy. Yeah big deal he hits the ball 500 feet still counts the same as a ball that just got over the wall.
I’m pretty sure you’re joking so I’ll just leave that alone.
Ummmm… Parker Bridwell! 7-1 with a 2.88 ERA.
7-1? Ok. Cool. He’s been pitching over his head. Everyone knows it.
“Everyone” knows it lol. Tell that to fangraphs they’ve been praising him.
They must not look at their own numbers. Dude is a fluke. “Most of us” know it. If you want to die on Bridwell Hill…be my guest.
That’s rather hypocritical of you after your response to the person making the same claim about Judge.
You must not be paying attention for most of the season. Your future projections are irrelevant in these rankings. See that argument works against you as well as for you.
Yeah I get what you’re saying. Judge was doing something historic though. Bridwell has had a few good starts. There’s a big difference. Or maybe I’m judging by perceived pedigree. idk. Lol.
Who cares? He has actually put up those numbers. The ROY has never been about how good a player will be next year, it is about the numbers they put up in their rookies years. It doesn’t matter if it is 100% luck or 100% skill, even if you believe you can determine that.
“He’s been pitching over his head.”
They all pitch over their heads. Unless they’re submariners or sidearmers…..
You can mention the ERA but his W-L record isn’t a factor. I would hope we all know by now that you don’t judge a pitcher by his W-L.
You sure bout that? Porcello won the Cy Young last year based on that. Get 7 runs a game of support, pitch decently and you win a Cy Young award.
That’s not true. I wouldn’t have pegged him to win the CY, but his stats were all either the same, marginally worse, or marginally better than Verlander.
Why did you mention Marquez’s groundball rate? 41.6%? What’s your point?
It’s a solid pitching metric. Pitchers with high grounder rates are less likely to give up extra-base hits and more likely to get double plays.
Yeah I know. But 41.6% isn’t that good. Would be 44th if he qualified.
I second the motion for Ian Happ. By season’s end, he will likely have 20-25 HRs. His slugging is solid, but the rest of his slash isn’t overly impressive at .248/.319. But he’s played multiple positions, so his versatility should be considered as well.
Agreed
Benentendi is more valuable than Barnes (backup Catcher) just saying….
100%. Just bc he didn’t take the league by storm doesn’t mean he isn’t still having a pretty damn good year for a rookie.
Orlando Arcia?
Not a rookie. He had 201 AB last year.
If you are discussing the top rookies for the season, shouldn’t you consider everyone that has rookie status, by MLB standards?
Below is the link to players eligible for 2017 ROY.
baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2017-rookies.sh…
I’m glad to see Matt Chapman on here. He strikes out too much but he’s starting to make more contact and when he hits a ball, it flies off his bat. And his glove is great, and his arm is even better. Hes going to be a big part of the A’s future.
uggggg statcast….a ball that goes over the fence is a home run. doesn’t matter how fast or far, once it goes over the outfield wall (unless inside the park hr) it doesn’t matter if it goes another foot or not. stat cast nerds get hard ons for that, guys like Brian kenny….home run is a home run…..
In game yeah sure, if it goes 315 down the line at YS or 496 deep into the night, it counts the same…
But for other things such as ticket sales, pitchers pitching more carefully, fans showing up to watch batting practice, HR Derby, it all matters.
Also a player who consistently hits the ball farther than others is more likely to hit more HRs. That and it’s more fun to watch a ball hit so high and far that it catches your attention, then it is to see a flyball that goes into the right spot and just clears the wall… But hey thats just me, and pretty much everyone else…
God I hate everyone here. Not a single person who lands in the middle of the sphere, everyone is extreme and has no time to consider that there are other opinions out there, equally correct, because they are opinions.
“I hate everyone here.” “…everyone is extreme…”
That’s an extreme opinion on its own.
No Kyle Freeland? I get that you probably didn’t want to put two Rockies starters on here, but he has been better than Marquez. Just the 8.1 no hit innings at Coors in the game before the AS break deserves mention. I would argue that he has pitched better than ANY pitcher on this list.
some players will learn eventually that the home run derby will ruin you for a period of time.
Paul Dejong trails only Judge and Bellinger in HR?
Hunter Renfroe says hello…
Renfroe he’s 16 this year. DeJong has 18. But there are 3 others ahead of DeJong.
Renfroe has 20 HRs this year.
And I’m pretty sure the article is referring to the most HRs since his debut in May, not the most total.
Renfroe has 20, but that’s ok, he doesn’t belong on this list. But Margot does.
I do believe that if Devers hits 20 home runs by the end of the season, the ‘Sanchez ROY voting rules’ states that he should win ROY and Yankee fans have to vote for him.
You must not know how voting works then. Last year, Fulmer had a good year, but was not a major candidate for one of the other major awards (Cy Young, MVP) . He probably had an average year for a rookie of the year winner. Judge has had a historic rookie season, and thus, given Devers sample size, nothing that he does will create a legitimate case for winning rookie of the year. He’s going up against someone slated for a 3rd or 4th place MVP finish at the worst.
I like Benintendi 3rd on this list. He has had his slumps this year but has put up very good overall numbers. Out of all of these players on the top 10 I think he has the brightest future with that sweet swing he has.
He is becoming a five tool stat stuffer.
Matt Davidson?
It is hilarious reading the complaints about this article. 1) It is an opinion piece, not the Declaration of Independence. 2) It is about baseball, not the future of humanity. 3) Humans will argue about anything. 4) Most of you need to put the phone down and get a real life not dependant on the lives of millionaire athletes who literally don’t care if you exist.
What’s even more hilarious is that you think that having the capacity to discuss/debate topics about something we all love automatically means we have no life.,
Rocketride: Then why are you here?
Benintendi needs to be higher
people not paying attention to the kid in San Diego….SP-Dinelson Lamet
I like this list. It is everything the headline promised. Good work, Connor.
No Josh Bell or Ian Happ makes this list not able to be taken seriously. Imagine the amount of suitors if either team was trying to trade them. Weak.
Mancinis just keep flying under the radar
Henry flew to Moon River with Peter Gunn……
As a Yankees fan, not a chance Bennintendi should be #8 on the list. Him, Mancini, and Bell all need to be in the top 7. Marquez has been good, but not the 4th best rookie.
His slump this month has been pretty well-documented, but Bradley Zimmer is definitely at least worth a mention.
1. Aaron Judge
2. Cody Bellinger
3. Kyle Freeland
4. German Marquez
5. Manny Pina
6. Ian Happ