Here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye out for on Monday…
1. Rookie of the Year winners announced:
Rookie of the Year winners in each league will be announced tonight at 6pm ET. The American League’s three finalists in 2023 include Orioles third baseman/shortstop Gunnar Henderson, Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee and Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas. Henderson, 22, smacked 28 home runs and posted a .255/.325/.489 batting line with 10 steals, 100 runs scored and 82 knocked in. Bibee seized a spot in the Cleveland rotation, making 25 starts and posting a 2.98 ERA, 24.1% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate over the life of 142 innings. Casas shook off a slow start to finish out the year at .263/.367/.490 with 24 home runs, 21 doubles, 66 runs and 65 RBIs.
In the National League, D-backs outfielder Corbin Carroll, Dodgers outfielder James Outman and Mets righty Kodai Senga are finalists. Carroll erupted with a .285/.362/.506 batting line, 25 home runs and 54 steals. He became the first rookie in MLB history to deliver a 20-50 season. Outman slashed .248/.353/.437 with 23 homers, 16 steals and standout glovework Senga’s 29 starts of 2.98 ERA ball and impressive 29.1% strikeout rate over 166 1/3 innings firmly cemented his role in the Mets’ rotation and more than justified their original five-year, $75MM investment in the former NPB star.
2. Korean Series ends:
The LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization won their first Korean Series title in 29 years over the weekend, bringing an end to the 2023 KBO season. That’ll be significant for MLB fans, as with the KBO season now in the books, it won’t be long before we begin to see traction on the international free agent front. The general expectation is that star KBO outfielder Jung Hoo Lee will be posted for MLB teams, likely some time after Thanksgiving. There could well be other Korean-born players interested in a move to MLB, and there will certainly be plenty of former big leaguers eyeing a return to North American ball.
Former first-round pick and Nationals top prospect Erick Fedde likely headlines that list after pitching to a flat 2.00 ERA with 29.5% strikeout rate, 4.9% walk rate and 70% ground-ball rate in 180 1/3 innings for the NC Dinos. The Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty profiled Fedde’s changes to his pitch repertoire and to his offseason program back in September. On the flipside of things, expect several fringe big leaguers — as Fedde was during his time in MLB — to make the jump to the KBO as they seek both notable seven-figure paydays and perhaps changes of scenery that could improve their stock and pave the road back to a big league roster.
3. MLBTR Free Agent Prediction contest picks due TONIGHT:
This year’s MLBTR Free Agent Prediction Contest is open through 11pm CT tonight. If you haven’t made your picks yet or want to make some changes to the slate you submitted, you can do so before that time! The contest is free to enter, and the top three finishers will receive cash prizes of $500, $300 and $100, respectively. The top 15 finishers will also receive a free yearlong subscription to our Trade Rumors Front Office subscription package, which in addition to ad-free viewing also comes with access to weekly email content, a weekly subscriber-only chat, access to MLBTR’s Contract Tracker and Agency Database, and more. Once the contest is closed, we’ll launch a leaderboard so you can see how you’re faring both against other entrants and the MLBTR staff! You can read more about the contest here and click here to enter/edit your picks!
Spencer Steer got snubbed in the NL. Much better year than Outman but Outman got the LA hype from the media.
Not sure about that. Defensively, CF has much higher value than 1B. Steer was not a good defensive player in 2023.
Actually he played 1B, 3B, LF and 2B, and was decent defensively at all considering the constant position changes.
And he was average or below average at all of them. Being a utility player doesn’t help his case for ROY.
Besides, what does it matter that he was not the guy that got to come in 3rd to Corbin Carroll and Kodai Senga?
Utterly nothing of solid value you can pull from advanced defensive metrics in just a couple hundred innings on defense. For the advanced defensive metrics to get you into the realm of stability, you’d need more like 1500 innings. The versatility itself is value.
In any case, I don’t think Steer got too snubbed. Even if his defense graded out neutral, Carroll generated 6.0 fWAR and 5.4 bWAR with a better bat than Steer so it’s not like Steer was going to win.
Keywords, utility player. He was not good at ALL those positions if you add them up and he had 1600+ IP total. If the team thought he was good enough at any position he would have stayed there. Its not like they had proven players manning them. That is why he is not a ROY candidate. Doesn’t mean isn’t a valuable player. Just means he is not a ROY candidate.
He’s not a utility player… Am I really needing to make that statement?
He’s a starting caliber player deserving of a singular position, but he was asked to play all over because the Reds needed him to do that. Its not uncommon for a young player to be asked to move around before being given a specific position to play. Most teams recognize the value of playing a single position. Steer came up through the Twins system where he was log jammed behind established high level prospects like Lewis, Martin, and to a lesser extent, Gordon among other veterans and established prospects at AA/AAA, and he wasn’t even in their top 30 to start 2021. As such, he was moved all over the place.
Steer has the speed and arm to play SS (which was his position when drafted out of college), but he’s going to need repetition. Coming out of nowhere like he did and being shuffled around the field all the time didn’t help his defensive development at all. Not sure how the Reds will use him going forward, but any team would be well served to establish him at a single position.
Are you really stupid enough to even try to say that a guy that played 5 positions is not a utility guy?
Steer has played exactly zero games at SS in the majors. If he had the speed and arm to play there, he would have played at least some games there. .
Outman had twice the fWAR and Steer was below average at every position he played.
Impossible, the reds fan above you said he had a much better year than Outman. He’s not bias at all.
Yes, we all know these awards are determined by how they play defensively.
Steer was never gonna win ROY, considering the media handed it to Carroll in May…
It wasn’t the media handing it to him so much as them acknowledging that he was running away with it.
No one is saying Steer got snubbed because he would have won, we’re saying he should have been a finalist.
I bet Steer will be the more productive big leaguer over his career. I think Outman vastly outperformed at the plate this year but I have no problems with him being included over Steer. Moving forward—gimme steer everytime.
Any other year Sengai would’ve been a lock for RotY. Carrol went and stole 54 bases though
and our hearts!
Their offensive numbers are similar but Outman is a really good centerfielder and I think that’s what separates them.
Bibee had such an impressive year as a rookie. No doubt he will lose to Henderson, but glad he’s getting the recognition. Guardians would’ve been way worse without him stabilizing the rotation with so many veteran starters on the shelf.
Hopefully he will finish 3rd and not 2nd. Losing that last year before free agency is a big deal to teams like Cleveland.
What a dumb thing to hope for. Try taking your tongue off management’s boots for a second.
Bibee is deserving, but hard to see him beating out Henderson. Gunnar had a great season and checks all the boxes voters are looking for.
Apologies to Henderson (and the City of Baltimore) but if I had a vote, Bibee gets my first place vote as a giant middle finger to an owner too cheap to get out of the Division Series
Beyond pathetic to wish for things that please literal billionaires
Beyond pathetic to wish for things that please literal billionaires
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That’s a really, really bad take.. Commoners are allowed to root for for their team ahead of people that will likely be millionaires many times over.
Here are your three choices:
1-Root for the billionaire
2-Root for the multi-millionaire
3-Root for yourself.
Worker solidarity is a “really, really bad take”? Good to know where you stand.
I want all players to maximize their earnings. Full stop.
And no, there is no option 3 here. The money goes to owners or to players.
I hope he gets 2nd place so he get that full year of service time and force the Guardians to open up the checkbook and give him an extension. They haven’t extended a starter since Kluber and Carrasco. To me Bibee is the guy to lock up long-term.
Totally agree. My choice would be Bibee but so close. Henderson was hyped up so much before the season and will win. Both are very deserving.
What he said!
Senga shouldn’t be a finalist, much less receive a single solitary vote or placement on a ballot. A “Rookie” doesn’t spend a decade in a Foreign League before his “Rookie” season. PPI picks get diluted because someone signed the newest shiny object from Japan (or Korea, or maybe Mexico in the future) and that “Rookie” wins ROY aged 26 or 28 and is never again that good in the bigs. CC Sabathia is my 2001 AL ROY, not Ichiro
This is not new, Satchel Paige won ROY for Cleveland in 1948 at 42 y/o after being a legend in the Negro Leagues.
Adding on to that, Outman (26 years old) receiving votes for anything for any award short of MVP Level production is as suspect as the slew of 5th Year Seniors receiving Heisman Trophy votes
So you think he should be out, man?
Suspect, but maybe not Out, man. After typing that, and more spitball thoughts, him and about 100 other players fall (will fall) into the category of a 24 year old that could play in A-Ball, is he old for his league or did he miss a year because of Covid but is still for real
Not sure which is worse. A hitter named Outman or a pitcher named Homer (Bailey).
Not sure which is worse. A hitter named Outman or a pitcher named Homer (Bailey).
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You have to give at least a nominal nod to a pitcher named Ball Four.
There is a pitcher named Wacha as well.
One of the dumber things I’ve seen here. Kudos!
Thanks for the correction. I stand corrected. Sporting News named him ROY — and there’s doubt about his age, and some suggest he was 42, but possibly older.
LOL….logging off.
My 2023 Rookie All Star Team:
C NYM Francisco Alvarez
C SFG Patrick Bailey / Blake Sabol
1B BOS Triston Casas
2B OAK Zack Gelof
3B TEX Josh Jung
SS COL Ezequiel Tovar
IF BAL Gunnar Henderson
LF BOS Masataka Yoshida
CF LAD James Outman
RF ARI Corbin Carroll
OF OAK Esteury Ruiz
UT CIN Spencer Steer
SP-R NYM Kodai Senga
SP-R CLE Tanner Bibee
SP-R LAD Bobby Miller
SP-R MIA Eury Perez
SP-L CIN Andrew Abbott
RP-R BAL Yenier Cano
RP-R SDP Tommy Cosgrove
RP-L DET Tyler Holt
RP-R SEA Justin Topa
RP-R TOR Bowden Francis
based on production? qualified players? i’d sure want evan carter on my team. elly too. i guess you don’t have a bench so that’s a pretty good list otherwise
Matt McLain was actually more productive than Elly. Just without the hype.
Yeah I’d have McLain over Tovar, easily.
You could even throw another Cleveland starter in the mix, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen both had solid debuts.
You can’t do this without McLain. The only reason he wasn’t a RoY finalist was because he was injured the last few weeks of the season. He was killing it.
Oaklands dream scenario
Wouldn’t take Josh Jung over Royce Lewis
everyone says gunnar is a runaway, and maybe i’m just jealous because it was a race and jung got hurt. but bibee and cassas had fantastic years. i think the position value will ensure gunnar takes it home, but it looks a lot closer than i thought.
As a National league fan (Braves & Pirates) living in NE Ohio, I see a lot of Cleveland games. I’d give the nod to Bibbee. He pretty much gave them a good shot at winning every time out. Baltimore was the Hot team & Henderson had the hype machine going for him. Casas had big city Boston & all of the televised games going for him. Tanner just got the call & ran with the opportunity without much fanfare.
Baseball Reference has Jung Hoo Lee listed as being Japanese born FYI.
He was born in Japan while his Father was playing there.
Ah thanks
His father Jong Beom Lee played 4 seasons in the NPB and Jung Hoo Lee was born during that first season he played for Chunichi.
I seem to remember a number of Dodgers fans talking about how Outman was a stronger RotY candidate than Carroll; glad we’re past that, but man was that a funny couple of months.
In the unlikely event that Gunnar beats out Casas, do the RS pick up any draft picks for having the #2 ROY?
There is a pick rewarded and service time lost for the top two in each league; I have no idea what you mean by “unlikely”, though. Henderson is the frontrunner.
I was just kidding about “unlikely”. There is a good case that Jung could’ve received the 3rd place nod.
Past that, there are probably enough writers that have no idea who Bibee is that Casas has a shot at 2nd.
I’m not finding anything official from MLB, but it looks like only the team with the ROY winner will get an extra draft pick.
I think Casas wins Rookie of the Second Half.
I believe the only thing we should be asking is Corbin Carroll a unanimous pick as the NL ROY??
where is Yainer Diaz of the Astros who plays catcher, in 355 at bats, he had 51 runs scored, 23 home runs, 60 rbi’s and hit .282
You are correct. C HOU Yainer Diaz belongs on the list individually but SFG has a two rookie catcher combination.
Good catch.
I didn’t have Yanier Diaz listed as a rookie on my evaluation list. I think I accidentally removed him when I removed ARI Gabriel Moreno form the list. He’s better than Alvarez as a catcher so I’ll place him as My 1
C HOU Yanier Diaz
C NYM Francisco Alvarez
Gunnar, Tanner, Tristan. What happened to the simpler familiar names? So, in twenty years it will be Nomilwag, Bisselkap, Frigweall?
They are simpler than Franklin, Fernando, and Christian considering less number of letters. 🙂
I know this isn’t baseball but I had to follow up on this.
You must be an old fart like me.
I’m a teacher and I can tell you that names change from year to year and there is nothing you can do about it. When I was young, Jared, Zack, and Miles would have seemed odd but they are in the mainstream now. One hundred years ago Jason, Chad and Justin would have been weird, but they were normal in the 70’s. (I doubt too many parents name their kid Chad today.) Along those same lines, Leo, Leroy, and Herbert were all fairly normal names in the 1920’s.
Language, and thus names, belong to the people who use it. If the people decide that they want to name their kids Frigweall, then yes, that name will become normal.
It does us no good to kvetch over it.
It is out of our control.
I missed on some of my preseason predictions:
C ARI Gabriel Moreno (Not a rookie)
1B BOS Triston Casas
2B MIL Brice Turang
3B TEX Josh Jung
SS COL Ezeqiel Tovar
LF ARI Corbin Carroll
CF MIL Garrett Mitchell
RF STL Jordan Walker (I bought the hype)
SP HOU Hunter Brown (Performed OK)
Spencer Steer should finish a close 2nd to Corbin Carroll. Outman should finish 3rd behind him, but it won’t wind up that way. De La Cruz a good rookie too, but much too streaky.