My buddy Tom and I were talking about various baseball topics during work yesterday and the topic of the National League Rookie of the Year came up. We both had our favorite to win the award, but there are a lot of good candidates out there to choose from.
That being said, I thought I would size up the NL ROY race. Who are the contenders and who is the favorite?
The Best of the Rest
Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker, Mike Stanton, Alcides Escobar, Mike Leake
The Contenders
Gaby Sanchez, Florida Marlins: .293/.353/.460 with eight HR’s.
Perhaps Sanchez’s greatest accomplishment this year is holding off Logan Morrison. Sanchez is crushing left-handed pitching to the tune of a .337 avg and 949 OPS.
Ike Davis, New York Mets: .251/.328/.432 with 15 HR’s.
Second among NL rookies in HR’s with 15. But Davis is really struggling away from Citi Field, hitting .223/.288/.396.
Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs: .310/.356/.443 with three HR’s and six SB’s.
Castro is hitting and fielding in Chicago. His 2.2 WAR ranks third amongst all NL shortstops.
Tyler Colvin, Chicago Cubs: .252/.313/.515 with 17 HR’s.
Leads all NL rookies in HR’s with 17 and he has only done it in just 270 AB’s. Only hitting .229 against southpaws in 2010, though.
Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves: .262/.377/.451 with 12 HR’s and eight SB’s.
Heyward has had a real up and down season. In May and July he was on a torrid pace and in April and June he was nonexistent. He will get votes because of his overall solid season, though.
Jaime Garcia, St. Louis Cardinals: 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 126.1 IP.
Garcia is seventh in the NL in ERA with a 2.71 mark and has dazzled at home, posting a 1.94 ERA in 10 starts.
Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals: 5-3 with a 3.07 ERA and a 1.13 ERA in 52.2 IP.
It’s hard to give consideration to a starter who won’t pitch 100 major league innings, but Strasburg definitely deserves it. Still, unless he goes on a tear in his last four or five starts he will just get some votes based on hype.
Jonny Venters, Atlanta Braves: 17 Holds with a 1.09 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 57.2 IP.
Middle relievers normally don’t get consideration for awards, but Venters is an exception. His 17 holds places him in the top-10 in the NL and he has provided a nice bridge to closer Billy Wagner.
Hitters are batting just .105 against Venters in August.
The Winner
Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants: .345/.392/.526 with eight HR’s.
If Posey keeps this up, not only will he win the NL ROY, but it’s quite possible he could win the MVP award as well. The Giants are 36-24 when Posey starts and his hitting is one of the main reasons San Francisco have surged to the top of the NL Wild Card race.
Who do you think will win the NL ROY award?
Tomorrow I will size up the American League Rookie of the Year candidates.
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