The Rookie of the Year field will continue to grow as players are called up in the weeks ahead, but with two months of the MLB season in the books, the current crop has had some time to establish itself.
The AL Rookie of the Year race is wide open at this point, without a true front-runner. Rangers starters Justin Grimm and Nick Tepesch have each made a solid case to this point, but they are not the only candidates.
On the NL side of things, Cardinals right-hander Shelby Miller has gotten off to a fantastic start, but the award is far from his with fellow rookie pitchers Jose Fernandez and Hyun-Jin Ryu turning heads as well.
So here is a look at the top five Rookie of the Year candidates in each league, and which direction their stock is headed at this point.
American League
1. SP Justin Grimm, Texas Rangers
| G/GS | W-L | ERA | WHIP | IP | BAA | K/BB |
| 9/9 | 5-3 | 3.93 | 1.44 | 48.2 | .287 | 44/14 |
Despite Colby Lewis, Matt Harrison and Martin Perez all hitting the disabled list early on this season, the Rangers starting rotation has actually been a plus for the team, and Justin Grimm is a big reason why.
The 24-year-old appeared in five games (two starts) last season for the Rangers and had an uninspiring 9.00 ERA through 14 innings of work. However, he flashed his potential in the minors, going 11-6 with a 2.81 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A.
Never a highly touted prospect, and by no means overpowering, Grimm has managed to get the job done nonetheless. He looked solid again this past week, winning a pair of quality starts, though he did allow 18 hits in 12.1 innings over those starts.
Stock: Up
2. SP Nick Tepesch, Texas Rangers
| G/GS | W-L | ERA | WHIP | IP | BAA | K/BB |
| 9/9 | 3-4 | 3.88 | 1.29 | 48.2 | .257 | 37/14 |
While Grimm saw some action last year and was in the mix for the No. 5 starter spot before injuries struck, Nick Tepesch was not expected to make any sort of big league impact this season.
A 14th-round pick back in 2010, the right-hander went 11-6 with a 3.67 ERA over 28 games (26 starts) between High-A and Double-A last season, and the 24-year-old was viewed as little more than organizational depth heading into the year.
He went 5.2 innings and allowed five hits and two runs in his last start against the Mariners, and he will continue to be a key part of the Rangers staff this season until it gets back to full strength and likely beyond given the way he's thrown the ball.
Stock: Even
3. 3B Conor Gillaspie, Chicago White Sox
| G | BA | OBP | SLG | HR | RBI | R |
| 47 | .284 | .342 | .411 | 3 | 9 | 12 |
Third base was a black hole from a production standpoint last season prior to Chicago's acquisition of Kevin Youkilis, and with the veteran departing in free agency, Jeff Keppinger was signed to a three-year deal to fill the void.
However, it has been another offseason acquisition who has seen the bulk of the at-bats at the hot corner in Conor Gillaspie. He's by no means a star and will likely be a fringe big league starter throughout his career in the Greg Dobbs mold, but he's been one of the team's few consistent hitters this season.
He went 6-for-21 with one RBI over the past week, aided by a three-hit game against the Marlins last Saturday. With Gordon Beckham on the DL with a broken hamate bone, and Jeff Keppinger playing every day at second base, Gillaspie will continue to see everyday at-bats for the time being.
Stock: Even
4. RP Cody Allen, Cleveland Indians
| G | Saves | Holds | ERA | IP | BAA | K/BB |
| 22 | 1-for-2 | 2 | 2.16 | 25 | .180 | 33/7 |
The Indians bullpen has struggled at times this season, converting just nine of 18 save chances and posting a 4.11 ERA as a group. However, rookie right-hander Cody Allen has emerged as one of the team's more reliable arms.
Taken in the 23rd round back in 2011, Allen made 27 appearances out of the Cleveland bullpen and posted a 3.72 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 29 innings of work.
After posting a 1.74 ERA in 54 minor league appearances, it is clear that the 24-year-old Allen has terrific stuff, and he should be a big part of the Indians 'pen long term. He made three appearances last week, allowing one run while striking out three and recording a hold in three innings of work.
Stock: Even
5. OF Oswaldo Arcia, Minnesota Twins
| G | BA | OBP | SLG | HR | RBI | R |
| 30 | .255 | .318 | .449 | 4 | 14 | 11 |
After trading Ben Revere and Denard Span in the offseason, the Twins entered 2013 with a pair of holes in their outfield. Those vacancies have been filled by rookies Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia.
The 22-year-old Arcia entered the season as the No. 41 prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America. He hit .320/.388/.539 with 17 home runs and 98 RBI between High-A and Double-A in 2012, and he quickly got a call-up this season after 15 strong games in Triple-A.
He's outperformed fellow rookie and teammate Hicks to this point, but mired in a 1-for-15 slump, he was sent down to Triple-A last Saturday to make room for starter P.J. Walters, according to the Star Tribune.
Stock: Down
Others Receiving Consideration: RP Carter Capps (SEA), OF Aaron Hicks (MIN)
National League
1. SP Shelby Miller, St. Louis Cardinals
| G/GS | W-L | ERA | WHIP | IP | BAA | K/BB |
| 10/10 | 5-3 | 2.02 | 0.98 | 62.1 | .201 | 65/16 |
The Cardinals watched Kyle Lohse depart in free agency, then lost Chris Carpenter indefinitely before the season even started, so their pitching depth has been put to the test early.
So far they've been up to the task, and 22-year-old Shelby Miller has been a big reason why. Dubbed as a future ace as soon as he was taken with the No. 19 pick in 2009, the right-hander has lived up to the hype and then some, as he is not only the NL Rookie of the Year front-runner but a legitimate Cy Young candidate.
He squared off against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw last Sunday and came away with the victory, going 5.1 innings and allowing seven hits and three runs to grind it out for the win. He should only get better and gives the Cardinals a second legitimate ace alongside Adam Wainwright.
Stock: Even
2. SP Hyun-Jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers
| G/GS | W-L | ERA | WHIP | IP | BAA | K/BB |
| 11/11 | 6-2 | 2.89 | 1.13 | 71.2 | .225 | 67/22 |
While the signing of Zack Greinke stole the headlines, it has been fellow offseason addition Hyun-Jin Ryu who has made the bigger impact in his first season with the Dodgers.
Signed to a six-year, $36 million deal out of Korea, the left-hander has made a seamless transition to playing in the states so far, and he has been the team’s best starter behind ace Clayton Kershaw.
In his last start this past Friday, he threw a two-hit shutout against the Angels, walking none and striking out seven in what was by far his best start to date.
Stock: Up
3. C/OF Evan Gattis, Atlanta Braves
| G | BA | OBP | SLG | HR | RBI | R |
| 43 | .281 | .333 | .619 | 12 | 32 | 22 |
Out of organized baseball altogether for four years from 2006-2009, Evan Gattis battled drug and alcohol problems as well as depression before returning to the game when the Braves drafted him in 2010.
After putting up impressive numbers in the minors the past two seasons, Gattis got a chance to win a roster spot out of spring training this year with Brian McCann opening the season on the DL, and he seized the opportunity.
He currently leads all rookies in home runs (12) and RBI (32), and the Braves have continued to find ways to get his bat in the lineup now that McCann is back. He went 7-for-17 this past week with a pair of three-hit games and a couple home runs, as he has shown no signs of letting up to this point.
Stock: Up
4. SS Didi Gregorius, Arizona Diamondbacks
| G | BA | OBP | SLG | HR | RBI | R |
| 31 | .319 | .374 | .521 | 4 | 12 | 19 |
In need of a long-term answer at shortstop with Cliff Pennington and Willie Bloomquist nothing more than stopgap placeholders, the Diamondbacks pulled off a blockbuster deal this offseason to land Didi Gregorius.
They gave up top pitching prospect Trevor Bauer in the deal, and with questions surrounding the offensive potential of Gregorius now and in the long term, the move raised more than a few eyebrows.
However, those doubts have been cast aside so far, as the 23-year-old has been one of the most productive shortstops in the league since being called up. He went 6-for-23 this past week, but his .895 OPS is still the third-best mark among shortstops with at least 100 at-bats.
Stock: Even
5. SP Jose Fernandez, Miami Marlins
| G/G | W-L | ERA | WHIP | IP | BAA | K/BB |
| 10/10 | 2-3 | 3.78 | 1.24 | 52.1 | .224 | 52/21 |
Were it not for injuries to Nathan Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez, the Marlins no doubt would have sent 20-year-old Jose Fernandez to the minors to open the season.
However, with a pair of openings in their rotation and little to play for in 2013, the team opted to give their top prospect a shot after he went 14-1 with a 1.75 ERA and 158 strikeouts in 134 innings last season while reaching High-A.
His record isn’t great and likely won’t get much better given his supporting cast, but his peripherals are solid. He did struggle his last time out, though, going just 3.1 innings and allowing five hits and four runs, walking three and striking out six in a loss to the Rays.
Stock: Down
Others Receiving Consideration: RP Jim Henderson (MIL), RP Trevor Rosenthal (STL), 2B Jedd Gyorko (SD)
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments