Mike Minor, Freddie Freeman and the 2011 NL Rookie of the Year Candidates

2010 was an incredible year for National League rookie debuts.

Buster Posey, Jason Heyward and Jaime Garcia all put up Rookie of the Year-caliber performances, and they weren’t the only rookies to make a splash.

Guys like Starlin Castro, Chris Johnson, Mike Stanton, Tyler Colvin and John Axford made significant contributions to their respective teams—and I haven’t even mentioned Stephen Strasburg.

You’d think with all of the promotions, the 2011 rookie class would be dry. Not so.

Especially over in Atlanta.

Here is a look at the front runners and a few dark horse candidates for this season’s NL Rookie of the Year award.

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