With approximately two months to go in the 2012 season, has the NL Rookie of the Year race come down to a two-man competition?
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Wade Miley and Cincinnati Reds infielder Todd Frazier look like the current favorites for the award. But we may have been able to say the same thing about Bryce Harper in June, as early in the season as that was. These things can obviously change quickly.
This week, we're going to address the Anthony Rizzo question once again. The Chicago Cubs first baseman is getting quite a bit of support from commenters as he is rapidly catching up to the NL rookie leaders in home runs. Yet we're still talking about a player who has played in only 34 games as of Aug. 7.
I still think Yonder Alonso could finish in the top five by the end of the season. The San Diego Padres first baseman had another great week, hitting 7-for-23 (.304) with three doubles, a home run and three RBI. But his season numbers still lag behind the other top rookies.
One more player who got some support via Twitter is Houston Astros pitcher Lucas Harrell. He's allowed a total of seven earned runs in his past seven starts. Harrell also has 26 strikeouts in 30.2 innings. A 9-7 record and 3.98 ERA for a terrible Astros team is pretty impressive. But unless someone else slides, I don't think Harrell cracks the top five.
Taking all of these matters into consideration, these five players look like the current leading contenders for the NL Rookie of the Year award.
We always look forward to your responses and suggestions in the comments. Thanks for your feedback, which factors into these rankings each week.
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