The 3U3D Awards: Rookie of the Year Edition
Rookie of the Year, in the American League it’s the easiest call on the board. However, in the National League there are a few players that have a chance at taking home the hardware. Here’s who 3U3D picked for the best rookie in each league.
American League
Jeremy Dorn (@Jamblinman): If I could list Trout as first, second and third for this category, I would. No disrespect to Cespedes, Chen, or guys like Jarrod Parker, Will Middlebrooks, and Brett Lawrie…but this is going to be a unanimous decision. The only real question is whether Trout receives a nice, shiny, MVP trophy to go along with his Rookie of the Year.
Angelo Fileccia (@GODF_TH_R): Not much needs to be said about why Trout is the AL ROY considering he’s close to an MVP. Yu had a stellar year and probably would have won ROY if it wasn’t for Mike Trout.
Brian Boynton (@GingaBeard_Man): Is there anyone else that can win this award or will even get first place votes other than Mike Trout? There is no way he doesn’t win this award. Led the AL in steals, he is the youngest member of the 30/30 club and hit well above .300 doing this while being 20 for much of the season and missing the first month before being called up. Yoenis Cespedes had a very good rookie season and would win this award in most seasons but he was second in almost every offensive category only behind Trout. Had Yu Darvish not faded for much of the middle months of the season there could actually be a debate as to who should win. He started the season very strong faded in the hottest months of the season and finished strong his team winning his last 6 regular season starts.
Kurt Peter (@FalconKP): There’s not much to be said for AL ROY. Mike Trout is a destroyer. As for the other two spots on my ballot, it’s hard to argue against Yu Darvish and Yoenis Cespedes. Darvish led all rookies in Ks and tied Wade Miley for wins. Did I mention the 2nd closest guy in Ks had almost 50 less? It was a no brainer. Yoenis Cespedes also turned heads with his performance all season. Posting a .292 average with all of the hype and money being thrown at him wasn’t easy. Not only that, he led them to the late playoff surge behind Billy Beane’s magic that is ‘Moneyball’. A truly memorable season for the A’s and Cespedes.
Bryan Mapes (@IAmMapes): My thoughts are Mike Trout is the clear one. Yoenis Cespedes is the clear #2. That leaves my 3rd place vote and it comes down to the best rookie pitcher in the American League. I’m basing this partly on ERA+ which factors in ballpark and opponents and partly on my own observations. Hisashi Iwakuma 118, Yu Darvish 116, Scott Diamond 115, Jarrod Parker 114, Tommy Milone, 106, Wei-Yin Chen 105, and Matt Moore 100. I’m giving the edge to Parker who helped the A’s to the AL West title. Iwakuma didn’t throw enough innings, Darvish was a little too wild, and Diamond was so close, but couldn’t pull the trigger.
National League
Bryan Mapes (@IAmMapes): I’m proud of 3U3D for not giving into the hype and just handing Bryce Harper the N.L. Rookie of the Year. It’s hard comparing apples and oranges in the hitter (Harper) vs. pitcher (Miley), but I truly believe that Miley was the best rookie this season. Miley led National League rookies in wins, ERA, WHIP, innings pitched, and strikeouts. He was heads and shoulders above any N.L. rookie pitcher. I can’t make the same case for Harper, where other hitters like Frazier, Aoki, Rosario, Zack Cozart, Yonder Alonso, and even Anthony Rizzo had comparable numbers.
Kurt Peter (@FalconKP): The NL ROY race is all about what you prefer. Are you a fan of phenoms? Pitching? Consistency? For me, I only had a little bit of Harper fever in me, that’s why he landed 2nd in my ballot. When looking at consistency and value added for the team, no one did it better all season than Norichika Aoki. He never slumped below a monthly BA of .260 and ended the season T-20th in the NL in BA. Not only that, he stole 30 bases, fielded his position with only 2 errors, and ignited the Brewers comeback late in the season by slugging .536 in September. Miley no doubt put up a great season for the Diamondbacks, but as a whole, his stats don’t speak to me as much. Pitching is valuable, but he certainly wasn’t dominant in Ks and lost a few too many games to get me to put him up a little higher.
Brian Boynton (@GingaBeard_Man): Wade Miley led the NL rookies in wins, ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts. I know he played for Diamondbacks, but after a dismal season they need something to look forward to next season. Plus as a pitcher he directly resulted in the outcome of more games than a positional player which is why he gets my vote. Wilin Rosario put up video game like numbers leading NL rookies in home runs, 28, and RBI, 71. His power numbers will be slightly skewed playing in hitter friendly Coors Field. He will be hitting in the middle of that lineup for a long time coming. The other rookie to make his debut the same day that Trout did is Bryce Harper and his numbers were very good. He hit .270 with 22 home runs and 59 RBI. When he was called up he was my choice to win this award because he has been a household name for the last three or four years.
Angelo Fileccia (@GODF_TH_R): Bryce Harper had a September to remember hitting .330/.398/.651 and overtaking the NL ROY lead. Wade Miley was efficient for a rookie, but had a mediocre September which allowed Harper to sneak into the top spot.
Jeremy Dorn (@Jamblinman): I have a bad feeling that Harper is going to take this award because of name recognition. That would be an absolute travesty, because Miley has been not only the best rookie pitcher in baseball this season, but one of the best regardless of experience. He has been the one rock solid constant on the Diamondbacks staff this year, and deserves the award, hands down. All apologies to Frazier, Michael Fiers, Norichika Aoki and Wilin Rosario, but you picked a bad year to burst onto the scene.
Congrats to Mike Trout and Wade Miley on winning the 3U3D Rookie of the Year awards!
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