It has been a great first two months for rookie performances in baseball, but it has not been the rookies many expected. Several elite prospects like Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios have struggled since their debuts and have landed back in the minors, but that has opened the door for some surprising and fun rookie leaders. To get a handle on the players who could be on track to win the NL and AL Rookie of the Year Awards, we’ve put together a pair of leaderboards based on Total Runs—a measure of player value based on his offensive, defensive, pitching, and baserunning contributions. Let’s start with the NL.
NL ROY Candidates - May 25, 2016
Total Runs |
| Player |
Offense |
Pitching |
Baserunning |
Defense |
Pos Adj. |
Total Runs |
| Trevor Story |
33 |
0 |
-1 |
2 |
9 |
43 |
| Aledmys Diaz |
30 |
0 |
1 |
-2 |
8 |
37 |
| Corey Seager |
26 |
0 |
1 |
-1 |
10 |
36 |
| Kenta Maeda |
1 |
24 |
0 |
-1 |
1 |
25 |
| Steven Matz |
1 |
23 |
0 |
-1 |
0 |
23 |
The NL has the majority of the heavyweight Rookie of the Year candidates, headlined by April MVP Trevor Story and former top prospect Corey Seager. Even though Story has just 2 home runs since the start of May compared to 10 in April, he still sets the pace. Story’s bat sets him apart, but the most surprising part of Story’s game is actually his defense. Never touted for his glove in the minors, Story has saved the Rockies two runs at shortstop, helping the team overcome the losses of Troy Tulowitzki from last year’s trade and Jose Reyes from this year’s injury and suspension.
Next, here are the AL rookie Total Runs leaders.
AL ROY Candidates - May 25, 2016
Total Runs |
| Player |
Offense |
Pitching |
Baserunning |
Defense |
Pos Adj. |
Total Runs |
| Nomar Mazara |
24 |
0 |
-3 |
4 |
5 |
30 |
| Byung-ho Park |
20 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
23 |
| Tyler White |
17 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
20 |
| Joey Rickard |
19 |
0 |
1 |
-7 |
5 |
18 |
| Chris Devenski |
0 |
15 |
0 |
-1 |
0 |
14 |
The AL lags behind the NL in Total Runs, but that is slightly deceptive because Nomar Mazara did not start the season in the majors and has just 162 plate appearances (compared to 196 for Story, as an example). Mazara has certainly made the most of his fewer opportunities, producing 24 offensive runs on the strength of a .317/.364/.483 triple slash that includes seven home runs. In addition, Mazara has saved four runs defensively split between the corner outfield spots. Having just called up slugging prospect Joey Gallo, the Rangers could end up having the two favorites for the AL Rookie of the Year before all is said and done.