Last season Mike Trout and Bryce Harper burst onto the baseball scene with unbelievable rookie seasons as they won the Rookie of the Year award for their respective leagues. Hard to beat their first season success, and so far no one has come close to performing like they have, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t rookies in the league making a name for themselves.
Some of the players expected to be in the running in the American League include Minnesota Twins outfielder Aaron Hicks, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Brandon Maurer, and Texas Rangers pitcher Justin Grimm. However, none of them have necessarily stood out so far this season. A name that has stood out so far in the AL is Conor Gillaspie the third baseman for the Chicago White Sox. The youngster is getting a chance to play everyday and is taking advantage of it. He’s batting .294 with three homeruns and seven RBI. The 25-year-old has been an all around solid player for the White Sox as he’s also made some nice plays at the hot corner. So far he is a guy who is leading the race for the yearly honor, but it’s early and he’ll have to keep up his current play in order to continue to be in the running.
Onto the National League, some rookies worth mentioning are San Diego Padres infielder Jedd Gyorko, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder A.J. Pollock, and Atlanta Braves catcher Evan Gattis, who did a fine job behind the dish until Brian McCann returned. While these guys are worth mentioning, there is a pitcher who has stood out so far this season, and that’s Shelby Miller of the St. Louis Cardinals. The 22- year-old is 5-2 with a 1.40 ERA in eight starts. He also has a complete game under his belt in his young career. It’s early in the year, but if he’s able to perform this way to the end of the season he will be a serious candidate for the award.
It’s always fun to watch new, young players develop throughout their professional careers. 2012 was an amazing year for the rookies and it’ll be exciting to see how this year's rookies finish out the season and who wins the honor for the American and National League.