Entering the 2014 MLB season, all the rage was about the new New York Yankees’ pitcher, Masahiro Tanaka, who made the transition to the league from Japan, where he went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in 2013. The Yankees gave him a seven-year, $155 million contract, launching the debate: would Tanaka live up to the contract and win AL Rookie of the Year? Or would he falter under the expectations?
So far, Tanaka seems to have proven any doubters wrong. But as for the AL Rookie of the Year race, he’s locked in a tight race against a few other worthy candidates. Here’s the early AL Rookie of the Year rankings:
1. Masahiro Tanaka, P, New York Yankees
Tanaka has shown very little, if not no learning curve in the MLB since arriving from Japan. In his first game, he went seven innings, allowing two runs and striking out eight. He made sure no critic could say the start was a fluke, going seven or more innings in his first four starts, letting up just seven runs.
Tanaka currently holds an 8-1 record and 2.06 ERA, rankings second and first in the AL, respectively. In fact, the most he’s allowed in a game is three runs. That consistency has put him in the conversation for Cy Young, much less Rookie of the Year.
Adding to the accolades is his 0.95 WHIP, which ranks first in the AL. His ERA and WHIP at this point would beat the previous two AL Rookie of the Year winners who were starters: Jeremy Hellickson (2011) and Justin Verlander (2006).
2. Jose Abreu, 1B, Chicago White Sox
As good as Tanaka has been the season, many had Abreu as the leader of this group just a few weeks ago. Abreu burst onto the scene with 10 home runs in April, including three multi-home run games. His 32 RBIs in April tied Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Albert Pujols for third-most ever through a player’s first 29 games.
These numbers were up there with the best in the game, but his .260 batting average has turned some off of putting him in the same discussion as Tanaka. Add in the 13 games Abreu has missed due to an ankle injury, and he lost some momentum in this race.
3. George Springer, RF, Houston Astros
Springer is an interesting candidate for Rookie of the Year, since the Astros pulled him up April 16 and he did not impress for the first month of the season. By the end of April, Springer had no home runs and batted .182.
Then May happened. Springer exploded for 10 home runs and 25 RBIs in the month and bumped his average up to .259. He became the first rookie since 1937 to have seven home runs in seven games and broke the single month franchise record for home runs.
Even though half of his career was weak, his last month cannot be ignored in this race.
Dark Horses
Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox
Bogaerts has put together a solid rookie season, batting .296 with three home runs and 13 RBI. His fielding percentage (.971) ranks sixth among AL shortstops, better than Springer (.924), who ranks 10th among AL right fielders and Abreu (.991), who ranks 46th among AL first basemen.
Yordano Ventura, P, Kansas City Royals
Ventura can pitch, but he is inconsistent at times. He has a 3.45 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP, but a 2-5 record. He has been dropping in during his four-game losing streak, but if he can regain his command, he’s a strong pitcher.
Yangervis Solarte, 3B, New York Yankees
Solarte is batting .294 with six home runs, 26 RBI and a .363 on-base percentage. He leads the Yankees in all of those categories except home runs. If he can keep these numbers up, it’s hard to not put him in the discussion.