As the second month of the 2014 MLB season comes to a close, we start to see a clearer picture in the playoff races and award races. Of course there are the top dogs like the San Francisco Giants who have the best record in baseball and Nelson Cruz leading the way in the American League MVP race.
Of course, fans attention also turns towards the future of baseball and the best glimpse comes from the Rookie of the Year race. Who will be the next Buster Posey, Jose Fernandez or Bryce Harper?
While the American League is overflowing with candidates for the top spot, the National League is a much thinner field. Rookies like Billy Hamilton, Archie Bradley and Eddie Butler have fallen short of expectations. Hamilton has remained in the bigs, Butler got a cold welcoming before being sent back down and Bradley is sitting in Triple-A waiting for his shot. Through all of the disappointment, here are the top-five candidates so far.
5. Oscar Taveras, Right Fielder, St. Louis Cardinals
2014 Stats: .200 BA, 1 HR, 1 RBI (10 At Bats)
Taveras is by far the most talented player on this list—he is the one player who one day can compete for MVP awards and be a perennial All Star. Unfortunately for Taveras, the Cardinals didn’t call upon his name until Saturday. After battling an ankle injury most of the 2013 season, Taveras was crushing the ball in Triple-A. A .325 batting average, seven home runs and 40 RBI’s was enough for St. Louis to call up the best prospect in baseball.
It only took two at bats before Taveras delivered for the Cardinals. In a tough match up against the San Francisco Giants with both teams scoreless, Taveras drilled a ball over the right-center field wall to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead. It was Taveras first career hit and home run, while also proving to be the winning run in a 2-0 win on Saturday.
Taveras has only one hit since that special moment, but should continue to see regular starts in right field while Matt Adams recovers from a calf injury. Taveras should find success quickly as opposing pitchers always take time to figure out young rookies. This will work in Taveras favor, as he should see plenty of good pitches to hit. Once Taveras can get it going, he may put the Cardinals in a position where they have to play him. If that happens, he will rocket to the top of the National League Rookie of the Year race.
4. Kolten Wong, Second Baseman, St. Louis Cardinals
2014 Stats: .268 BA, 11 RBI’s, 12 R’s, 8 SB’s, .333 OBP
After moving Matt Carpenter from second base to the hot corner, the Cardinals were ready to hand the starting gig over to Wong. He earned the job out of spring training and everything was in order for the Cardinals to have two key pieces of their infield set for a long time.
Unfortunately, things didn’t get off to a very good start for Wong as opposing pitchers adjusted to him after 59 at bats last season. He got off to a nice four-game start with four hits in 12 at bats, but his numbers rapidly declined the rest of the month. By the time Wong was sent back to Triple-A, he had a .225 batting average and .276 on-base percentage.
He stayed in Memphis for 15 games, hitting .344 with two home runs, 10 RBI’s and five stolen bases. Wong took the demotion well and spent two weeks working in his approach at the plate and improving his swing. The Cardinals didn’t hesitate to bring the 23-year-old back up and gave him his starting job back. It was the right decision—he hit .333 in May with six RBI’s and five stolen bases and his on-base percentage jumped up 150 points. Wong has also been strong on the field flashing great ability with the glove and covering his area. Wong is starting to push his way back into the Rookie of the Year discussion, but it may not be long before his teammate surpasses him.
3. Jacob deGrom, Starting Pitcher, New York Mets
2014 Stats: 2.42 ERA, 25 K’s, 1.08 WHIP
While the Mets anxiously count down the months until Matt Harvey returns from Tommy John surgery, they watch their inconsistent rotation go through stretches of brilliance and plenty of unwatchable stretches. After sorting through Jenry Meija, Rafael Montero and Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Metropolitans may have finally found a quality, young starter.
Very little attention was paid to deGrom coming into the season— he wasn’t considered to be amongst the Mets top-10 prospects and was already a 25-year-old without even a single appearance in the majors. But when deGrom’s got the phone call that he was joining the big league rotation, he delivered in a big way. Making his major-league debut against the New York Yankees, deGrom was dominant—holding the Yankees to one run in seven strong innings, while striking out six. While he walked away with the loss, his performance was just the beginning of a great start to his career.
Over his next three starts, deGrom has allowed just six earned runs in 19 innings. He shutout the Pirates for 6 ? innings on May 26 and five days later held the Phillies to just three runs with 11 strikeouts in his first road start. While deGrom hasn’t recorded his first career win, it’s been a matter of run support rather than his own performance. To top it all off, he has four hits in seven at bats and a walk. deGrom isn’t getting a lot of attention in the Rookie of the Year race right now, but he certainly has earned it. While he won’t be able to keep up a 2.42 ERA, he still has shown to be a main cog in the Mets’ rotation.
2. Billy Hamilton, Center Fielder, Cincinnati Reds
2014 Stats: .251 BA, 1 HR, 10 RBI’s, .290 OBP, 20 SB’s, 36 K’s, 0.3 WAR
Hamilton was the early favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors after a historic minor league career where baseball fans witnessed him steal 392 bases in a five-year span, including two seasons with 100 or more stolen bases.
Everyone around baseball was excited when the Reds announced Hamilton as their Opening Day center fielder. With Hamilton’s Usain Bolt-like speed, the rookie would be able to dominate with infield hits to get on base and dominate on the base paths. While it was a good theory at the time, Hamilton has shown why his bat isn’t nearly as major-league ready as his legs.
While Hamilton has certainly shown off his speed with 20 stolen bases, his .290 on-base percentage and .251 batting average leaves plenty to be desired. Hamilton isn’t a patient hitter at the plate with a 4-1 strikeout to walk ratio and he doesn’t have nearly enough power to justify those numbers. As eDraft’s Sabermetrics database shows, while Hamilton has some room for improvement with a .309 BABIP his numbers reflect upon what he did last year in Triple-A. Hamilton only hit .258 last year in Louisville with only 41 walks in 504 at bats.
Hamilton will always have exceptional speed that can help him steal 40-plus bags a season, but right now he hasn’t shown he can make consistent contact against big league pitchers. The Reds can enjoy the excitement he brings on the base paths and RBI opportunities he provides teammates, but he still leaves plenty to be desired.
1. Chris Owings, Shortstop, Arizona Diamondbacks
2014 Stats: .263 BA, 3 HR’s, 9 RBI’s, .306 OBP, 2 SB’s, 1.5 WAR
After beating out DiDi Gregorious for the starting job at shortstop in spring training, the Diamondbacks had high hopes for their 22-year-old starting shortstop. Owings was coming off a stellar 2013 season in Triple-A Reno where he earned Pacific Coast League MVP honors after posting a .330 BA with 12 home runs, 81 RBI’s and 20 stolen bases.
That success carried over into April as he put up a nice .297 batting average, .350 on-base percentage and four stolen bases. It was enough to earn him National League Rookie of the Month honors and showed a glimpse into what Arizona hoped they were getting out of their young shortstop.
Things really took a turn for the worst as the calendar turned to May—Owings numbers took a sharp dive as he hit just .217 this past month in 92 at bats. He wasn’t getting on base nearly as much with his OBP dropping 100 points. What is interesting when looking at Owings struggles is his strikeout percentage and power numbers. In April, he struck out 12 times in 74 at bats compared to May when he struck out 14 times in 92 plate appearances. A 16 percent strikeout rate dropped to 15 this past month, while that seems very small the improved discipline at the plate is key for young hitters. Owings also found a little power in addition to the reduced strike out rate with three home runs in May.
In most years, Owings would be towards the bottom for the NL Rookie of the Year honors. But thanks to the struggles of his peers, Owings is able to hold his ground as the leader for the award.