With all of the talk of the race for the American League MVP Award and other MLB races heating up, it’s time we focused a little on the race for the AL Rookie of the Year Award.
That race is just as interesting and compelling as any of the other ones, with big names galore who are making their marks on MLB.
Three candidates for the AL Rookie of the Year Award have really kicked it into gear as of late.
The players in question are Adley Rutschman, Bobby Witt Jr, and Julio Rodriguez.
MLB insider Andrew Simon tweeted their stats through their first couple of games and compared them to their more recent stats.
Bobby Witt Jr.
– First 28 G: .551 OPS
– Last 42 G: .892Julio Rodríguez
– First 20 G: .544 OPS
– Last 54 G: .858Adley Rutschman
– First 15 G: .422 OPS
– Last 15 G: 1.046— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) June 28, 2022
Rookies Getting Hot
These guys are here to stay.
Baseball is a game of timing and execution, and these guys have turned it up a notch at just the right time.
The All-Star break is approaching, and these three players have a good chance at getting their names called for the All-Star Game.
But by just looking at the previous stats and the current stats, you can tell that things have changed.
Witt’s OPS was at an abysmal .551 through the first 28 games of his career.
Now, in the recent 42-game stretch, it sits at .892.
For Rodriguez, his OPS was even worse than Witt’s through the first 20 games of his career, sitting at .544.
It sits at .858 in the last 54 games.
And for Rutschman, he was hardly getting on base at all through his first 15 games.
His OPS was below .500.
But in the past 15 games, he’s really kicked it up a notch.
Sometimes, all you need is time, and these players have certainly turned it on at the right time.
NEXT: Joey Gallo Is Back In Another Ugly Rut At The Plate