The Rookie of the Year race is a weird one this year in the NL. The current leader in the clubhouse is a guy you probably haven’t heard of and probably can’t continue doing this in Isaac Collins. But Drake Baldwin is right behind him with plenty of time left in the year.
We were all very excited about him when the season started, and he’s done nothing to dissuade us that he’s a core player moving forward. He’s 24 and his Statcast looks like this.
His defense isn’t amazing, but when you hit like that, being just capable is perfectly fine. With the general trend of catching prospects being disappointing, Drake Baldwin has been a huge bright spot in the season. With the lefty on the mound, I get not having him in the lineup somewhat, but his development is worth more than trotting Marcell Ozuna out there.
On the AL side, there’s no real competition. Pitching has been awful this year – the best rookie pitchers are currently around 2 wins in both leagues. Nick Kurtz leads the pack very easily, so there’s little drama there. But the Guardians have a young first baseman of their own in Kyle Manzardo.
Acquired a couple years ago in a trade deadline deal with the Rays for Aaron Civale, Manzardo has hit .240/.325/.481 (123 wRC+) in the year. They have generally protected him against lefties, so he’ll need to do more there to be a core player for Cleveland. His Statcast (below) isn’t as inspiring, but he’s been on a better heater in the second half than Michael Harris, hitting well enough for a nearly 200 wRC+.