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In our first Rookie of the Year rankings, we saw Miami Marlins starting pitcher Trevor Rogers and Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia lead the way for the AL and NL Rookie of the Year.
Rogers has continued to play well for the Marlins as he has a 2.37 ERA in three starts this month. As for Garcia, he has cooled off a little bit this month, slugging .234/.250/.277 with zero home runs and 5 RBI. We also saw a major injury happen to Chicago White Sox second baseman Nick Madrigal, who suffered a season-ending hamstring injury. Madrigal was off to a great start and was ranked fourth in the first ROY rankings.
That being said, who will take Madrigal’s place in the AL ROY rankings this week? And will we have any new faces entering into the conservation? We’ll breakdown both the AL and NL Rookie rankings below.
NL Rookies
1. Trevor Rogers, Miami Marlins - To no one’s surprise, Rogers is still leading the charge in the NL Rookie of the Year race as we inch closer to the All-Star break next month. The 23-year-old starting pitcher has a record of 7-3 and 1.98 ERA in 14 starts this season. Through three starts in June, Rogers is 1-0 with a 2.37 ERA and a K/9 of 9.0.
2. Ian Anderson, Atlanta Braves - The 23-year-old starting pitcher for the Braves is holding firm at No. 2 in the NL ROY race. Anderson ended the month of May with a 2-2 record and 4.15 ERA in five starts. However, it appears that he might be a better track this month with an ERA of 3.18 through two starts. For the Braves to make any noise in the NL East, they are going to need Anderson to their starting rotation and be their ace.
3. Ke’Bryan Hayes, Pittsburgh Pirates - We have a new entry into the NL ROY rankings and that is Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. The outstanding rookie, who was a favorite to win the award before the season began, suffered a left wrist injury on Apr. 4. He eventually made his return to the starting lineup on Jun. 3. Since then, Hayes is slashing .289/.333/.511 with 2 HRs and 5 RBI in 11 games.
4. Pavin Smith, Arizona Diamondbacks - The 25-year-old first baseman is moving up in the NL ROY rankings after being in the fifth spot. In our initial rookie rankings, Smith was hitting .290/.344/.460 with 5 HRs and 21 RBI. His batting average has taken a dip to .282 as Smith is only slashing .250/.348/.375 this month. But on one of the worst teams in the MLB, he is one of the Diamondbacks’ best offensive players.
5. Vladimir Gutierrez, Cincinnati Reds - To wrap-up the NL ROY rankings, we have another new entry in Reds starter Vladimir Gutierrez. The 25-year-old has a record of 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA in four starts this season. In his MLB debut against the Cubs on May 28, Gutierrez gave up 2 hits (1 HR), 1 earned run, 2 walks, and produced 3 strikeouts in 5.0 IP. In his next three starts, the rookie pitcher went 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 18.0 IP.
AL Rookies
1. Adolis Garcia, Texas Rangers - Garcia just like Rogers is still holding onto the top spot in the Rookie of the Year. Since our first rankings back on Jun. 4, the power-hitting outfielder is only slashing .258/.281/.323 with zero home runs and 4 RBI in eight games. The 28-year-old has surprisingly not hit a home run since May 26 against the Angels. If he does not turn it on soon, he could get over taken by the next rookie on this list.
2. James Kaprielian, Oakland Athletics - The 27-year-old pitcher is starting emerge as one of the best pitchers in the Athletics’ starting rotation. Kaprielian has a 3-1 record and 2.51 ERA in six starts this season. In his last start against the Royals, he had his second-best outing thus far, throwing six shutout innings and seven strikeouts. In two starts this month, Kaprielian has a 1.64 ERA and opponents are only hitting .184.
3. Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays - Arozarena has played much better to start the month of June, which is great news for Tampa Bay, who will be without ace Tyler Glasnow. The 26-year-old is hitting .260/.288/.460 with 2 HRs and 8 RBI in 12 games this month. Overall, he is slashing .264/.343/.427 with 9 HRs and 35 RBI this season.
4. Yermin Mercedes, Chicago White Sox - Mercedes’ batting average has slowly come back down to earth at a .280 clip, but he’s firmly in the AL Rookie of the Year race. The 28-year-old is currently slugging .280/.336/.422 with 7 HRs and 22 RBI. After batting over .400 in April, Mercedes’ average has dropped down to .221 and .146 over the last two months.
5. Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers - Mize will wrap-up our rankings the second consecutive time in the fifth spot for the AL ROY race. The former first overall pick in 2018 has been a steady presence in the Tigers’ starting rotation. He is 4-4 record with an ERA of 3.49 in 13 outings and has a 4.12 ERA in three starts this month.