American League Rookie of the Year is an award that many young players started this year dreaming about. With just a little more than a week left in the 2009 season the stats have sorted out the contenders and pretenders. This is my third post about the AL ROY and the stats and opinions shown here are updated as of 9/25/09. The water has not gotten any clearer and the overall picture is a little blurry but, after a few more games for each position player, and at least one appearance for all of the starters my opinion may have changed again.
Matt Wieters C Baltimore
Games 86 Hits 91 Home Run 8 RBIs 38 BA .290
Wieters played a series at Toronto this week. In 13 at bats he had 1 home run, 2 doubles and 2 RBI's. Overall he collected 6 hits and only struck out 4 times. Wieters has also been strong behind the plate this year. His .990 Fielding percentage is testament to that. Wieters problem is he just was not brought up early enough to win the award this year......
Jeff Niemann Starting Pitcher Tampa Bay
Games 29 Wins 12 Losses 6 K's 117 ERA 3.81 WHIP 1.32
Niemann pitched against the Mariners this week. He lasted 6.2 innings giving up 3 runs on 4 hits, 4 walks while striking out 5 batters. Ichiro took Niemann deep once and was the batter that forced Joe Maddon to pull Niemann in the 7th. With this no decision performance it is this bloggers opinion Niemann would have to have an almost perfect game to finish the season to take home the award.
Brett Anderson Starting Pitcher Oakland
Games 29 Wins 11 Losses 10 K's 139 ERA 4.21 WHIP 1.28
Brett Anderson beat the Rangers this week. He lasted 5.2 innings. The Rangers got 6 hits and 3 runs, but only 1 was earned. Anderson struck out 6 and won his 4th game in a row. He is heating up as the season is winding down.
Elvis Andrus Shortstop Texas
Games 135 Hits 120 Home Run 6 RBIs 34 BA .267
Andrus and the Rangers played the A's this week. He had 19 at bats, scored 4 runs with 3 hits. Elvis struck out 4 times. If Andrus wins the award though it will not be due to his offense. He has been outstanding at short for the Rangers this year. He does have 22 errors in 1163 innings. But his .967 fielding looks very good to Ranger fans.
Andrew Bailey Relief Pitcher Oakland
Games 64 Wins 6 Losses 3 K's 87 ERA 1.93 WHIP .91 SAVES 25
Bailey is still on a roll. He only had one non-save opportunity this week, but he struck out 2 and did not give up a hit. I believe Andrew Bailey is still the front runner in this race. He has only blown 4 saves all year. I bet the fans in Philly wish Bailey was there closer at this point.
Rick Porcello Starting Pitcher Detroit
Games 29 Wins 14 Losses 9 K's 80 ERA 4.14 WHIP 1.35
Porcello picked up a win agains the Indians this week. He gave up 1 run on six hits and 3 walks, but only lasted 5 innings. He now has 3 more wins then Niemann, and the Tigers are still playing meaningful ball. If the award is going to a starting pitcher, I would now say Porcello is the favorite.
Gordon Beckham 3B Chicago White Sox
Games 95 Hits 93 Home Run 13 RBIs 56 BA .266
Beckham is fading as the season drags on. He did have 3 hits and score 2 runs this week, but it is probably not enough for Gordon to bring home the bacon.
Wieters and Porcello are making a strong push at the AL ROY, but it looks like Bailey, the only All-Star, is not going anywhere and may in fact be adding to his slight lead in this race. Most of the pitchers should get at least one more start, and the position players will get a few more opportunities so a lot still could change.
VOTE IN THE POLL AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE FOR YOUR FAVORITE TO WIN THE AL ROY!!!!!!!
The Card Addict
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