The Pinstriped Bible staff took the Yankees' early exit from baseball this season to get a head start on all the voting that will take place this offseason for various awards and accolades. We only bothered with the three main awards: MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year for both the American and National Leagues. Today, we'll share the results of the first of those awards in the form of our two Rookies of the Year.
A first place vote was worth seven points in our voting system. Second place votes were worth four points, third place votes were worth three points, fourth place votes were worth two points, and fifth place votes were worth one point. The final rankings of the players were done by their point totals through this system.
In the American League our staff was nearly unanimous in voting Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Wil Myers as the Rookie of the Year. All but one writer voted for Myers as the winner with Tigers' Jose Iglesias, Royals' David Lough, Athletics' Dan Straily, and Rays' Chris Archer rounding out the top five. Unsurprisingly, no Yankees made the list even with the greater number of rookies given a shot to make an impact in a season full of injuries.
Myers played 88 games at the big league level in 2013, hitting .293/.354/.478 with 13 home runs and five stolen bases. His production helped the Rays scratch their way into the playoffs before they were ultimately eliminated by the Red Sox in the ALDS. Iglesias began the year on fire for the Red Sox before he was traded to the Tigers in a three-team trade that sent Jake Peavy to Boston. Between his two teams, Iglesias hit .303/.349/.386 with three home runs and slick defense on the way to an AL Central title for Detroit and a trip to the ALCS. Lough was the lone player to make the top five on a team that didn't quite make it to the playoffs. Kansas City came fairly close, though, and Lough's strong outfield defense and .286/.311/.413 batting line in 96 games definitely helped them get as close as they did.
Player | 1st place votes | 2nd place votes | 3rd place votes | 4th place votes | 5th place votes | Total Points |
Wil Myers | 17 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 123 |
Jose Iglesias | 1 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 50 |
David Lough | -- | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 29 |
Dan Straily | -- | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 28 |
Chris Archer | -- | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 27 |
Martin Perez | -- | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
Danny Farquhar | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 4 | 8 |
Cody Allen | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | 4 |
Brad Miller | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 1 | 4 |
Alex Torres | -- | -- | 1 | -- | -- | 3 |
Kole Calhoun | -- | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 2 |
Oswaldo Arcia | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 |
Sean Doolittle | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 |
The voting wasn't quite so lopsided for the National League with Jose Fernandez and Yasiel Puig both vying to be named the NL's best newcomer. No one else received any first or second place votes among our writers. Ultimately, Fernandez's strong season for the Miami Marlins bested Puig's emergence and what that meant to the Dodgers' playoff hopes.
In 172.2 innings this season, Fernandez pitched to a 2.19 ERA and 2.73 WHIP and 187 strikeouts for the Marlins. Were it not for the fact that Clayton Kershaw absolutely mowed down the competition, Fernadez's name would have to seriously be in the Cy Young conversation in the NL. As it is, he may have to settle for the Rookie of the Year award. There are worse consolation prizes. Puig burst onto the scene in 2013, providing a springboard for a Dodgers team that was taking on water in mid-May. Puig batted an impressive .319/.391/.534 with 19 home runs in 104 games for Los Angeles on their way to clinching the NL West crown. Puig's teammate, Hyun-Jin Ryu, was voted third by the PB staff by receiving easily the most third and fourth place votes of any player. In 192 innings and 30 starts for the Dodgers this season, Ryu pitched to a 3.00 ERA and 3.24 FIP, striking out 154 batters.
Player | 1st place votes | 2nd place votes | 3rd place votes | 4th place votes | 5th place votes | Total Points |
Jose Fernandez | 12 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | 108 |
Yasiel Puig | 6 | 12 | -- | -- | -- | 90 |
Hyun-Jin Ryu | -- | -- | 9 | 8 | 1 | 44 |
Shelby Miller | -- | -- | 4 | 1 | 3 | 17 |
A.J. Pollock | -- | -- | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
Julio Teheran | -- | -- | 1 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
Matt Adams | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 1 | 7 |
Gerrit Cole | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Jedd Gyorko | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5 | 5 |
Trevor Rosenthal | -- | -- | 1 | -- | 1 | 4 |
Scooter Gennett | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 |
Juan Lagares | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 |
So, that's how we voted. Do you agree with the staff's selections or do you think another player was more deserving of the Rookie of the Year award? We'll be back tomorrow with the Cy Young awards for both leagues.