After finishing second in the first NL Rookie of the Year poll to Padres pitcher Chris Paddack, Pete Alonso has taken over the top spot in the most recent NL ROY poll.
Alonso, 24, started off the year on fire and while he has come back down to earth a bit, he has remained outstanding. In 64 games, he has slashed .254/.337/.596 with 22 home runs, 49 RBI, and a 144 wRC+. His 22 home runs rank second in the MLB behind only Christain Yelich (24), and is, of course, the most among any rookie by a fair margin. He has also been solid on defense, posting one DRS with a 2.2 UZR (6.2 UZR/150), often saving errant throws with fantastic picks at first base.
His closest competition right now is Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Soroka, who across 10 starts is 7-1 with a 1.38 ERA, 2.70 FIP, and 0.872 WHIP. Across 65.1 innings he has struck out 57 and walked 17, and has only allowed one home run to Brandon Crawford.
Chris Paddack received zero first-place votes this time around, having hone 4-4 with a 2.97 ERA, 3.68 FIP, and 0.890 WHIP across 11 starts. In 60.2 innings he has struck out 66 and walked 12, allowing a whopping nine home runs.
Over in the American League, Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe is leading the pack with 26 first-place votes, having hit .288/.340/.553 with 14 home runs, 43 RBIs, and a 138 wRC+. He has also been solid on defense, having tallied four DRS and a 0.9 UZR (4.8 UZR/150) at second base so far this season. He is versatile as well, having also played first base and both corner outfield positions.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is sneaking up behind Lowe with 12 first place votes after coming up later in the season. He also started slow, but in his last 25 games, he has a .915 OPS with five doubles and seven home runs. On the season as a whole, Vlad Jr. is hitting .248/.313/.445 with seven home runs, 16 RBIs, and a 102 wRC+. He has a lot of work to do if he wants to catch up to Lowe, but if he continues on his current pace, he very well might.
Orioles pitcher John Means garnered two first-place votes in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, quietly having a great season in Baltimore. Across 14 games (10 starts) he is 5-4 with a 2.67 ERA, 4.03 FIP, and 1.071 WHIP having struck out 50 batters and walking 16 in 60.2 innings. Considering he is pitching in an extremely hitter-friendly park with a horrible team around him, those numbers are pretty good.
Many of these rookies might end up in the All-Star Game, but beyond that, it’s starting to shape up like a good fight for both the AL and NL Rookie of the Year Awards.
