For the players, Spring Training is the time of year to get back into playing shape and get their reps in before the season starts. For management, it’s the time of year to decide who stays in the Bigs and who’s sent down to the minor leagues. For the fans, it’s the time of year when we all draft our free agent teams – minus the keepers, of course. For me, in this series of articles, Spring Training is the time of year where I make my predictions regarding the 2019 season.

This article will take a look at who I believe to be the top candidates in position to win National League Rookie of the Year in 2018. There are many outstanding players coming to the Bigs this season, so look forward to a tight race for the award.

1. Pete Alonso – New York Mets

Pete, not Peter, is a 24 year-old slugging first baseman who’s poised to break into the Major Leagues in a huge way in 2019. The only question at this point is whether the Mets will wait a few games to call him up for an extra year of control, or bring him north on the Opening Day Roster. New Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen has made it clear that he will bring the best 25 players north, and so far this Spring Training, Alonso has made it very clear he is in that group.

In 52 Grapefruit League plate appearances to date this season, he’s hit .347/.385/.673 with four home runs, four doubles, and nine RBIs. This is hardly surprising, as aside from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., no one hit as well as Alonso in the minors last season.

In 132 games between Double-and-Triple-A, Alonso hit .285/.395/.579 with 36 home runs, 31 doubles, and 119 RBIs. He hit for more power in Las Vegas (19 home runs, .585 SLG%) compared to Binghamton (12 home runs, .573 SLG%), but he was better overall in Binghamton where he had a 1.012 OPS in 65 games compared to a .941 OPS in 67 Las Vegas games.

He’s on his way, and as long as the Mets give him the necessary at-bats, he is a huge threat to take home this award.

2. Victor Robles – Washington Nationals

If you thought Juan Soto was good for the Nats last season, just wait until you watch their #1 prospect. Robles has five-tool potential and will be in center field for the Nationals in 2019 and beyond.

Robles, 21, is a career .300/.392/.457 hitter in five minor league seasons, having hit 28 home runs and stolen 129 bases in 384 games. He’s appeared in 34 Major League games between 2017 and 2018 and has hit .277/.337/.506 with three home runs, 14 RBIs, and three stolen bases.

At the time this article was written, he was slashing .351/.468/.541 with two home runs and six stolen bases in Grapefruit League play. While he will certainly be under some pressure as Bryce Harper‘s replacement in the outfield (with incumbent outfielder Adam Eaton sliding over to right field), he is poised to break onto the scene in a big way in 2019.

3. Keston Hiura – Milwaukee Brewers

This 22-year-old second baseman hits like a veteran, and everyone in the Brewers organization seems to love him. After hitting .375/.466/.581 in 165 games playing for UC Irvine, he was drafted 9th overall in the 2017 draft by the Brewers. After being signed, in 42 games between Rookie and A-ball, he hit .371/.422/.611. In 2018, between A+ and Double-A ball, he sacrificed some contact for power (as seems to be the trend nowadays) and hit .293/.357/.464 with 14 home runs, 34 doubles, five triples, and 15 stolen bases in 123 games.

While the Brewers signed Mike Moustakas to play second base, their depth at the position is very thin. Many expect Hirua to start the season at Triple-A, and depending on how that goes, he will arrive in the Majors soon after. One thing’s for sure – Wherever he’s playing, he’ll hit. The question for the sake of this article is: Will he get enough at bats to even compete with Robles and Alonso for the award in 2019?

4. Fernando Tatis Jr. – San Diego Padres

MLB.com’s #2 overall prospect is just 20 years old, but people can’t wait for him to get to the Majors. Manny Machado has agreed to play third base for the Padres to clear a path to shortstop for this guy, and knowing how adamant Machado was about playing shortstop last season, that says a lot.

In 274 minor league games from 2016-2018, Tatis Jr. has hit .280/.358/.487 with 42 home runs and 63 stolen bases. He absolutely has five-tool potential, but having never played above Double-A, it remains to be seen how much time he must spend in Triple-A before earning a call-up to the Bigs. He is coming, though, and he could be a superstar.

5. Dakota Hudson – St. Louis Cardinals

Hudson, 24, has enjoyed great success since becoming a professional pitcher. In three minor league seasons to date, he’s gone 25-9 with a 2.69 ERA in 56 games (45 starts), striking out 202 batters in 277.2 innings. He earned himself a call-up last season and pitched well out of the bullpen, going 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA and 3.86 FIP in 26 appearances, striking out 19 batters and walking 18 in 27.1 innings.

St. Louis’ fourth overall prospect is making his best case to join the rotation this spring, as he’s recorded a 1.72 ERA across 15.2 spring innings, striking out 17. The Cardinals have had great success in the past in bringing up starting pitching prospects and putting them in the MLB bullpen for a short period of time before inserting them into the rotation. Hudson seems to be following that path and has great potential. Keep an eye on him.

Honorable Mentions