This week, we take a closer look at the league's top candidates for the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year Award from the infield positions. Last week we focused on pitchers, and next week will look at outfielders and catchers.

Middle Infielders: Let's Turn Two!
Homer Bush
Unlike my incredible numbers as a rookie two years ago, no freshman really stands out in the class of middle infielders, but there are several young guns who will be the stars of tomorrow.

Vancouver's Jimmy Rollins leads rookie middle infielders in ABs (398), hits (98), runs (48), RBIs (39) and stolen bases (14). The second-round draft pick (27th overall) is second in OPS (.663), HRs (5) and triples (9), and rates defensively among the top shortstops in the league... Second baseman Alfonso Soriano, Stanhope's first-round draft pick (9th overall), leads rookie middle infielders in home runs (9), doubles (27), slugging percentage (.418) and OPS (.720), ranks second in stolen bases (11), hits (97) and runs scored (43), and third in batting average (.258) and RBIs (35)... The league's youngest rookie batter, 21-year-old Juan Uribe (.243, .656 OPS), leads the DMBL in triples (13) to go along with his 20 doubles and 36 RBIs, both second-best among rookie middle infielders... Arkansas's David Eckstein is hitting .264, tops among rookie middle infielders, and also leads all rookies and is second in the DMBL with 17 HBP, to go along with 36 R, 27 RBI and 5 SB... Tijuana's D'Angelo Jimenez (.263, .660 OPS) leads rookies in OBP (.338) to go along with his 17 doubles, 34 runs and 31 RBIs; teammate Luis Rivas (.217, .647 OPS) has just 46 ABs off the bench, with 1 HR and 6 R.

The league's oldest rookie batter, 34-year-old Mike "Crash" Mordecai, finally made his first appearance in the show this season, getting two weeks with Tijuana while Edgar Renteria was on the disabled list. The veteran of 15 minor league seasons went just 2-for-15 (.133) but did slam his first big-league home run, a two-run shot off Bruce Chen March 18. He turned down an offer to return to Triple-A and will likely retire if he doesn't get another shot at a major league roster. "He'll make a fine minor league manager some day," said Lexington Yokels manager Skip Riggins.

Homer Bush won the Listach Award as Vancouver's second baseman in 2000, leading the league with a .349 batting average with 221 hits, 38 doubles, 112 runs and 56 stolen bases. But after getting caught in bed with the general manager's girlfriend, Bush was released and spent most of last season with Carolina's Triple-A team. The Mudcats gave up on Bush after he hit .257 with 1 HR and 7 SB in 97 games this season. He's now an analyst with Zane Smith's This Week in Baseball.

Corner Infielders: Pulling for Pujols
Paul Sorrento
If you're searching for the league's top rookie first baseman, set your sights on Philadelphia's Albert Pujols. If you're talking about the league's top rookie third baseman, the discussion ends with Albert Pujols. And by now you also know where to look for the league's top rookie outfielder, designated hitter and hot dog vendor. The first pick of the 2002 draft hasn't disappointed anyone, hitting .321 with a .993 OPS, slamming 26 HR, 76 R and 80 RBI. He leads rookies in every category except at-bats (he's 2nd), hits (2nd), triples (tied for 3rd) and stolen bases (he has none). He leads all rookies in every other offensive category! Among league leaders, Pujols ranks 5th in hits and and in the top 10 in batting average, slugging percentage, runs, RBIs, extra base hits, runs created, total bases and OPS. The sky is the limit for this 22 year old.

There certainly won't be any competition for Albert from the ranks of the league's other cornermen, a motley crew of utility guys and bench warmers, none with much more than a third of Pujol's playing time. Stanhope's Russell Branyan has slammed 7 doubles and 8 homers for 18 runs and 21 RBIs in 50 games, a respectable .463 slugging percentage, but he's hitting just .201 (27 for 134) with 68 Ks, a pace that would challenge Rob Deer's record 357 whiffs in 1993... Columbia utility man Jose Macias is hitting .223 (29 for 130) with an empty .617 OPS, while Stanhope's Jolbert Cabrera, is hitting just .217 (.512 OPS) in 157 ABs, without a home run or a stolen base this season... Not enough PT: 32-year-old Bandito Shane Halter is hitting .250 (18 for 72) with 4 HRs and 15 RBIs for a .780 OPS in 40 games, while Arkansas's Randall Simon is hitting .314 (16 for 51) with 6 runs and 6 RBIs for a .732 OPS in 35 games. Newark's Shea Hillenbrand, hitting .306 with 10 HRs for Triple-A Dublin, has yet to make his big league debut.

As a rookie with the Vancouver Iron Fist in 1993, Paul Sorrento would slam 25 HRs and drive in 93 RBIs, but then missed the entire 1994 season after blowing out his knee in spring training. He would have just 514 more big-league at-bats over the next five years, retiring in 1998 after hitting .230 for the Honolulu Sharks. He's now a lifeguard in Panama City, Florida.