With only about 20 games left in the 2006
season, it's time to start take a look at the Pat Listach Rookie
of the Year
Award candidates. Remember, a rookie is defined as a player in his
first year of DMBL eligibility (for batters, that's 250 MLB plate
appearances for non-catchers; 200 MLB plate appearances for catchers;
10 starts for starting pitchers; and 30 games, with at least 10 in
relief, for relievers). This year, there are 114 rookies: 53 batters
and
61 pitchers.
And the leading candidates are...
Phil Plantier's Top 5 Rookie Batters
(in
alphabetical order)
|
Robinson Cano, HIL
|
2B
|
.316, .809 OPS, 40 2B, 13 HR, 96
R, 64 RBI, 85.3 RC
|
Ryan Howard, HIL
|
1B
|
.318, .693 SLG, 1.053 OPS, 41
HR, 71 R, 103 RBI, 9.3 RC/27
|
Dan Johnson, SB
|
1B
|
.307, .380 OBP, .903 OPS, 32 2B,
27 HR, 72 R, 87 RBI, 104.4 RC
|
Joe Mauer, LV
|
C
|
.303, .389 OBP, .876 OPS, 32
2B, 12 HR, 74 R, 12 SB, 7.4 RC/27
|
Grady Sizemore, CAR
|
OF
|
.324, .554 SLG, .926 OPS, 9 3B,
18 HR, 66 R, 60 RBI, 7.4 RC/27
|
Click here to see
all the rookie batter stats
In 2004,
Newark 2B Marcus Giles led the rookies in
almost offensive category despite playing a demanding defensive
position, making him the unanimous choice for the Listach. Last year, Vancouver C Victor Martinez duplicated the feat, leading the
rookies in almost everything while manning the duties behind the plate,
and he too was the unanimous choice. But this year, no batter stands
head and shoulders above the crowd, making for some intrigue.
Hillsborough's Ryan
Howard is sure to get some consideration. Drafted in the 12th round
(#155) last year as an ineligible prospect, the 26-year-old first
baseman has not
disappointed, leading the DMBL -- not just rookies -- with 41 home
runs! And, if he had enough plate appearances to qualify, he'd also
lead the league in slugging percentage (.693), isolated power (.375)
and AB/HR (9.2). He'd also rank in the top 10 among all batters -- and
lead all rookie batters -- in OPS (1.053) and RC/27 (9.3). But that's
the knock against Howard -- he doesn't play enough. The lefty is in a
strict platoon at first base, seeing just 13 at-bats this year against
southpaws (and going hitless!) He has 406 plate appearances, 34 short
of the required 3.1 plate appearances per team game played to qualify
for the batting title. Unless Howard starts playing every day, or the
Hitmen see a parade of right-handers in their last 20 games, he's
unlikely to make it. Will the voters go for a player without enough
plate appearances to qualify for the batting title? And if so, how long
will they go? Newark's Ryan Church (.331 BA,
15 HR, 43 RBI) also is a part-time player, but he faces only lefties,
so he has just 202 plate appearances -- but he's got a higher slugging
percentage (.711), OPS (1.159) and RC/27 (12.1) than Howard does! A
similar case can be made for Carolina's Jeff
Francouer (.320, 1.033 OPS, 9.0 RC/27 in 179 plate appearances). A
more realistic comparison would be with Carolina's Grady
Sizemore, who is 17 plate appearances shy of the batting title; if
we overlook that, he'd lead them in batting average (.324) and tie for
the rookie lead in RC/27 (7.4). He also has 18 HR, 66 R and 60 RBI, and
leads all rookies with 9 triples. The voters likely will include
"almosts" like Howard and Sizemore, but we'll see if it has an impact
on the balloting.
The other candidates do qualify, however. In fact, the rookie with the highest OPS
actually leads all rookies in plate appearances (592), South Boston's Dan Johnson. No, not the guy from Miami Vice
-- this is the 26-year-old first baseman taken in the 3rd round (#32
overall) of this year's draft. In addition to OPS (.903), D.J. also
leads rookies in runs created (104.4), slugging percentage (.523), and
walks (59), and is tied for the rookie lead in RC/27 (7.4). He's 2nd
among rookies in batting average (.307), on-base percentage (.380),
hits (160), runs batted in (87), is 3rd in home runs (27), is tied for
3rd in doubles (32), and is 4th in runs (72). Johnson also leads all
rookie first baseman in fielding percentage, total chances per game and
assists per game; among all first baseman, however, he ranks around the
middle
of the pack.
A long-term investment -- taken in the 5th
round (#58 overall) two years ago -- is paying dividends for the Rat
Pack. Catcher Joe Mauer leads all rookies in
on-base percentage (.389) and is tied for the rookie lead in RC/27
(7.4). Surprisingly quick for a catcher, the 23-year-old also is tied
for the rookie lead in stolen bases (12), and even more impressive, has
been caught just once this year. Overall, Mauer is hitting .303 (.876 OPS) with
32 doubles, 12 homers, 74 runs and 50 RBIs. He's also 2nd among all
catchers in lowest stolen base percentage allowed (.533)... He might
lose some votes to teammate Jhonny Peralta, a
24-year-old shortstop taken with the #2 pick of this year's draft.
Peralta is hitting just .248 (.745 OPS), but he has plenty of pop, with
29 doubles, 24 home runs and 81 RBIs, and leads all rookies with 15
game-winning RBIs... Howard also has to worry about
the enemy within as teammate Robinson Cano is
one of his top competitors. The 23-year-old second baseman, taken by
Hillsborough in the 2nd round (#17 overall) of this year's draft, leads
all rookies in batting average (.316), hits (177) and runs (96). He's
also 2nd in doubles (40), tied for 3rd in triples (4) and is 4th in
runs created (85.3), OPS (.809), OBP (.338) and SLG (.471). He also
leads rookie second baseman in fielding percentage (.981).
One interesting candidate is Jonny Gomes, whose career got off to a so-so
start with Las Vegas (.246 BA, .763 OPS, 4.6 RC/27), but has been on
fire since getting traded to Marietta (.316 BA, 1.148 OPS, 12.2 RC/27).
Overall, Gomes -- a 2nd round pick (#19 overall)
traded for Gary Sheffield -- is hitting .262
(.852 OPS) with 32 HR, 81 R and 83 RBI. He leads all rookies in HBP
(17), but also in strikeouts (184) and caught stealing (8). The
25-year-old outfielder is on the bubble in my personal "top 5" batting
candidates, but if he stays this hot, he'll be bursting someone else's
bubble... The only other rookies with enough plate appearances to
qualify for the leaderboard are Marietta OF Victor
Diaz (.254, .761
OPS, 23 2B, 18 HR, 53 R, 68 RBI); Philly 2B/3B Jorge
Cantu (.230, .634 OPS, 2.9 RC/27, 41 2B, 14 HR, 66 RBI); South
Boston 3B Garrett Atkins (.234, .635 OPS, 3.0
RC/27, 13 HR, 47 R, 63 RBI); and South Boston 2B Rickie
Weeks (.255, .756
OPS, 16 HR, 57 R, 48 RBI, 8 SB).
Phil Plantier's Top 5 Rookie Starters
(in
alphabetical order)
|
Joe Blanton, LV
|
10-8, 28 GS, 5.21 ERA, 12.7 R/9,
81 K, 55 BB, 160.2 IP, .429 QS%
|
Zach Duke,
NWK-WWD
|
11-9, 28 GS, 4.54 ERA, 13.9 R/9,
132 K, 59 BB, 176.1 IP, .571 QS%
|
Felix Hernandez, HIL
|
14-11, 29 GS, 3.69 ERA, 12.2
R/9, 66 BB, 193 K, 195.1 IP, .621 QS%
|
Brandon McCarthy, VAN
|
9-8, 26 GS, 6.77 ERA, 15.3 R/9,
36 BB, 107 K, 134.1 IP, .385 QS%
|
Chien-Ming Wang, NWK
|
9-6, 24 GS, 5.13 ERA, 14.1 R/9,
45 BB, 58 K, 135.0 IP, .292 QS%
|
Click here to see all
the rookie starter stats
The starting rotation is no place to break
in a rookie pitcher -- there's just nine rookie starting pitchers on
rosters, and of those, only six have been in the rotation all season
long. (Two others have been used occasionally; one hasn't seen any time
in the DMBL this season.) But while it may be difficult for a rookie to
succeed in the rotation, those that do are frequently rewarded: Rookies
have won the Pat Listach Rookie
of the Year
Award three times and the Ben
McDonald Pitcher
of the Year Award once. (In fact, Big Ben himself was a
rookie when he had that great 1991 season!)
In fact, there is a rookie starter with a
great
shot at winning the Listach: Felix Hernandez,
who also
is the youngest player in the league this year. Born April 8, 1986 --
just five years before the league was founded -- "King Felix" was a
teen-age Double-A pitcher when Hillsborough had the foresight to draft
him as an ineligible prospect in the 4th round (#43 overall) of last
year's draft. Hernandez not only has a bright future, but he also has a
terrific present -- he leads all rookie starters in just about
everything, including wins (14), ERA (3.69), R/9 (12.2), H/9 (8.9),
slugging percentage allowed (.377),
OPS allowed (.694), complete games (3), innings (195.3), strikeouts
(193), K/9 (8.9),
starts (29), quality starts (18) and quality start percentage (.621).
He's tied for 1st in shutouts (1) and is 2nd in winning percentage
(.560) and K:BB (2.9). Among all pitchers, Hernandez is 3rd in
strikeouts and innings, tied for 3rd in K/9, 4th in SLG, tied for 4th
in quality starts, 5th in QS% and OPS, tied for 6th in wins, 8th in ERA
and complete games, tied for 8th in shutouts, and 9th in H/9. With
Hernandez, Ryan Howard and Robinson Cano,
the top three vote-getters might all be playing for Hillsborough!
Hernandez's numbers are all the more
impressive when you consider what the other rookie starters are doing.
In fact, just one other starter has an ERA under 5, a R/9 under 13, or
a quality start percentage over .500, and just two other starters are
in double-digits in the wins column. Of those four modest accomplishments, Zach Duke (11-9, 4.54 ERA, 13.9 R/9, .571 QS%)
has three of them. Selected by Westwood with the first pick in this
year's draft, Duke had a horrible first three months (4-7, 5.68 ERA),
but would go 4-1 in his next nine starts, knocking a full run off his
ERA, to become a commodity at the trading deadline. The Deductions
shipped him to Newark for Orlando Cabrera and
a 6th rounder, and with the Sugar Bears he's gone 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA
(despite a 14.7 R/9). Duke's greatest strength is keeping the ball in
the park -- he leads all pitchers, not just rookies, with a miniscule
0.6 HR/9. He's 2nd among rookies in wins, ERA, strikeouts (132),
quality starts (16) and quality start percentage; tied for 2nd in
starts (28), BB/9 (3.0) and complete games (1); 3rd in R/9 and K:BB
(2.2) and 4th in W% (.550). He also has a shutout, tying him with two
others for the rookie lead.
Duke's new teammate, Chien-Ming
Wang, is having a moderately successful freshman campaign (9-6,
5.13 ERA, 14.1 R/9) despite missing a number of starts due to injury.
The 26-year-old right-hander was selected by Newark with the last pick
of the 1st round (#14 overall). He leads all rookies in winning
percentage (.600) and is one of three rookies with a shutout. But the
stat that makes Wang happiest is 7.4 -- that's how many runs the Sugar
Bears have averaged for him per start... The only other rookie having
what anyone would consider a solid season is Las Vegas's Joe Blanton (10-8, 5.21 ERA, 12.7 R/9). The
25-year-old right-hander, taken with the #4 pick in this year's draft,
ranks 2nd among rookies in R/9 and 3rd in wins, W% (.556) and innings
(160.2).
Just two other rookies are in double-digits
when it comes to starts this year, and neither is having what could be
considered a Listach-caliber season. Vancouver's Brandon
McCarthy, a 22-year-old right-hander taken in the 2nd round (#26
overall), is 9-8 with a 6.77 ERA and 15.3 R/9. He leads all rookies in
BB/9 (2.4) and K:BB ratio (3.0), but also has given up 31 HRs in 134.1
IP for a rookie-worst 2.1 HR/9. Meanwhile, Phoenix's Robinson Tejeda, a 24-year-old right-hander taken
in the 11th round (#142 overall), is 2-12 with a 5.50 ERA and 15.1 R/9.
But he's tied for 2nd among rookies in K/9 (7.2) and is 3rd in
strikeouts (121) and quality start percentage (.444)... The only other
rookie starters on rosters haven't seen much PT this season. Chris Young, a 27-year-old righty taken in the
3rd round (#33 overall) by D.C., was 0-5 with the Bushslappers before
he was traded to Las Vegas, where he's had one start and one relief
appearance. Overall, he's 1-6 with a 6.29 ERA, 14.8 R/9... It seems
like we've been hearing about him for years, but actually Scott Kazmir is a rookie, and he's still just 22
years old. The southpaw was drafted by Hoboken in the 5th round (#64
overall) way back in 2004 -- that's three drafts ago! Since the Cutters
have been so patient with him, it makes sense they're not rushing him
this year either -- he's been given just six starts so far, and the
results haven't been great (1-3, 7.99 ERA, 19.0 R/9). But he has struck
out 19 men in 23.2 innings, a taste of what's to come... The last
rookie on a roster is Brad Hennessey, who has
yet to make his DMBL debut. The 26-year-old right-hander was signed as
a minor league free agent in June by Philly and traded a month later to
Westwood for Brandon Webb, the #2
pick of the 2004 draft.
Phil Plantier's Top 5 Rookie Relievers
(in
alphabetical order)
|
Bobby Jenks, HIL
|
5-5, 1 SV, 9 holds, 4.99
ERA, 13.3 R/9, 125 K in 97.1 IP
|
Brian Shackelford, NWK
|
4-1, 2 SV, 11 holds, 3.15 ERA,
11.1 R/9, .143 IR%
|
Huston Street, SB
|
3-7, 21 SV, 3.37 ERA, 11.8 R/9,
79 K in 74.2 IP
|
Brad Thompson, PHX
|
6-2, 5 SV, 9 holds, 3.46 ERA,
10.6 R/9, 125.0 IP
|
Derrick Turnbow, HON
|
3-5, 19 SV, 2.41 ERA, 8.1 R/9,
.243 IR%, .950 SV%
|
Click here to see all
the rookie reliever stats
Two of this year's top closers are rookies,
and there also are a number of set-up men having great seasons. And
remember: The only reliever to ever win the ROY was Arkansas's John
Rocker in 1999, and he was pitching middle relief, proving that a
quality season in any capacity can be recognized by the voters. This
year, there are a dozen 14 rookie relievers on DMBL rosters, though two
of them have appeared in only a handful of games.
The Sharks have three rookies in their
bullpen, including one who is guaranteed to draw some attention from
the voters. Derrick Turnbow is
having a
terrific year, saving what few games Honolulu has been able to win this
season. When they do have a lead in the 9th, Turnbow has been all but
automatic, with 19 saves in 20 chances -- if he had enough save
opportunities to qualify, he'd easily be the league leader in save
percentage at .950. He leads all rookie relievers in ERA (2.41), R/9
(8.1), H/9 (5.5) and relief points (38); he's also 2nd saves,
appearances (78) and K:BB (2.7), 3rd in lowest percentage of inherited
runners who scored (.243 IR%) and tied for 3rd in HR/9 (0.7). The
28-year-old righty was taken in the first round (#11 overall) of this
year's draft... The only other rookie closer is South Boston's Huston Street, taken five spots earlier than
Turnbow (#6 overall). The 22-year-old righty is the rookie save leader
with
21, though he does have 6 blown saves (.778 SV%). Street is among
rookies in 2nd in relief points (35), 3rd in ERA (3.37), and 4th in R/9
(11.8) and IR% (.273).
Those who can look past the glory of
closers will find a number of pitchers have excellent debut seasons in
the relative anonymity of middle relief. One of those unsung heroes is
Newark southpaw Brian Shackelford, who leads
all rookie relievers in fewest inherited runners allowed to score
(.143), winning percentage (.800) and HR/9 (0.5); is 2nd in holds (11),
ERA (3.15) and H/9 (6.9); and 3rd in BB/9 (2.3) and R/9 (11.1). The
29-year-old was taken in the 4th round (#56 overall) of this year's
draft... The sturdiest rookie in the bullpen this year has been
Phoenix's Brad Thompson, who is far and away
the rookie leader in relief innings (125.0). No one else is in
triple-digits! The 24-year-old 5th round pick (#58
overall) also leads all rookie relievers in wins (6) and BB/9 (1.7),
is 2nd in R/9 (10.6), relief points (19) and SV% (.833), tied for 3rd
in saves (5), and is 4th in ERA (3.46)... Name recognition and
strikeouts are pretty much the only reason to vote for Bobby Jenks (5-5, 1 SV, 7 BSV, 4.99 ERA,
13.3 R/9). The big-boned 25-year-old, taken in the 3rd round (#41
overall) by Hillsborough, leads all rookie relievers in strikeouts
(125), K/9 (11.6) and K:BB (3.2), but also has allowed 20 out of 49
inherited runners to score for a second-worst .408 IR%.
The rest of the field: South Boston's Kameron Loe is the only other reliever with at
least 50 innings to post an ERA under 4 (3.96), and he's 2nd in HR/9
(0.6). But he's also walked 37 batters while striking out just 28...
His teammate, Wil Ohman, leads the freshman
class in
appearances (81) and holds (16), but has little else going for him
(5.00 ERA, 16.9 R/9, .338 IR%)... Arkansas's Fernando
Rodney ranks 2nd in IR%
(.176) and 5th in R/9 (12.6), but his 4.47 ERA and 6 blown saves in 10
opportunities are worrisome... Honolulu's Gary
Majewski is solidly mediocre (3-5, 4.90 ERA, 14.8 R/9, .311 IR%)...
There's little good to be said about D.C.'s Randy
Flores (5-3, 1 SV, 6.62 ERA, 16.8 R/9, .412 IR%) or Marietta's Chris Ray (2-2, 1 SV, 7.06 ERA, 16.6 R/9, .333
IR%).
Having good seasons in limited duty:
Vancouver's David Cortes (1-0, 1 SV, 1 hold,
1.50 ERA, 9.0 R/9 in 12.0 IP) and Westwood's Jesse
Crain (2-1, 1 SV, 3.62 ERA, 14.7 R/9 in 37.1 IP). Having a bad
season in limited duty: Honolulu's Jeff Francis,
who has appeared in just one game this season (1.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB,
0 K, 1 HR).
Phil Plantier, one of the top
prospects of the last decade, was picked by baseball guru Bill James in
1991 as the player most likely to lead the majors in HRs during the
1990s. In 1994, at age 24, he hit 47 round-trippers with 118 RBIs for
the Charleston Chiefs, his first and last DMBL season. He's currently
an analyst for Fox Sports Net. Click
Here for past articles.
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