Oct. 10, 2007  

Who are the top candidates for the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year Award? This year might be the largest rookie class in league history, with 148 players in their first season of eligibility. It's certainly the highest we've seen since we started Rookie Watch way back in 2002! The previous high was 120 rookies, set in 2004.

Some people seem to figure there's a certain left-handed starting pitcher on the Marietta Mighty Men who has this award locked up. Well, that may be, but remember, you can also vote for a second place and third place candidate!

The Batters

No batter took the league by storm the way  Ryan Howard did last year, but several put together nice freshman campaigns, including two left-handed power hitters from the Hanover Division. Honolulu's Adrian Gonzalez, selected with the first pick in the second round (#15 overall), hit .307 (.858 OPS) with 49 2B, 27 HR and 107 RBI; Hoboken 1B/OF Chris Duncan, the 7th player taken in this year's draft, hit .297 (.985 OPS) with 32 HR and 102 RBI in 448 ABs, but he rarely faced left-handed starting pitchers; Gonzalez, who played in every game this season, was a true two-way threat (.317, .835 vs LHP, .304, .866 vs RHP). Gonzalez led all rookies with 49 doubles, but also tied for the league lead among all players in grounding into double plays (31). while Duncan led rookies in secondary average (.451) and isolated power (.308). Neither one was great in the field... Matt Diaz, selected in the 5th round (#68 overall) by Marietta, is all over the rookie leader board -- for better or for worse. The outfielder hit .292, but with no power (.368 SLG) or walks (.331 OBP) and little speed (4 SB, 3 CS). He's barely adequate even in left field, ranking at the bottom in both fielding percentage and total chances. But he's a scrappy fan favorite who finds a way to help his team -- he led the league in getting hit by pitches (22). He also played in every game this year and led all rookies, and tied for 3rd among all players, in at bats (692). He had the league's second-longest hitting streak at 23 games (and the longest by a rookie this year); he also ranked second among rookies (and tied for 6th overall) in GIDP (27)... Looking for a guy from a more demanding defensive position than 1B/OF? New Jersey SS Yuniesky Betancourt, drafted in  the 6th round (#84 overall), hit .297 (.714 OPS) with 35 2B, 6 HR, 73 R and 69 RBI, stole 5 out of 6 bases, and played in every game but one this year. Like most rookie shortstops, he was erratic with the glove, often making highlight reel plays thanks to his terrific range (he led the league with 5.00 total chances per game) and a cannon arm, but also making the second-most errors (0.20 per game)... Ryan Zimmerman is back where he started after taking a detour through Sin City. The 22-year-old third baseman was drafted last year as an ineligible prospect by D.C. in the 6th round (#75 overall), but was soon after traded to Las Vegas as part of a five-player package deal. Then, this year, Zimmerman was traded back to the Bushslappers as part of another huge trade, this one involving six players. Is Zim back in D.C. to stay, or will he be on the move again next year? Combined between the two clubs, he hit .275 (.747 OPS) with 36 2B, 18 HR, 77 RBI and 10 SB in 603 AB; he didn't embarrass himself defensively but didn't win many votes with his glove either, ranking around the middle of the pack in fielding percentage, errors per game and total chances per game.

I have good news and bad news: These players had some positives, but also enough negatives that they can't be considered leading candidates. However, some voters may be able to overlook some of their warts. Hoboken SS Hanley Ramirez, drafted in the 8th round last year and stashed away as an ineligible player, had a classic rookie season, combining flashes of brilliance with plenty of frustration. He hit just .255 with a .716 OPS, but also had 37 doubles and 106 runs scored. He led all rookies with 33 stolen bases (and was 4th in the DMBL), but also led all rookies with 172 strikeouts (and was 6th in the DMBL). He also ranked third among rookies, and 8th overall, in grounding into double plays (25) -- a favor he didn't often return while in the field, as he ranked near the bottom in both fielding percentage (.966) and total chances per game (4.44), and tied for 4th in most errors per game at shortstop (0.15)... Prince Fielder, one of the most touted young sluggers in all of baseball, was drafted as an ineligible prospect in '04, '05 and '06; Vancouver finally held onto him all of last season, then protected him. But he was blocked at first base by fellow rookie Conor Jackson and at DH by veteran David Ortiz, so the Iron Fist reluctantly traded him to South Boston for pitcher Chris Carpenter. Fielder, who got his career off to a terrible start in Vancouver (.183, .543 OPS in 71 AB), took some big steps forward in South Boston (.249, .735 OPS in 414 AB). However, if he gets any votes in the ROY balloting, it will be because of name recognition, not his overall numbers (.239, .707 OPS, 19 HR, 60 RBI in 485 AB). Jackson, meanwhile, hit .293, but it was a very soft .293 for a first baseman (.769 OPS); on the other hand, he's a terrific gloveman who could develop power as he fills out. Others: Hoboken 2B Ian Kinsler (.261, .730 OPS, 22 2B, 10 HR, 44 RBI); and Sardine City 2B Josh Barfield (.252, .636 OPS, 32 2B, 7 HR, 60 R, 16 SB) and 1B/3B Kevin Youkilis (.258, .769 OPS, 26 2B, 8 HR, 36 RBI).

Catching on: What was with all the rookie catchers this year? There were nine of them, though none really stood out from the crowd. The leading contender might be Hillsborough C Russell Martin, the first rookie catcher selected (in the 3rd round, #36 overall). The Hitmen wanted to be sure they got what they paid for -- he led the league with 149 starts behind the plate. Martin managed to avoid wearing down, however, hitting a solid .272 (.701 OPS) with 34 2B, 9 HR and 55 RBI, and was one of the league's best defensive catchers, leading all backstops (rookies or not) in fielding percentage (.999) and putouts per game (8.78), and ranking 5th in lowest SB% allowed (.670)... Chris Coste, drafted in the 5th round (#67 overall) by Arkansas, hit an even .300 (.696 OPS) with 14 2B, 4 HR and 49 RBI in 397 AB, but was an adventure behind the plate -- though he ranked 6th in throwing out opposing baserunners (.696 SB% allowed), he also tied for the league lead in most errors per game as a catcher... D.C.'s Ronny Paulino hit a very empty .275 (.616 OPS, 7 2B, 2 HR, 39 RBI in 422 AB) and didn't help his case on defense, tying with Coste in most errors per game and throwing out just 15 out of 67 baserunners (.776 SB%)... Five other rookie catchers this year had good offensive numbers, but in limited duty as platoon partners or back-ups: Hoboken's Mike Napoli (.254, .931 OPS, 11 2B, 21 HR, 41 RBI in 260 AB); Honolulu's Kenji Johjima (.298, .749 OPS, 2 2B, 6 HR, 20 RBI in 171 AB); Philly's David Ross (.272, 1.005 OPS, 25 HR, 48 RBI in 254 AB); and Vancouver's Gerald Laird (.359, .932 OPS, 19 2B, 7 HR, 30 RBI in 209 AB). The other two rookie backstops were both released: Arkansas's Dioner Navarro (.223, .548 OPS in 112 AB) and D.C.'s Eliezer Alfonzo (.161, .449 OPS in 62 AB).

Put me in, coach! These players had solid numbers, but maybe not enough PT to warrant consideration from the voters. D.C. utilityman Esteban German is the poster boy for this group. He hit .350 with a .952 OPS (.433 OBP, .520 SLG), but only had 383 plate appearances, far short of the 502 needed to qualify for the leader boards. German was a terror against left handed pitchers (.414, 1.081 OPS) but held his own against right-handers (.287, .827); defensively, he was at least average at 2B, 3B and OF... Philly 2B Jose Lopez, taken in the 6th round (#77 overall), was kind of a poor man's German, doing most of his damage against lefties (.360, .882 OPS) but not quite as much against righties (.258, .703), for an overall line of .302/.323/.456 in 318 AB... Other part-timers: Arkansas OF Nick Markakis (.247, .719 OPS, 4 2B, 6 HR, 20 RBI in 174 AB); Hillsborough OF Josh Willingham (.252, .947 OPS, 13 HR, 30 RBI in 143 AB); Hoboken's 1B Mike Jacobs (.279, .787 OPS, 34 2B, 67 RBI in 387 AB); Philly OF Matt Murton (.310, .739 OPS, 12 2B, 0 HR, 26 RBI in 210 AB); and Vancouver OF Andre Ethier (.281, .660 OPS, 3 2B, 2 HR, 27 RBI in 242 AB) and Curtis Granderson (.253, .702 OPS, 16 2B, 5 HR, 31 RBI in 288 AB).

The Starters

Well, here he is, the man you've all been waiting for, a 23-year-old southpaw starting pitcher who was drafted by Las Vegas as an ineligible prospect with the 20th pick in last year's draft. Francisco Liriano was traded to the Marietta Mighty Men this off-season for a steep price -- 25-year-old closer Chris Ray, Marietta's fourth round pick in 2007, and Marietta's first and fourth round picks in 2008 -- but he certainly repaid that investment as he helped lead the Mites all the way to their first World Series appearance since 2000. Liriano went an incredible 17-2 (2.35 ERA, 10.1 R/9) and struck out 237 men in 179.2 innings. He led the league -- not just rookies, but everybody -- in ERA, QS% (.759), H/9 (7.2), K/9 (11.9), slugging percentage allowed (.321) and OPS allowed (.601); he tied for the league lead (and led all rookies) in R/9; he was 2nd (and led all rookies) in strikeouts and winning percentage (.895); tied for 2nd (and led all rookies) in quality starts (22); and tied for 4th (and led all rookies) in wins. The Ben McDonald Award may be a two-man race between Liriano and Johan Santana, but it's hard to imagine anyone beating out Liriano for the Listach. On the other hand, stranger things have happened -- in 2002, Hoboken's Joel Pineiro just edged Columbia's Mark Buehrle for the Listach, but Buehrle beat Pineiro for the McDonald. We suppose the voters just wanted to make sure each guy got something?

It's tough to live up to the hype as the first overall pick in the draft, but Honolulu's Jered Weaver had a much better campaign than the other two rookie starters taken #1 overall -- Zach Duke and Dontrelle Willis. Weaver, a 24-year-old right-hander, had a losing record at 10-13, but otherwise his numbers were very good (4.34 ERA, 11.1 R/9, .548 QS%, 174 Ks in 207.1 IP). He won't beat Liriano in the voting, but he does deserve more votes than Duke or Willis got, which is to say, more than zero... didn't do nearly enough to challenge LirNeither received a single vote in the ROY balloting. But so far, the 24-year-old Weaver is among the leading Listach candidates, going 4-1 with a 2.38 ERA, 9.4 R/9 and 3.5 K:BB ratio. In fact, the right-hander leads the league in ERA, and ranks second -- behind only Philly's Johan Santana -- in R/9... Philly took Josh Johnson three spots after Weaver, with the fourth overall pick in this year's draft. Unlike Weaver, the 23-year-old Johnson was able to post a winning record at 13-9, but all his peripheral numbers were worse -- 4.54 ERA, 13.8 R/9, .500 QS%, 132 K in 190.1 IP.

Chad Billingsley pitched in just the final third of the season for Vancouver, but in those 11 starts he put up better numbers than any rookie starter not named Liriano (3-5, 2.90 ERA, 12.8 R/9, .545 QS%, 42 K in 68.1 IP). Some fans are second-guessing the front office for not trying the 6th round pick (#82 overall) earlier in the season, but you can't blame them for being careful with the 22-year-old righthander -- he's as raw as they come, striking out 59 and walking 58 (with 3 hit batsmen and 5 wild pitches) in just 90 minor league innings before his promotion. Other starters who had good but not great debuts: D.C.'s John Maine (11-8, 4.94 ERA, 13.1 R/9, .469 QS%, 159 K in 187.2 IP); Hillsborough's Justin Verlander (14-10, 5.38 ERA, 13.8 R/9, .469 QS%, 113 K in 195.2 IP); Hoboken's Boof Bonser (11-8, 5.54 ERA, 12.2 R/9, .375 QS%, 180 K in 193.1 IP) and Marietta's Jeremy Sowers (11-10, 5.33 ERA, 13.4 R/9, .469 QS%, 86 K in 180.2 IP).

Survive and move on: As a rookie pitcher in the DMBL, just coming out of your rookie season sane is enough of a victory. These guys didn't have ROY-worthy campaigns, but they made it through: Carolina's Clay Hensley (11-4, 5.27 ERA, 14.7 R/9, .438 QS%, 105 K in 174.1 IP); D.C.'s Anibal Sanchez (7-13, 4.57 ERA, 13.7 R/9, .364 QS%, 104 K in 193.0 IP); New Jersey's Tom Gorzelanny (6-15, 4.96 ERA, 15.1 R/9, .455 QS%, 108 K in 179.2 IP); Philly's Matt Cain (8-13, 5.17 ERA, 13.6 R/9, .500 QS%, 159 K in 186.1 IP); Sardine City's Cole Hamels (4-18, 6.07 ERA, 14.5 R/9, .346 QS%, 135 K in 136.1 IP) and Adam Loewen (8-14, 5.36 ERA, 16.2 R/9, .500 QS%, 138 K in 171.1 IP); South Boston's Chuck James (12-15, 5.97 ERA, 15.4 R/9, .375 QS%, 138 K in 179.1 IP); and Vancouver's Rich Hill (5-9, 6.20 ERA, 15.6 R/9, .286 QS%, 90 K in 103.0 IP) and Scott Olsen (6-5, 5.94 ERA, 14.9 R/9, .375 QS%, 76 K in 89.1 IP).

The Relievers

Think a rookie reliever can't win the Listach? Think again -- setup man John Rocker, who pitched for Hawaii and Arkansas during his freshman campaign, won it in '99 after going 7-3 with 4 saves and a 3.06 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 84 Ks in 79.1 IP (but to be fair, he won that award as much for his off-the-field charity work with underprivileged youth).

No reliever jumps out at you as the favorite, but there are some interesting candidates.  Rubber-armed sinkerballer Cla Meredith had a terrific year as the de facto chairman of Newark's bullpen by committee. The 24-year-old submariner, taken in the second round (#28 overall), led all rookie relievers in saves (19) and relief points (48) and tied for the rookie lead in relief wins (11); he also posted a microscopic 1.95 ERA, 9.6 R/9 and .602 OPS allowed despite pitching 106.0 innings over 71 appearances. Meredith, as part of Newark's egalitarian approach to bullpen management, also picked up 8 holds, and allowed just 16 out of 62 inherited runners to score (.258 IR%)... Perhaps the biggest "name" among the rookie relievers is D.C.'s Jonathan Papelbon, who shared the closer duties in D.C. with veteran Joe Nathan. Super Bon Bon picked up 7 wins, 14 saves and 5 holds with a 2.00 ERA, 9.0 R/9 and .561 OPS in 57 appearances; he also struck out 87 batters in 76.1 innings. But he didn't bail out his starting pitchers too often, as he allowed 16 out of 29 inherited runners to score (.552 IR%)... Joining Meredith and Papelbon in the growing field of rookie almost closer is Hillsborough's Takashi Saito, who split the duties with veteran Chad Cordero. Saito, a 37-year-old Japanese import, was taken with the 6th pick in the first round, the first of four consecutive rookies drafted by the Hitmen. Saito picked up 17 saves, 4 wins and 4 holds while posting a 2.44 ERA, 10.8 R/9 and .630 OPS. He also struck out 132 batters in 107.0 innings and allowed just 6 home runs (0.5 HR/9) and 16 out of 51 inherited runners to score (.314 IR%).

South Boston took Brandon League in the third round (#33 overall), but eventually traded him to Hoboken (along with journeyman Greg Norton) for fellow rookie Adam Wainwright, who was having an ugly rookie campaign (between the two teams, he posted a 7.22 ERA and 16.0 R/9 in 96.0 IP) but is thought to have a tremendous upside. League proved to be not just an excellent arm out of the 'pen, but a workhorse -- he led the league, not just rookies, in appearances (103) and pitched a whopping 159 relief innings this year. Despite all that work, League had impressive numbers, tying for the rookie lead in relief wins with 11, plus 5 saves and 19 holds, while posting a 2.38 ERA, 10.6 R/9 and .357 IR%... Jersey's Joel Zumaya, taken just before Saito at No. 5 overall, was this year's youngest rookie, born Nov. 9, 1984. He led the league with 24 holds and he picked up 8 wins and 3 saves and posted a 3.63 ERA, 11.3 R/9 and .609 OPS allowed, plus racked up an incredible 162 strikeouts in 124.0 innings (11.8 K/9), which would have ranked second in all of baseball behind only Francisco Liriano if he had enough innings to qualify. Most impressively, he allowed just 9 out of 59 inherited runners to score (.153 IR%), which led all rookies and was second in all of baseball. He also was second among all players in appearances (98), behind only League.

You win a ribbon that says 'participant': These rookie relievers did OK, but don't warrant much consideration from the voters: Honolulu's Pedro Feliciano (5-4, 3 SV, 8 holds, 3.84 ERA, 15.4 R/9, .436 IR%, 56 K in 72.2 IP); Newark's Ruddy Lugo (6-2, 4 SV, 3 holds, 3.71 ERA, 13.6 R/9, .255 IR%, 48 K in 85.0 IP); Philly's David Aardsma (3-2, 3 SV, 3 holds, 4.29 ERA, 11.4 R/9, .143 IR%, 41 K in 42.0 IP) and Jon Rauch (4-0, 0 SV, 1 hold, 2.90 ERA, 14.1 R/9, .500 IR%, 42 K in 40.1 IP); Sardine City's Matt Capps (7-4, 2 SV, 13 holds, 4.11 ERA, 11.8 R/9, .397 IR%, 85 K in 114.0 IP); and Hoboken's Wes Littleton, who was acquired in a mid-season trade from Vancouver (combined: 8-3, 2 SV, 12 holds, 4.71 ERA, 13.9 R/9, .375 IR%, 43 K in 84.0 IP).

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.