As a member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, I got a vote in some of their NL awards. Here’s my ballot for Rookie of the Year. These awards are for the regular season only, not the playoffs.
1. Tommy Hanson, Braves
It was a tight race between Hanson and Philadelphia’s J.A. Happ for the top spot. In 21 starts, Hanson went 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA. In 23 starts, Happ went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA. Both pitchers finished in the top ten in ERA. And both compiled these stats for contending teams in a pennant race.
But in other stats, Hanson’s advantage is clear. Hanson outdoes Happ in WHIP: 1.18 to 1.23, K/BB: 2.52-2.13 and K/9: 8.18-6.45.
Bad news for the Mets: Hanson projects to be a future ace for the division rival Braves.
2. J.A. Happ, Phillies
Happ’s home games were at Citizens Bank Park, which could have affected his stats. Happ had a big home/road split: 4.18 with a 1.44 WHIP at home and 1.99 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP on the road.
But according to baseballreference.com, Happ’s ERA+, which is adjusted to the player’s ballpark, was 146, not much different than Hanson’s 144.
Happ also might have been lucky on the road, where he had a BABIP of .238, compared to .315 at home.
Overall, Happ’s rookie year was certainly comparable to Hanson’s, but fangraphs.com computes a sizable difference in WAR (wins above replacement). Hanson’s WAR is 2.6, which converts to a dollar value of $11.7, while Happ’s WAR is 1.8 which converts to $8.0.
3. Chris Coghlan, Marlins
Coghlan led the National League in batting after the All-Star break with a .372 average. He also led the NL in hits after the break with 113. Overall, Coghlan hit .321, good for eighth in the league.
Honorable Mention
Casey McGehee, Brewers
McGehee led all MLB rookies with 66 RBI to go along with 16 homers and a .301 BA.
Garrett Jones, Pirates
Jones led all MLB rookies with 21 homers in only 314 AB. He hit .293 with a 9.38 OPS.
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