1. Stephen Strasburg (P—Nationals)—super-prospect Stephen Strasburg enters the season as my favorite for National League Rookie of the Year. He possesses a 100+ mph fastball along with several great secondary pitches. Even without minor league experience, many project he’ll begin next season in the majors.
2. Buster Posey (C—Giants)—Posey is the 2010 version of Matt Wieters, an elite catching prospect from the Atlantic Coast Conference who arrived quickly in the majors after breezing through the minor leagues.
3. Eric Young, Jr. (2B/OF—Rockies)—Young is a great sleeper candidate for rookie of the year, and look for him to be the league’s most valuable fantasy baseball rookie if he gains a starting position. Young is ridiculously fast, and could steal 65-70 bases if he hits enough to remain in the lineup.
4. Chris Heisey (OF—Reds)—the 25 year-old Heisey is a solid player. He plays several outfield positions and it’s hard to imagine him not beginning the season in the majors. If he lands a starting role, he could win rookie of the year by posting numbers similar to last year’s winner, Chris Caughlin.
5. Jaime Garcia (P, Cardinals)—while Garcia perhaps is not the most talented pitching prospect in baseball, he does have an excellent shot of making the Cardinals rotation, which gives him a possible shot at the Rookie of the Year.
Others to watch: Aaron Poreda (P–Padres), Yonder Alonso (1B—Reds), Drew Stubbs (CF—Reds), Todd Frazier (SS—Reds), Jhoulys Chacin (P—Rockies), Brandon Allen (1B—Diamondbacks), Jose Tabata (OF—Pittsburgh), Logan Morrison (1B—Marlins), Gaby Sanchez (1B—Marlins).
“Top 5” if called up before June 1st: Jason Heyward (OF—ATL), Pedro Alvarez (3B—PIT), Mike Stanton (OF—FLA), Christian Frederich (P—COL), Starlin Castro (SS—CHI), Madison Bumgarner (P—SF).
Does not qualify: Alcides Escobar (SS—Brewers)
What’s up Shelby! Glad we have another deep leagues reader! I’m just about to publish my American League rookie of the year list, and I think Neftali will be #1.
I slightly botched my National League list by misunderstanding that the “45 days active service” rule which determines “rookies.” I never realized the rule does not include time spent after September 1st. Therefore, Alcides Escobar does qualify as a rookie, meaning my list is missing a huge candidate for ROY.
I would have made the same mistake w/ Neftali (debuted on 8/3) on the American League list. Since he qualifies, Feliz has gotta be #1. I’m thinking the rest of my top 5 are Wade Davis, Austin Jackson, Julio Borbon, and Brett Wallace. Rookie of the Year is difficult to project because it involves combining a player’s prospect rating and when they will arrive in the majors. Feliz is a perfect candidate b/c he’s a huge prospect and certain to be a Ranger opening day.
Hope everything is going well! We’ve been having fun w/ the site, putting in a little work here and there during the off-season. Definitely looking forward to baseball season (especially w/ no more college football), and I’ll talk to you later on this year.
No love for Neftali Feliz?