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With the All-Star break almost upon us, it is a good time to check in to see where we stand at in both the AL and NL Rookie of the Year races. The last time we did our rookie of the year power rankings, Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers and Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia held the top spots in both the National and American Leagues.
Rogers and Garcia have shined for their respective teams and set the standard for the other rookies in MLB. But we also saw a couple of new players enter their name in the ROY convo in Ke’Bryan Hayes from the Pirates and James Kaprielian from the Athletics. Will these two players move up in our latest power rankings? Or will we see a few more new players enter themselves into the Rookie of the Year races? We’ll breakdown both the AL and NL Rookie rankings below.
NL Rookies
1. Trevor Rogers, Miami Marlins - It is hard to not see Rogers winning the NL Rookie of the Year at this point. The 23-year-old has been the best pitcher for the Marlins this season and should be in the running for an All-Star Game appearance. Rogers currently has a 7-5 record and 2.14 ERA, along with 110 strikeouts in 92.1 IP. He also ended the month with a 2.73 ERA, despite a record of 1-2 in his last five starts.
2. Ian Anderson, Atlanta Braves - Anderson will once again, keep a hold on the No. 2 spot in the NL Rookie of the Year rankings. The last time we did our rankings, the New York native had a 3.18 through two starts in June. The 23-year-old starter ultimately finished the month with an ERA of 3.71. Despite his ERA going up, Anderson did a great job of keeping the ball inside the yard, allowing one home run.
3. Jonathan India, Cincinnati Reds - We have a brand new rookie introducing himself to the NL Rookie of the Year race in Jonathan India. The Reds second baseman has done a good job being a factor in a high-powered offense. The 24-year-old is slashing .262/.374/.396 with 6 HRs and 30 RBI this season. India is coming off an impressive month of June, where he hit .303/.425/.455 with 6 doubles, 3 HRs, and 9 RBI.
4. Ke’Bryan Hayes, Pittsburgh Pirates - Hayes started off the month of June on fire, hitting .289/.333/.511 with 2 HRs and 5 RBI in his return from the IL. However, he cooled off just a little bit and ended the month hitting .273. It was the rookie third baseman first’ full month of action this season, so we should not be concerned. He’s still one of the best rookies in the majors.
5. Dylan Carlson, St. Louis Cardinals - Carlson was in our initial Rookie of the Year rankings, but fell out after a rough May, where he only hit .258. But he’s back in the fifth spot after a nice rebound last month, hitting .262/.339/.398 with 2 HRs and 7 RBI. Just like India, Carlson does not get a lot of attention because of the other sluggers in the Cardinals’ lineup. But he should not be ignored as we head into the second half of the season.
AL Rookies
1. Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays - Arozarena, who was the betting favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year before the season began is holding the top spot in our rankings. The 26-year-old outfielder did not have the greatest month of June, hitting .253/.308/.421 with 3 HRs and 13 RBI. But he’s one of the Rays’ best offensive players and someone they will lean on with no Tyler Glasnow.
2. Adolis Garcia, Texas Rangers - The Rangers’ rookie outfielder has cooled off after a hot start to the 2021 season. Garcia is currently hitting .270 with 20 HRs (which leads all rookies in the majors) and 55 RBI. The 28-year-old’s production in June almost resembled what he did in April, where slugged .242/.282/.515 with 5 HRs and 14 RBI. Last month, he slashed .242/.284/.432 with 4 HRs and 14 RBI.
3. Casey Mize, Detroit Tigers - The rookie starting pitcher is quietly performing well this season for the Tigers. Mize has a 5-4 record, 3.46 ERA, and 1.13 WHIP, which ranks 33rd in the major. The former top pick had a solid June with a 2-1 record and 3.82 ERA in five starts.
4. Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles - The Orioles’ third baseman is making his debut in our Rookie of the Year power rankings. While all the attention has been on Cedric Mullins and John Means this season, Mountcastle is putting together a solid 2021 campaign. The 24-year-old is slashing .263/.302/.468 with 14 HRs and 47 RBI in 75 games. He’s tore the cover off the ball in June, slugging .327/.382/.634 with 9 HRs and 26 RBI.
5. Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Indians - The 23-year-old reliever has been one of the best in the majors and could make a strong push to win the AL ROY. Last season, we saw a reliever win the NL ROY award in Devin Williams of the Brewers. Clase currently has 11 saves and an ERA of 1.10 in 34 games.