Joined: 10 Aug 2006
Posts: 2404
Location: Gold Canyon
Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:26 pm Post subject: NL ROY candidates
Mike Berardino / South Florida Sun-Sentinel (with a South Florida bias) today wrote:
"It should go to the Florida Marlins," said Dontrelle Willis.
There's certainly no shortage of qualified candidates among Willis' young teammates.
- Second baseman Dan Uggla (26 homers) recently knocked former Yankees great Joe Gordon out of the record book. Gordon's rookie homer record for the position had stood since 1938.
- Shortstop Hanley Ramirez has scored 111 runs and is closing in on 50 stolen bases. He also has 23 errors but has shown tremendous range.
- Right-hander Josh Johnson, despite a recent forearm problem that caused him to miss Monday's start, has built a 12-7 record and spent much of the year in the top three of the league ERA standings.
- Left fielder Josh Willingham, still a rookie at 27 despite two previous trips to the majors, had the highest combined on-base/slugging percentage among NL rookies with enough plate appearances to qualify.
And let us not forget right-hander Anibal Sanchez, who gave baseball its first no-hitter in 28 months after arriving from Double-A in late June; lefty Scott Olsen, who leads all rookies in strikeouts; right-hander Ricky Nolasco, who came out of the bullpen as well to go 11-9; first baseman Mike Jacobs, who has 75 RBI and 55 extra-base hits; and lefty setup man Taylor Tankersley, whose 20 holds trail only the Tigers' Joel Zumaya among major league rookies.
Trouble is, this is perhaps the deepest NL rookie field in history.
Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder, Giants right-hander Matt Cain and the Dodgers trio of outfielder Andre Ethier, catcher Russell Martin and Japanese closer Takashi Saito all figure to receive votes.
There's also Pirates reliever Matt Capps, Phillies lefty Cole Hamels, Padres reliever Cla Meredith, Padres second baseman Josh Barfield and Diamondbacks first baseman Conor Jackson, among many others.
"This is the most rookies I've ever seen really stand out and make contributions," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel says.
Since the BBWAA went to its current 5-3-1 points system in 1980, no more than five players have received first-place votes. It happened in both leagues last year, but not since `96 in the NL before that.
That string of relative tidiness could end soon. Ballots are due Oct. 2, the day after the regular season ends.
"This thing is a real mess," says Braves beat writer Travis Haney of Morris News Service. "It seems to change by the week, if not every few days."
Similar sentiments came from many of the 14 voters (out of 32 total) contacted for an informal survey regarding the rookie race. Eleven different chapters weighed in as the regular season headed into its final fortnight.
Among Marlins, Uggla appears to have a solid edge on his rookie teammates. Making the All-Star Game as the first Rule 5 winter draft pick to do so in his debut season brought positive publicity, and his defensive improvement has been staggering.
Every voter contacted mentioned Uggla among his top few candidates, with 11 of the 14 placing him either first or second. Ramirez and Johnson were well behind in early support but appear to have the best chance of hitting the board along with Uggla.
Outside of South Florida, the top rookie threat appears to be Zimmerman, who had driven in 97 runs and was hitting .280 while playing first-rate defense. Half of those surveyed listed Zimmerman either first or second.
"I'm leaning toward Ryan Zimmerman because I have been all year and because I consider him the best all-around player among the candidates," says Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger, while cautioning he won't make his final decision until the season ends.
Looks like Zimmerman and Uggla could finish 1-2, although Uggla's vote may get diluted by his rookie teammates.
Didn't the D-Backs have some prospect by the name of Uggla once?
_________________
That's the true harbinger of spring, not crocuses or swallows returning to Capistrano, but the sound of a bat on a ball.
~Bill Veeck
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