2023 Rookie of the Year Race

A closer look at this year's strong rookie class...

I asked this question on Twitter yesterday, which is a topic Walker Buehler brought up a few weeks back.

Here is the quote from Buehler:

"I personally think there should be a rookie Cy Young as well. Not to be like, 'Oh, I should get all this stuff,' but I was third in the Rookie of the Year to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Juan Soto. Pretty generational, but also neither of them pitch, so who am I competing against? ... Let's have a Fernando Valenzuela Award, best rookie pitcher ever."

Not counting Ohtani, pitchers have only won the award 7x times (~27%) since 2010. Although this season it might not matter, there have been cases in the past where there were deserving pitchers who were overlooked. Take last season, where Spencer Strider completed one of the best rookie pitching performances in recent memory but finished well behind winner and teammate Michael Harris II. It’s not to argue that Strider should have won, but rather that there is a need to recognize rookie pitchers in the same way the MVP and the Cy Young awards have become separated between position players and pitchers over time.

Also, remember that winning the Rookie of the Year award is now more than just about claiming a trophy. The new collective bargaining agreement dictates that players who finish first and second in voting are awarded a full year of service time regardless of how many days they spend on the big league roster. These rules were put in place as part of the prospect promotion incentive, negotiated to combat service time manipulation. They also include incentives for the team. By winning Rookie of the Year, and starting the season as a top prospect, Julio Rodríguez earned the Mariners the No. 29 pick in the 2023 draft. Players who earn second or third place in Rookie of the Year voting earn their teams a pick in the international draft.

So you can start to see how this could be problematic for pitchers. If they tend to finish down-ballot in the voting, they are less likely to earn themselves service time, take home bonuses, and be considered for promotion because teams have less incentives to do so.

The 2023 Rookie Class

It’s been a good few years for young players and this season has been no exception. First, position players from both leagues — offense by defense with the size and color of the point relative to accrued fWAR so far this season.