Jacob deGrom Named National League Rookie Of The Year
By Hayden Kane
New York Mets‘ starting pitcher Jacob deGrom was named the National League Rookie of the Year on Monday night as Major League Baseball started handing out awards for the 2014 season.
In one of the intriguing races of this year’s awards in Major League Baseball, Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets was named the Jackie Robinson National League Rookie of the Year.
Congrats to the @Mets' @JdeGrom19 on winning the @officialBBWAA NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award! #ROY pic.twitter.com/zDYE6n9ocL
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 10, 2014
This race ultimately came down to deGrom, a starting pitcher, and Billy Hamilton, a speedy outfielder. Such as these things go, it was complicated to compare their seasons because it is something of an apples and oranges situation. We do have Wins Above Replacement (WAR) to provide us a little bit of guidance, but it is by no means a catch-all.
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According to Baseball Reference, Jacob deGrom was a 3.1 WAR player and Billy Hamilton was a 2.5 WAR player. deGrom went 9-6 in 22 starts in 2014, throwing 140.1 innings, striking out 144 hitters, and posting a 2.69 ERA. Hamilton batted .250/.292/.355 with 56 stolen bases in 156 games played.
What this ultimately comes down to is this: Hamilton was solid in his rookie season, but deGrom was dominant. Subtle though that distinction might be, a rookie starting pitcher who reaches deGrom’s level is able to have more of an impact than a good center fielder, even a fast one who bats lead-off.
Certainly if Hamilton had won, it would not have been some huge snub or a decision worthy of outrage, though a player winning an award with a sub-.300 on-base percentage might not have been super popular. Kolten Wong of the St. Louis Cardinals was the third finalist for the award.
In the end, deGrom won a tight race and is a deserving winner of the National League Rookie of the Year award.
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