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MLB Awards Watch: The Explosion of Bryce Harper

By Brad Rowland

Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) hits a three run home run during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) hits a three run home run during the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis (29) gets a single during the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis (29) gets a single during the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

AL Rookie of the Year

  1. Devon Travis, 2B Toronto Blue Jays – Travis is the runaway favorite for AL ROY, and the competition behind him lags considerably. In fairness, Travis has slowed down considerably after a red-hot start, but the 24-year-old still leads AL rookie in home runs with 7 while posting a quality slash line of .271/.336/.504 in the first 36 games of his MLB career. Devon Travis isn’t the player that we saw in April, but he can still play.
  2. Steven Souza, OF Tampa Bay Rays – The drop-off is large between what Travis has done and the rest of the league, but Souza is the current runner-up. Counting numbers aren’t the problem for the former Nationals farmhand, as Souza has six home runs and five stolen bases in 37 games, placing him on a 20-20 trajectory over a full campaign. A 36% (!) strikeout rate limits his potential greatly, but given that Souza is already taking walks at a very nice rate, a simple uptick in contact rate would do wonders.
  3. Kyle Lobstein, SP Detroit Tigers – Lobstein is simply a warm body, and that puts him in the midst of the AL Rookie of the Year race. The 25-year-old has one of the lowest strikeout rates in baseball at just 4.07 per 9 innings, but that hasn’t stopped Lobstein from being effective early on, limiting opponents to the tune of a respectable 4.29 ERA in seven starts. If Lobstein was in the NL, he wouldn’t come close to the radar, but sometimes, things break your way.

Next: NL Cy Young

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