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MLB Awards Watch: Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa battle for AL Rookie of the Year

By Brad Rowland

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) smiles during the ninth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) smiles during the ninth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) celebrates with right fielder George Springer (4) after scoring on a 3-run home run by third baseman Jed Lowrie (not pictured) in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The Astros won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) celebrates with right fielder George Springer (4) after scoring on a 3-run home run by third baseman Jed Lowrie (not pictured) in the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The Astros won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

AL Rookie of the Year

  1. Carlos Correa, SS Houston Astros – A few weeks ago, this looked like a situation in which Correa would simply pull away and cruise to the finish line as the AL Rookie of the Year. The 20-year-old remains at the top of the heap based on his ridiculous batting stats (.507 slugging percentage, 19 HR, 12 SB in 88 games), but there is some real momentum for Francisco Lindor at this point. This may be the tightest race of the bunch, and every plate appearance matters over the final two-plus weeks of the campaign.
  2. Francisco Lindor, SS Cleveland Indians – Lindor’s claim, at least when compared to Correa, is on the defensive side. He already profiles as a Gold Glove player at the most important defensive position on the field, and while Correa is no slouch, there is no question that Lindor is better in this area. However, the reason why Lindor is actually in the mix is because he is maintaining a .353 OBP on the strength of a batting average north of .310. If that falters, Correa will win; if not, it will be a photo finish.
  3. Miguel Sano, 3B/DH Minnesota Twins – Sano’s power is just silly. He has blasted 17 home runs in only 280 plate appearances (67 games), and that comes along with a .569 slugging percentage. To add context, Sano’s slugging numbers rank in the top five of all AL players if he had enough plate appearances to qualify, and that is staggering given the presence of players like Mike Trout and Josh Donaldson.

Next: NL Cy Young

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