Sometimes teams have no choice but to start a rookie. They look at their lineup in the offseason, wrinkle their noses, put up a couple of ads on Craigslist -- “BAD TEAM SEEKS LESS-BAD PLAYER” -- and eventually they settle on a rookie because, hey, he’s cheap. And he’s right there. Don’t even need to deal with an agent.
MLB’s Rookie Hitters: Who’s Hot And Who’s Not?
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But most rookies are in an Opening Day lineup because either a) they represent a big part of their team’s future, or b) they’re advanced enough to make their team think they represent the best shot at winning now. When the Atlanta Braves put a "reserved" sign on their first baseman table for the entire offseason, it was a little of both. The Braves declined to re-sign mid-season acquisition Derrek Lee, and they declined to go after anyone else. The job was Freddie Freeman's.
Here’s a look at eight rookie hitters who have been in the lineup for most of the young season. Some have been for better, some have been for worse.
Brad Emaus - 2B - New York Mets
Some have been for far worse. Emaus is in a precarious position, more so than most rookies even. He’s a Rule 5 pick, a guy who probably wouldn’t be in the majors if not for the red tape involved. He’s started his season about as poorly as one can, hitting .162 with a .162 slugging percentage -- that’s Barry Zito territory. And Emaus’ defense is supposed to be average at best, so if he isn’t hitting ...
Arencibia might be that rare specimen -- a catcher who can hit in the middle of the order, which is what the Blue Jays were hoping for when they took him in the first round of the 2007 draft. The 25-year-old hit .301/.359/.626 last season in AAA, though it was in Las Vegas. Rey Ordonez was probably good for .300/.350/.450 in Las Vegas. Still, Arencibia has flashed his power in the young season, hitting two home runs, and even flashing a little speed with two triples. Well, maybe the triples weren’t speed-related. Maybe the outfielders tripped over pelicans or something. Still, the Blue Jays have to be thrilled with how he’s started the season.
Freddie Freeman - 1B - Atlanta Braves
Freeman is one of the best prospects in the game, a 21-year-old first baseman who powered through AAA last season, hitting .319/.378/.521 as one of the youngest players at that level. The Braves felt comfortable leaving a spot open for him to start the season, and while he’s started the season slowly (.239/.327/.370 with one home run), the Braves probably aren’t going to yank him around after a slow start, sending him to the minors or the bench. Freeman will get months to prove he belongs.
Brent Morel - 3B - Chicago White Sox
The White Sox held an open audition at third in spring training, hoping that Morel would take the job. He did, but he’s struggled at the plate and in the field. He’s had 31 chances in the field so far, and committed four errors. That, combined with a .548 OPS, is an easy way for a young player to give a starting job right back, and the White Sox have Mark Teahen on the bench. And you know the old saying: When you have Mark Teahen on the bench ... you have Mark Teahen on the bench.
Morel’s minor league stats weren’t anything special, so if his glove continues to slump, expect the White Sox to make a switch soon.
Brandon Belt - 1B - San Francisco Giants
The Giants are known for bringing their prospects along slowly, so putting Belt in the lineup against Clayton Kershaw on Opening Day said a tremendous amount about how Bruce Bochy felt about him. He’s looked overmatched at times, struggling to catch up with fastballs in the high part of the strike zone, but there is a silver lining: his plate discipline has remained steady. He hardly swings at anything outside of the strike zone.
Belt has slumped to start the season, hitting .200/.310/.280 in 50 at-bats. When Cody Ross comes off the disabled list this week, it would be a minor upset if Belt stayed on the roster and in the lineup. With Belt in Fresno, the Giants will be able to put Aubrey Huff (and the set of fun-house mirrors he brings with him to right field) at first, where he’s not as much of a defensive liability.
Mark Trumbo - 1B - Los Angeles Angels
It’s still painful to think about Kendry(s) Morales’ injury because the guy was just trying to celebrate. He wasn’t celebrating by climbing up the foul pole, pretending to swat at biplanes and beating his chest. He just ... jumped. A professional athlete should be able to jump without worrying about the risks.
But one man’s pain is another man’s starting job, and Trumbo has done okay to start the season. He’s hitting for power (four doubles, two homers in 54 at-bats), but beware the red flags of plate discipline -- a K/BB ratio of 11/2 is more than a little scary. His .301/.368/.577 line in Salt Lake City last year was superficially impressive, but Salt Lake is almost like a mini-Coors. Those numbers are pretty close to Brandon Wood’s career line in Salt Lake, and the K/BB ratios were comparable too.
Trading a top prospect for a middle reliever rarely works out, and the Twins would probably feel just a little bit more comfortable if they had Ramos in a glass case in the event of an emauergency. After a miserable start in AAA for the Twins last year, Ramos picked up his average when he was traded to the Nationals for Matt Capps. He’s been a monster for Washington to start the season, hitting .414/.500/.483 in 29 at-bats while splitting time with Ivan Rodriguez. With Ramos looking good, and Pudge playing like he’s been encased in carbonite to settle a debt, expect the youngster to take over more of the starting role.
Ramos will probably always be an average-dependent player -- as in, if he isn’t hitting for a high average, his OBP and power isn’t going to make up for it -- but he isn’t going to need much with the bat if he’s sound, defensively.
Danny Espinosa - 2B - Washington Nationals
It’s always tough to read guys like Espinosa, who was moved quickly through the minors after being drafted. He was a third-round pick, and he showed good power and average plate discipline at his first full season in the minors. He kept the power and lost some of the plate discipline as he zipped to the majors, putting in only 24 games at AAA before a September call-up last season. How much weight should we put on last year’s minor league performance, especially considering he was moved up so aggressively?
He’ll never hit for a high average, but if he continues to hit for power, and his plate discipline is something approaching average, he’ll be a nice offensive middle infielder. Given his seven walks in 56 at-bats so far -- and a .512 slugging percentage -- the Nationals have to be a little giddy. Finding a regular in the third round of the draft is rare enough, but Espinosa’s early performance suggests that he could be more than just a regular.
About three weeks into the season, the rookie hitters are still in a sample-size vortex. Just as Albert Pujols’ first 67 at-bats of 2011 don’t represent his true talent level, there’s no way to tell what these early-season performances really mean. We can only guess with the help of limited at-bats. From June 12 through June 30 last season, Buster Posey hit .146/.160/.146 with one walk and eight strikeouts in 48 at-bats. If he had that slump right when he was called up, the 2010 season might have gone much, much differently for Posey and the Giants. He was lucky enough to sandwich his slump between two hot streaks -- a lot of the rookies up there don’t have that luxury.
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