Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda, and Nationals center fielder Trea Turner are the finalists for the 2016 National League Rookie of the Year award, MLB announced Monday. The award is voted on annually by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Corey Seager headlines MLB Rookie of the Year finalists
The Los Angeles shortstop leads the NL finalists, while Detroit pitcher Michael Fulmer is among this year’s AL finalists.
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Tigers pitcher Michael Fulmer, Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, and Indians outfielder Tyler Naquin are the finalists for the American League.
Seager is the big name from this year’s rookie class. The 22-year-old followed up a strong end to the 2015 season by immediately establishing himself as one of the best players in baseball. In 157 games with Los Angeles, Seager hit 40 doubles and 26 home runs with a .365 on-base percentage.
That’s incredible production for a shortstop, and it was worth 7.5 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs. Baseball-Reference wasn’t quite as generous, valuing his season at 6.1 wins above replacement, but either way, Seager burst onto the scene as a star.
Maeda, 28, arrived from Japan and put up a 3.48 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 175⅔ innings over 32 starts. Turner only played 73 games for Washington, but racked up amazing stats. He batted .342 with 14 doubles, eight triples, and 13 home runs, plus he stole 33 bases on 39 attempts.
The AL race might be a bit tougher given the lack of a no-brainer option like Seager.
Fulmer posted a 3.06 ERA in 159 innings over 26 starts with Detroit in a solid debut season. Sanchez, like Turner, put up huge numbers over a shorter period of time. The Yankees catcher had 20 home runs and a .657 slugging percentage in 53 games. Naquin hit 18 doubles and 14 home runs with a .372 on-base percentage in 116 games for the AL champion Indians.
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