Rookie of the Year Race

[MisterRoddy]

Not to be overlooked is the fact that this award is voted on by a bunch of humans, sportswriters to be specific. And, unlike computers, humans tend to be swayed by bias. One of the most significant biases that influences votes is hype. Heyward has had the hype from day one of this season, much more than any other rookie in baseball not named Strasburg. It helps that his team is one of the major success stories in baseball this year too.

As a result, I think Garcia and/or Posey need to outplay Hayward by more than a little bit to win the award. There are a lot of sportswriters who have already penciled Hayward's name on their ballot and it is going to take something quite special for them to change to someone else.

I ain't saying it is fair. I ain't saying it is right. I am stating a phenomenon we see all the time in sports. If it is a close race (and right now it certainly is) between Hayward and one or two other rookies, then Heyward is going to win it.

--Jason "sorry, but that is the reality" Evans

I agree with you, the hype was super high for Jason Heyward and he has somewhat lived up to it. I think he will win it too, I was just sharing my opinion that I think Posey should win it, at least if the season ended today.

[Olympic Fan]

Did you read my next sentence? "I believe that Posey is on pace for having enough games played for ROY consideration and once a player has enough, what they did in those games should be looked at only." Strasburg obviously hasn't had enough playing time for ROY consideration, so we wouldn't be talking about him for ROY based on my statements

There is no standard for "enough games played for ROY consideration." It could be one game if a voter wanted to consider that. Strasberg is eligible.

The only limitation are the at-bats/innings pitched a player can have appeared in before his "rookie" season (actually the number before Sept. 1 of the year before his rookie year) to qualify as a rookie. Since that's not a factor in this debate, there is no standard ... it's whatever the voter wants.

I repeat, dismissing the fact that Heyward has played almost 50 percent more than Posey so far this year is IMHO wrong -- I know the Strasberg comparison was an exaggeration -- but it points to the absurdity of your position.

A voter definitely could vote for Strasberg if he wanted since he's "played enough games for ROY consideration."

[MisterRoddy]

There is no standard for "enough games played for ROY consideration." It could be one game if a voter wanted to consider that. Strasberg is eligible.

The only limitation are the at-bats/innings pitched a player can have appeared in before his "rookie" season (actually the number before Sept. 1 of the year before his rookie year) to qualify as a rookie. Since that's not a factor in this debate, there is no standard ... it's whatever the voter wants.

I repeat, dismissing the fact that Heyward has played almost 50 percent more than Posey so far this year is IMHO wrong -- I know the Strasberg comparison was an exaggeration -- but it points to the absurdity of your position.

A voter definitely could vote for Strasberg if he wanted since he's "played enough games for ROY consideration."

I know a voter could vote for any rookie no matter what, even if they played only one game, but what voter in their right mind would? The point is that Posey has played enough to get consideration without it being a big factor. We should judge based on statistics and Posey's are on par, if not, better than Heyward's.

Also, I'm not completely dismissing this fact (Heyward playing 50% more). I am just saying it shouldn't be the end-all to the argument. As Jason said, the end-all will most likely end up being the amount of hype Jason Heyward received coming into this year.

[JasonEvans]

A voter definitely could vote for Strasberg if he wanted since he's "played enough games for ROY consideration."

Don't you guys think that Stras will get some ROY votes? I don't think he will be first on any ballots, but I bet he gets some votes.

--Jason "actually, I would not be shocked to see someone vote him first -- if only for the notoriety it would gain that voter" Evans

[Olympic Fan]

Very interesting article about Heyward's historic pursuit of a .400 OBP. He was at .399 after Sunday night's game -- but has been at .432 (the best in baseball) since the all-star break.Since Aug. 21, he's been at an unbelieable .520!

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/po...-chase-for-400

Only five players of his age have ever accomplished that feat -- Ted Williams, Mel Ott, Al Kaline, Jimmie Foxx and A-Roid.

The next four guys on the list (just below .400) are Mickey Mantle, Ty Cobb, Frank Robinson and Arky Vaughn.

That's pretty heady company.

FWIW: Heyward's great play since the all-star break has pushed him past Posey in the OPS game -- his .880 OPS is slightly better than Posey's .877. Because of park factors, Heyward actually has a bigger edge in OPS-plus -- 138 to 130.

[ncexnyc]

This thread appears to be focusing on mainly the NL candidates, so I'll throw my vote to Feliz. He's the closer for a 1st place team, with 33 saves.

Still a lot of games left to be played and anything could happen. How the playoff races end up could go a long way in determining who gets ROY, as each player gets a chance to shine in a big way.

[theAlaskanBear]

Jaime Garcia looks like he hit the rookie wall the last couple of starts...

With Heyward as hot as he is, he is getting my vote now too.

[JasonEvans]

J-Hey went 0-for-2 with a walk and a HBP last night.

As a result, he raised his OBP to .400.

--Jason "waaaaay cool!" Evans