A foundation of electric rookies helped the Cincinnati Reds have a breakout season, but none of them received awards from the Baseball Writers Association of America at the end of the season.
The three finalists for the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award were revealed by MLB on Monday. They are outfielders Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kodai Senga of the New York Mets, and James Outman of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Since the All-Star break, Carroll has been the clear favourite to win, but Senga has also been in the running for a while. Outman, though, surprised everyone by beating out multiple Reds contenders for the final spot.
After making his debut in May, Matt McLain was long regarded as the dark horse to win the prize. As of mid-August, the shortstop and second baseman even had the highest batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS among all eligible NL rookies.
Two weeks later, McLain suffered a season-ending oblique injury that cost him some count stats, but he finished the season batting.290 in just 89 games with
Conversely, Steer played first base, second base, third base, left field, right field and designated hitter in 156 of 162 games. In 2023, he had a.820 OPS, 23 home runs, 86 RBI, 15 stolen bases, and a 3.0 WAR while hitting.271.
Steer was also named a finalist for the NL Utility Gold Glove Award on Thursday due to his dynamism on the field.
Elly De La Cruz was another rookie that the Reds had to keep an eye on this season; however, following an impressive debut month, the shortstop’s output fell off significantly. In their brief time, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Noevli Marte also displayed flashes.
16 home runs, 50 RBI, 14 stolen bases, a.864 OPS, and a 3.7 WAR.
By the halfway point of the season, even starting pitcher Andrew Abbott was considered a serious contender for NL Rookie of the Year. Despite this, he finished the campaign with an 8-6 record and 3.87 ERA, which gave him a reasonable chance to earn sporadic votes.
Although Outman put up some impressive numbers of his own (batting.248 with 23 home runs, 70 RBI, 16 stolen bases, a.790 OPS, and 3.3 WAR in 151 games), most analysts and bookmakers felt he was trailing McLain and Steer.
Carroll is anticipated to accept his prize on November 14; it was likely that he would prevail regardless of the other finalists. On MLB Network that evening at 6 p.m. ET, the winners will be announced.
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Sam Connon works as a staff writer for FanNation and Sports Illustrated’s Fastball division. Prior to joining Bleav Podcast Network, he covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation’s All Bruins, 247Sports’ Bruin Report Online, Rivals’ Bruin Blitz, and the Daily Bruin. He was honoured by the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists for his work as a sports columnist.
