In Major League Baseball many would say that 2012 was the "Year of the Pitcher". In 2012 there were 7 no-hitters, and 3 of them were perfect games. Now in 2013 it could also be the year of the pitcher with it only being July, but I am going to go ahead and declare it the year of the Rookies. Every season there is a numerous amount of rookies that come into the league, but this year they have not only come on to the scene, they have become superstars overnight. So I thought I would go through and break down some of this years top rookies that might not be a household names yet and give my picks for the first half rookie of the year for both the AL and NL.
Yasiel Puig - OF - Dodgers
Puig made his MLB debut with the Dodgers on June 6 and he has not slowed down since. In 96 at bats Puig has already hit 7 home runs, 16 RBI's, 4 doubles and has a .417 batting average. Unlike any of the other players on this list, I have actually got a chance to see Puig play this year while he was at AA-Chattanooga, and let me tell you Puig is everything he puts out. He's 6'3 245 lbs of just pure muscle and raw talent. I expect Puig to finish with a plus .300 BA and atleast 15 or more homeruns. Puig should also be in the running for the NL ROY at the end of the year.
Jose Fernandez - SP - Marlins
Fernandez going into the 2013 season is only in his 2nd season in professional ball and never seeing above Hi-A. At only 20 years-old he made the Marlins starting rotation out of spring training and hasn't made the Marlins regret that decision. So far this season Fernandez is 4-4, has 89 strikeouts, and is posting a 2.98 ERA in only 84.2 innings pitched. Fernandez's powering fastball has let the Marlins see their future with this young man is very bright. I see Fernandez finishing the season with 9, maybe 10 wins, and possibly 180 strikeouts.
Evan Gattis - C/OF - Braves
Evan Gattis was also one of the shockers out of spring training that made the roster. What was expected to be just a short stint in the bigs while Brian McCann recovered from shoulder surgery. Gattis showed that he is more than ready for the bigs while he has slugged his way to stay on the roster and forced the Braves to hold 3 catchers on their 25 - man roster. So far this season Gattis has a .252 batting average and has hit 14 homeruns, 37 RBI's, and has a .577 slugging percentage. Gattis has done this while splitting time with Brian McCann and Gerald Laird. Gattis has been on the DL since the first of June with a strained oblique, and there is no rush for him to get back, but when he does come back expect him to get back to his slugging ways.
Gerrit Cole - SP - Pirates
Gerrit Cole probably isn't a household name right now because he has only pitched in 4 games in the Major Leagues and in those 4 games he has showed his stuff going 4-0 in his first 4 starts now he has a ERA of 3.70 but this 22 year old already has 11 strikeouts, 4 walks and a WHIP (Walks plus hits per innings pitched) of 1.23. Cole is still learning the speed of the game and he is only going to get better the more experience he gets. Keep an eye out for Cole the rest of this season he is going to be a big contributor to this first place Pirates playoff run!
Will Myers - OF - Rays
This past off season the Rays traded big game James Shields to the Royals for their No. 1 prospect Will Myers and since then he has been the big news around Rays camp. Myers played in the Futures game last year and show cased his skills and since then the Myer"mania" has not stopped. first Major League at-bat Myers hit a soft single for his first at bat and it only took him till his 3rd game to knock his first career homerun but, it wasn't just any old homerun! His first Major League homerun was a grandslam at Yankee Stadium. In just 13 games Myers has 3 HR, 9 RBI's, .296 batting average and a .791 OPS. Myers has shown he's more than ready for the show and I don't see him going back down to AAA-Durham.
Jurickson Profar - 2B - Rangers
Profar actually got his call to the bigs last year but only played 9 games. Now he has 31 games under his belt this season and is showing good numbers. Profar so far this season has a .257 batting average, 3 homeruns, and 9 RBI's but its Profars defense that makes him the weapon his is today. Profar is very quick and has a cannon of an arm. This kid will be a key factor for the Rangers as they make a push for the postseason.
Other Notable Rookies:
Jackie Bradley Jr - OF - Red Sox
Didi Gregorious - SS - Diamondbacks
Zeke Spurill - SP - Diamondbacks
Zack Wheeler - SP - Mets
Alex Wood - SP/RP - Braves
Shelby Miller - SP - Cardinals
Jedd Gyorko - 2B/3B Padres
Julio Teheran - SP - Braves
Hyun-Jin Ryu - SP - Dodgers
Leonys Martin - OF - Rangers
Oswaldo Arcia - OF - Twins
Dan Straily - RHP - Athletics
Nick Franklins - 2B - Seattle
1st 1/2 National League Rookie of the Year
Shelby Miller - SP - Cardinals
1st 1/2 American League Rookie of the Year
Leonys Martin - OF - Rangers