There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of suspense surrounding this year’s MLB Rookie of the Year Awards. Pete Alonso of the Mets not only set a new rookie record for home runs in a season with 53 long balls, but also led all MLB rookies in runs scored (103) and RBI (120). Game. Set. Match.
In the AL, Yordan Alvarez of the Astros appears to hold sway, with a .313-27-78 season. His closest competition is likely to come from Eloy Jimenez, who put up a .267-31-79 line. Alvarez’ .300+ average and the fact that he put up his numbers in 35 fewer games than Jimenez, makes the Astro the favorite.
Given that situation, Baseball Roundtable decided to go a little deeper into the rookie class. Here is BBRT’s 2019 All-Rookie squad. Spoiler: If you scroll down to the final members of this squad, you’ll find its oldest and least likely member. Also, for you Minnesota readers, that final selection had deep Minnesota ties (Brainerd High, St. Cloud State and the Twins).
—–BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE 2019 ALL-ROOKIE TEAM—–
Catcher – Will Smith, Dodgers
Photo by Feelin’ Kinda Blue 
The 24-year-old Smith, a first-rounder in the 2016 MLB draft (32nd overall), put a .253-15-42 line in 54 games – and was also solid defensively. He was called up in late May, hitting .269-3-6 in nine games before being sent back down (late June) to Oklahoma City, where he earned a spot in the Triple-A All Star Game. Smith was called back up in late July and took over the regular catching duties for the post-season-bound Dodgers, hitting .318-9-25 in his first twenty games (after the call up).
Side note. It has been speculated that the Dodgers are interested in Giants’ reliever Will Smith (6-0, 2.76 with 34 saves). Now, that’s a battery I’d like to see. If they were in LA, perhaps actor Will Smith could be in the stands.
Will Smith played college ball at the University of Louisville. In his final college season (as a Junior), he hit .382-7-43 in 55 games.
First Base, Pete Alonso, Mets
Photo by slgckgc
The 24-year-old Alonso looks like a power threat (6’ 3”, 240-pounds); and hits like one. He played in 161 games in his rookie campaign. He used those 161 contests to set a new rookie-season record for home runs with 53; leading all of MLB in 2019 long balls. Alonso also led all rookies in hits (155), runs scored (103) and RBI (120). He was the only 2019 rookie to reach 100 runs scored, as well as the only 2019 freshman to reach 100 RBI. In three minor league campaigns, Alonso hit .290-59-203 (255 games).
Freshman seasons seem a charm for Alonso. At the University of Florida, he made the 2014 All-Southeastern Conference Team in his freshman season. He was drafted (Mets) in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
With 53 home runs, 30 doubles and two triples, 54.8 percent of all Pete Alonso’s hits were for extra bases – and just over one of every three of his safeties left the ball park.
Second Base, Keston Hiura, Brewers
There was some tough competition among rookies at the keystone sack. The Twins’ Luis Arreaz showed pure hitting skills – .334 average in 92 games; more walks (36) than strikeouts (29). The Pirates’ Kelvin Newman showed multiple tools – .303-12-64, with 16 steals in 130 games. But this spot goes to the Brewers’ 22-year-old second baseman Kelvin Hiura, who played in 84 games and put up a .300+ average (.303); showed the most power of the three contenders (19 home runs); drove in just five fewer runs (in 46 fewer games) than Newman; and flashed some speed (nine steals).
Hiura was a 2017 first-round draft pick out of the University of California, Irvine (ninth pick overall). In three college seasons, he averaged 55 games played, 7.3 home runs, 45 RBI – with a .375 college career average. In three minor league seasons, he hit .317, with 36 home runs, 122 RBI and 24 steals in 222 games.
Keston Hiura was the 2017 Big West Conference Player of the Year, after hitting .442-8-42, with nine steals in 56 games for U.C. Irvine.
Third Base, Tommy Edman, Cardinals
Edman was a 2016 sixth-round draft pick (Cardinals) out of Stanford – where he hit .281, with four home runs, 71 RBI and 15 stolen bases over three seasons (168) games. In 2017, he played at A, High-A and Double-A, going a combined .261-5-55 with 13 steals (119 games). Edman found his stroke in 2018, hitting .301-7-41, with 30 steals, at Double- and Triple-A. The 24-year-old was again a hitting over .300 when called up from Triple-A Memphis in June – and he just kept on hitting (.304) and running (15 steals in 16 attempts) at the major-league level. He also showed a bit of unexpected power, with 11 home runs in 92 games for the Redbirds. Edman’s versatility worked in his favor. He appeared at third base, second base and all three outfield spots for the Cardinals.
Edman edged out an early season Rookie of the Year favorite – Vlad Guerrero, Jr., – who went .272-15-69 in 123 games (in a season limited by injuries). Had he stayed healthy Guerrero might have captured this spot. It was very close.
Tommy Edman had a successful year on the base paths in 2019 stealing nine bases in nine tries at Triple-A Memphis and swiping 15 bags in 16 tries for the Cardinals (a combined 96 percent success rate).
Shortstop, Fernando Tatis, Jr. Padres
Photo by KA Sports Photos
Tatis was signed, by the ChiSox, as a 2015 International Free Agent (Dominican Republic) – and traded to the Padres before he ever took the field as a pro. (He was only 17 at the time.) That might have been an “Oops” moment for the White Sox.
Before the 2019 season opened, Tatis was listed as a top-three prospect by MLB Pipeline; ESPN; Baseball America; and Baseball Prospectus. In four minor league seasons, Tatis hit .280-42-143, with 64 steals (276 games). After his call up to the Padres – AT JUST 20-YEARS-OLD – Tatis raked at a .317-22-53 pace, with 16 steals (84 games) and played plus defense. Tatis did have some competition at this spot, the Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette hit .311-11-21 in 46 games – and set a new MLB record by collecting at least one two-base hit in nine straight games (and he set that record in just his 11th MLB game). Bichette just didn’t have enough games under his belt to unseat Guerrero.
Fernando Tatis, Sr. set the bar high. He is the only player to hit two Grand Slam home runs in one inning (April 23, 1999). Fernando Tatis (The Elder) had an 11-season MLB career (.265-113-448). His best season was 1999, when he hit .307-34-107 for the Cardinals. All of Senior’s marks seem well within Junior’s reach (and then some).
Outfield, Yordan Alvarez, Astros
Alvarez, who defected from Cuba in 2016, was signed by the Dodgers as an International Free Agent that June – and, just two months later, traded to the Astros (for reliever Josh Fields). Then just 19- years-old, Alvarez immediately showed his potential, hitting .341 with the Dominican Summer League Astros in his first pro assignment. In four minor league campaigns, Alvarez hit .311, with 56 home runs and 218 RBI in 250 contests.
After his June 9 call up, the 22-year-old Alvarez: homered in his first two games; homered four times in his first five games; drove in 16 runs in his first 12 games; and drove in 51 runs in his first 45 games. After his first dozen major league games, his stat line was .333-7-16, with 12 runs scored. Alvarez ended the season at .313-27-78 in just 87 games. He’s the cream of the rookie outfield crop.
At the time of 2019 MLB call up, Yordan Alvarez was hitting .343-23-71 with the Pacific Coast League (Triple-A) Round Rock Express (56 games). He also had a solid walks-to-strikeouts ratio (38 walks/50 whiffs).
Outfield, Eloy Jimenez, White Sox
Jimenez was signed in 2013 (out of the Dominican Republic) as an International Free Agent – and traded to the White Sox in July of 2017 – a great power pickup for the ChiSox. In four seasons in the Cubs’ system, Jimenez hit .297, with just 24 home runs and 141 RBI (211) games, but his final season as a Cub farmhand (2016) showed his potential, as the then 19-year-old hit .329-14-81 in 112 games at A-Level South Bend (Midwest League). That potential was not lost on the crosstown White Sox.
As a White Sox farmhand, Jimenez went .312-19-65 in 89 games at A and Double-A in 2017; and .337-22-75 in 108 games at Double- and Triple-A in 2018. In his rookie MLB season, the 22-year-old popped 31 home runs and drove in 79 tallies in 122 games. His average was only .267, but history seems to point to better things to come in that department.
Eloy Jimenez’ 31 home runs led all American League Rookies, as did his 79 RBI.
Outfield, Bryan Reynolds, Pirates
Reynolds was a 2016 second-round draft pick (Giants) out of Vanderbilt; where he hit .329-22-159, with 39 steals over three seasons (206 games). In January 2018, he was included in the trade to the Pirates that brought Andrew McCutchen to San Francisco. In two minor league seasons in the Giants’ system, Reynolds had gone .312-16-101 in 177 games. He kept on hitting in the Pirates’ farm system and earned his way to the big club in 2019 – where the 24-year-old went .314-16-68 in 134 games – and spent much of the season as part of the NL batting race.
Bryan Reynolds started his MLB career with an eleven-game hitting streak. Over the course of the streak, he went 15-for-36 (.417), with six doubles and a home run.
BBRT Note: I’m not selecting a DH – these players are too young to DH (just my opinion). If you want one. however, feel free to choose from Louis Arreaz, Kelvin Newman, Vlad Guerrero, Jr. or Bo Bichette (all mentioned in the position-player text above).
Starting Pitcher, Mike Soroka, Braves
Soroka was drafted by the Braves (out of Bishop Carroll High School) in the first round of the 2015 Amateur Draft. As a 17-year-old, he went 0-2, with a solid 3.18 ERA at the Rookie-League Level. The following year he went 9-9, 3.02 at A-Level. Moving up consistently, 2017 saw Soroka going 1-8, 2.75 at Double-A. In 2018, in a season interrupted by shoulder issues, he went 2-1, 1.76 at A and Triple-A – and earned a late season call up to the Braves (where he went 2-1, 3.51 in five starts).
In 2019, Soroka went 13-4, 2.68 ion 29 starts for the Braves – fanning 142 batters (41 walks) in 174 2/3 innings.
Dakota Hudson deserves a shout out here. The 24-year-old Cardinals’ rookie led all rookie hurlers with 16 wins (seven losses), but his overall numbers (3.35 ERA, six fewer strikeouts and 45 more walks than Soroka in the same number of innings) left him as runner-up.
Rookie Mike Soroka made the 2019 National League All Star Team. He was 9-1, 2.42 at the break.
Relief Pitcher, Nick Anderson, Marlins/Rays
Ah, for BBRT’s Minnesota readers, the choice for rookie reliever played for Brainerd (MN) High School and St. Cloud (MN) State University – before transferring to Mayville State University (ND) for his senior season (in which he went 5-2, 1.95).
Nick Anderson is the oldest (28) and most surprising member of the BBRT All-Rookie Team.
Anderson was selected by the Brewers in the 32nd round of the 2012 MLB draft, but did not sign. Instead, he decided to play in the Independent Leagues. Things did not start out very promising. In two seasons (2012-13) for the Rockford Riverhawks of the Frontier league, he went 6-14, 6.78 as a starter. Then, in 2015, as a reliever with the Frontier League Frontier Greys, he put up a 0.65 ERA over 25 appearance. He signed with the Minnesota Twins in August of 2015 and got in nine games at Cedar Rapids of the A-Level Midwest League, putting up a 0.75 ERA, saving four games and fanning 12 batters (no walks) in 12 innings.
In 2016, he continued to show his stuff – going 4-3, 2.65, with 13 saves and 75 whiffs in 57 2/3 innings at A and High-A. In 2017, Anderson moved up and went 4-1, 1.00, with 57 strikeouts in 54 innings at High-A and Double-A. In 2018, it was another step up – to Triple-A, where he went 8-2, 3.30 with 88 strikeouts in 60 innings.
In November 2018, The Twins traded Anderson to the Marlins (for minor-league infielder Brian Schales), which proved a fortunate transaction for Anderson (the Marlins put him on their 40-man MLB roster and he made the team out of Spring Training). Anderson pitched well for Miami; 2-4, 3.92, with one save in 45 games (69 strikeouts in 43 2.3 innings). However, the best was yet to come. Traded to the Marlins at the July 31 deadline, he went 3-2.11 in 23 appearances for the Wild-Card bound Rays. Now it’s a long way from struggling as a starter in the Independent Leagues to taking the mound in the MLB post-season, but Anderson made the journey. He pitched a scoreless 1 1/3 innings (one hit, four strikeouts) in the AL Wild Card Game and made three appearances in the AL Championship Series (4 1/3 innings, four hits, one run, four K’s).
While pitching for the Rays in their drive for a post-season spot, Nick Anderson fanned 41 batters and walked just two in 21 1/3 innings (2.11 ERA, three wins and no losses).
Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; ESPN.com; MLB.com
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