A week of awards begins today with the top rookies in the American League and National League to be honored.
In the AL, Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias will try to beat out two finalists from the Rays: pitcher Chris Archer and outfielder Wil Myers.
It looks like Iglesias will have his hands full.
Iglesias hit .303 in 350 at-bats this season. he added three home runs, 29 RBIs and five stolen bases. A very good rookie season, but not ROY stuff.
The choice will come down to Myers or Archer.
Archer went 9-7 with a 3.22 ERA. He struck out 101 in 128.2 innings.
Myers, who joined Tampa in mid-June, hit .293 in 335 at-bats. He smacked 13 homers and drove in 53.
The winner should be Myers.
And an outfielder should prevail in the National League, too.
The Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig should be the choice over Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez and Cardinals starter Shelby Miller.
In 382 at-bats, Puig hit .313 with 19 homers, 42 RBIs and 11 steals. He was the sparkplug that brought the Dodgers out of their early season funk.
You can’t go wrong with the other finalists, either.
Miller went 15-9 for the NL champs. He had a 3.06 ERA. He struck out 169 in 173.1 innings.
Fernandez went 12-6 with a 2.16 ERA and an 0.98 WHIP playing for the lowly Marlins. He struck out 187 in 172.2 innings.
– Rick Green
