Dewey’s House 2009 Regular Season Awards (Part IV)
2009 American League Best Rookie:
Elvis Andrus, SS, Texas
Silver: Brett Anderson, P, Oakland
Bronze: Jeff Niemann, P, Tampa Bay
Andrus was one of the big surprises of 2009. Most sensible people questioned the decision to jump him from Double-A to the majors at age 20, but the move seemed to work out, and nearly helped Texas grab a playoff spot. He wins this award based mostly on the 8.5 UZR/150 he managed while starting at shortstop for the Rangers for the majority of the season. He’s also an excellent base runner, and while he may never develop into the type of guy you want hitting at the top of a lineup, he’s proven that he can at least hang with the big boys at the plate.
Anderson and Niemann are among a very solid rookie class of pitchers in the American League, a group that includes Rick “Ultimate Douchebag” Porcello, Trevor Cahill, Ricky Romero, and Boston’s own Daniel Bard. I’m ranking Anderson above the rest due to his impressive peripherals (8 K/9, 2 BB/9, 50% GB rate).
2009 National League Best Rookie:
J.A. Happ, P, Philadelphia
Silver: Randy Wells, P, Chicago
Bronze: Chris Coghlan, LF, Florida
I’ll come out and say it here: I think Happ has enjoyed a bit of a fluke season. He’s not a ground ball pitcher, and his 87 MPH fastball isn’t much more lively than Nick Green’s. His minor league track record is decent, but nothing that would indicate he would have the fifth highest ERA+ in the league during his first full season. Regardless of how he did it, the guy prevented the other team from scoring runs on a regular basis, and as a result, the Phillies have won their third straight NL East championship.
Randy Wells is the right-handed counterpart to Happ. A 26-year-old rookie with a sub 90 MPH fastball who managed to surprise everyone in his first full MLB campaign. The one main difference between the two (aside from the whole left-right thing) is that Wells is a ground ball pitcher, whereas Happ is not. I’m going to predict that neither of the two pitchers above will win more than 100 games over the course of their respective careers.
Coghlan had a very good year at the plate, but that .318/.387/.454 line is a little less impressive when it comes from a left fielder as opposed to a second baseman. Still he’s giving the Marlins fans (both of them) a reason to keep hope alive for next season.
NEXT: Previewing Sox vs. Halos
Baseballbriefs.com tracking back Dewey’s House 2009 Regular Season Awards (Part IV)…
Baseballbriefs.com tracking back Dewey’s House 2009 Regular Season Awards (Part IV)…
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