By: Tobey Schulman
Rookie Of The Year Candidates
Another season and another big year for prospects league wide. While favorites for the Rookie of the Year award like Wyatt Langford and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have emerged, here are some dark horse candidates for the award, some of which still reside in the minor leagues, and look to break the major league roster soon. Included is the consensus betting odds for each player to win the award.
American League
Nolan Schanuel – Los Angeles Angels +1800
The Angels first round pick in last year’s draft has made incredible progress in his career so far. After what seemed like no time in the minors, Schanuel broke into the big league club and impressed. Schanuel’s contact hitting tool is extremely valuable to an Angels team looking to retool after losing Shohei Ohtani. If the Angels want any success in the AL West this season, they’ll need a big campaign from Schanuel, who will certainly put the service time in. If Schanuel can hit at a near .300 clip, there’s no reason he can’t be in contention for the award, and at +1800 odds, there’s great value here for a player who will play the full season.
Ceddanne Rafaela – Boston Red Sox +2500
Ceddanne Rafaela was announced to have broken the big league roster out of Spring Training, and at +2500 odds, he sits as another sleeper pick for the award. Rafaela hit .270 this spring, with a .508 slugging percentage. The Red Sox look to compete in a loaded AL East despite many criticizing the ball club for the roster they put out. Rafaela will need to put together a solid campaign if the Red Sox want to compete, and if they do so expect Rafaela’s name to be in the running for the award.
Austin Wells – New York Yankees +3000
The Yankees new backstop is the last AL sleeper pick for the award. Wells hit .300 in Spring Training and looks to translate that success to his first full big league season. While Wells will split time with Jose Trevino behind the plate, injuries could make him the full-time starter if needed. Regardless, Wells has the talent to put together a campaign that is worthy of the award, and he’ll play a part in the Yankees contending for an AL East title. At +3000 odds, this is a great pick for someone who performed as well as they did in Spring Training.
National League
Paul Skenes – Pittsburgh Pirates +2000
While many believed Paul Skenes would make the Opening Day roster for the Pirates, he was assigned to AAA, where he will start his season in Indianapolis. Skenes has pitched less than ten professional innings, and depending on when he’s brought up, he is without a doubt in play for the award. Once Skenes gets some more innings under his belt, expect him to come up to the majors and make a big impact on the Pirates rotation. If brought up early enough in the season, Skenes should be a major player for this award.
James Wood – Washington Nationals +3000
The Nationals following Spring Training elected not to add James Wood to the Opening Day roster. Wood was assigned to AAA Rochester, and given a good start to the season, could be brought up to the big league club soon. Similar to Skenes, if Wood can get enough games at the big league level, he certainly has all the tools to contend for the award. He hit .364 this spring, alongside a .705 slugging percentage, and a 1.213 OPS in 22 games played. Wood is one of the most underrated prospects in the sport, and at +3000 odds, this is great value if he can get called up early enough.
Masyn Winn – St. Louis Cardinals +3231
The Cardinals new young shortstop was announced to the Opening Day roster despite some struggles offensively. While hitting just .227 in Spring Training, the shortstop should only improve given a full season in the majors. That combined with his fielding and arm gives Winn one of the highest ceilings in the league. If he can put it together at the plate, he should for sure be in the running for the award, and with +3231 odds, the value may be worth the risk for someone playing a full season.