Predictions for AL/NL Rookie of the Year Awards

Awaking to a world without baseball was difficult to cope with this morning.

The San Francisco Giants finished off the Detroit Tigers in extra innings last night to claim a World Series sweep over their opponent. Sadly, we must now prepare for a cold winter without the sport we love.

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There are however still a handful of awards to hand out. Let’s put aside Obama vs. Romney and discuss the elections that really matter. Regular Season award winners.

On Monday November 12 the Jackie Robinson Rookies of the Year for the AL and NL will be selected by the BBWAA. Here are the players who would receive my vote.

NL: Todd Frazier

The competition for this award in the National League is exciting for me. There are three players who in my opinion have their set of reasons for why they deserve the award.

Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds, Wade Miley of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals.

The Reds had an outstanding pitching staff this season. However, a couple of the bigger bats in their lineup missed significant time. Thankfully, the production was consistent because of Frazier.

When Scott Rolen went down, Frazier played third base. When Joey Votto went down, Frazier moved to first and continued his success without missing a beat.

Frazier had a .273 average with 19 home runs and 67 RBI’s. Granted those aren’t Votto numbers, but I believe he played a quality role in leading the Reds to a playoff spot. For that, he gets my vote.

Both Harper and Miley had excellent seasons. Miley lead all NL rookies with 16 wins and an ERA at 3.33 and that gives me a lot of confidence for the lefty out in Arizona to have success in the future.

It’s no secret I am a huge fan of Harper. He is an outstanding talent and should he avoid serious injury he will have plenty of time to collect awards in the future. He has an amazing work ethic and never takes a play off. I’d bet money that Pete Rose enjoys watching him play.

AL: Mike Trout

If you follow me on Twitter (Shameless plug: @BrandonWheeland) then you know how I feel about Mike Trout. This guy should not only win the ROY but the MVP as well.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have a player to be ecstatic about to say the least. He does it all. Robbing home runs, hitting home runs, hitting for average, stealing bases and somehow still finds time to sleep and eat food.

A .326 average, 30 HR’s, 83 RBI’s, 27 2B’s, 8 3B’s, 49 SB’s, an All-Star appearance and a spark plug for a team that just couldn’t handle the stretch run when it mattered.

Anyone who doesn’t vote Mike Trout as the Rookie of the Year in the American League should have their voting rights taken away. There is no point in discussing who else could even have a shot at winning the award.