As MLB fans await the announcement of the Rookie of the year award, there are only two candidates that are deserving of the American League side. Kyle Lewis looks to be on the verge of winning the award himself.
The Seattle Mariners have already received good news this week in terms of the Rawlings Gold Glove award announcements. Unfortunately, Lewis was not in the mix but his young teammates JP Crawford and Evan White. Both of those two won Gold Glove Awards at their positions.
But Kyle Lewis is deserving of the MLB American League Rookie of the Year. Here’s why:
Awards
Throughout the year he was a rookie sensation for the Seattle Mariners as their clean-up hitter. But, he won Rookie of the week and month on several occasions. Recently he has been named the 2020 AL Outstanding Rookie by Players Choice awards, as well as the American League Rookie of the Year by Baseball Digest. In the NL, it was Jake Cronenworth of the San Diego Padres.
STATS
When you take a look at the stats its not really close between Lewis and the other two finalists, Luis Robert and Christian Javier.
Lewis: 58 games, .262 Batting Average, .364 On-Base Percentage, .437 Slugging percentage, 3 Doubles, 11 Homeruns, 28 RBI’s, 5 Stolen Bases, and a 1.4 WAR
Robert: 56 games, .233 Batting Average, .302 OBP, .436 SLG, 8 doubles, 11 Homeruns, 31 RBI’s, 9 Stolen Bases, and a 1.6 WAR
Javier: 12 games, 10 games started, 54.1 Innings, a 3.42 ERA, 54 strikeouts and 11 walks
After taking another look at the stats again, it might come down to Luis Robert and Kyle Lewis. Although the latter also has a better track record considering this was not his first rodeo, Lewis actually made his MLB debut back in 2019 where he finished with a .268 BA, .293 OBP, .592 SLG, 5 doubles, 6 home runs, and 13 RBI’s in 18 games.
TEAM RECORDS
Although the Houston Astros (29-33) and Chicago White Sox (35-25) made the playoffs, the Mariners were never projected to be close to the playoffs. Though, the Mariners finished with a record of 27-33 in 2020, two games out of a wild card spot. They were led by Lewis’ energy the entire season, and for some parts during the season, he was the only hot bat in the lineup.
So Lewis has the upper hand heading into the announcement which will happen on Monday November 9th, 2020. Stay Tuned for that!
