Awards season is upon us this MLB offseason. Just last week, we saw the Washington Nationals be crowned World Series champions, but now it’s time for the individual awards. All finalists for Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards for both the American and National League have been announced and will be revealed beginning November 11th. Now it’s time for the End of the Bench’s predictions for each award. Here, we are going to look at the Rookie of the Year award in the National League.
NL Rookie of the Year:
Pete Alonso, NYM
Mike Soroka, ATL
Fernando Tatis Jr., SD
In what expects to be the only unanimous award decision this year, the Mets seem to have found their next superstar slugger in Pete Alonso. In a historic rookie season, Alonso clobbered 53 home runs, breaking the all-time rookie record previously set by his cross-town rival, Aaron Judge, in 2017. He also led all NL rookies in RBIs with 120; finished second in doubles with 30 while posting a .941 OPS. Alonso also finished second behind Degrom among the New York Mets with a 5.0 WAR. Contrary to what New York radio makes you believe; the Polar Bear was not the only star rookie in the NL East. Soroka led the Braves staff to a division title with a 2.68 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 1.111 WHIP, and allowed a mere 14 home runs in 29 starts amounting to 174.2 innings. If he can continue to impress with numbers like that for years to come, then Atlanta now has their new star ace in the 21-year-old Soroka. Now, to the man many expected to finish at the top of the NL rookie class, Fernando Tatis Jr. did not disappoint. Although only appearing in just 84 games before being shut down with a back injury, Tatis batted .317 with 22 home runs, .379 OBP,.590 SLG and a wRC+ of 150. He is a very important piece of that San Diego roster that will hopefully be able to take on the Dodgers in a tough NL West.
In any other year, Soroka would have been a hands down winner, but he had to go against Alonso and Tatis all season long. Had Tatis stayed healthy down the stretch, this could have been an even closer decision; however, Alonso continued to murder the ball day in and day out. It seems like this one has only one true outcome.
Winner: Pete Alonso, NYM
