Photo of Braves OF Jason Heyward by Icon SMI

This year the BBA has renamed their awards as advised by the BBWAA, so the best NL  rookie for 2010 is named after Hall of Famer Willie Mays (not Hayes). As a warning, please note that defensive ability did not play a part in this decision like I would have liked it to. Therefore, this is based solely on offensive ability (sorry Buster) when analyzing runs, total bases, runs batted in, stolen bases less caught stealing, intentional walks, batting average and on base percentage minus strikeouts.

What hurt Posey (and to a lesser extent Walker) was his late call up. Hayward and Sanchez had over 30 and 40 more games played than he did. What also did him in was a lack of stolen bases although his play behind the plate should really bring him closer to 2^nd place. Either way, Heyward wins hands down.

Also of note: I did not, for better or for worse, include a rookie pitcher in this list although Garcia of the Cardinals could have gotten a fourth or fifth place standing in my book.

The Goose Gossage Award

Photo of Braves Closer Billy Wagner by Icon SMI

This BBA award is something special as we (the BBA) received the permission to use the name of Hall of Famer (Rich) Goose Gossage  for the best late inning reliever award (I took into account non-closers with the inclusion of the unofficial Hold stat which I think is more telling of a clutch performance than the save). For this award I analyzed the following stats: saves plus holds minus blown saves (do they have a stat for blown holds yet…that might be a hole in this analysis, I admit), earned run average minus SIERA (a new Baseball Prospectus stat) plus walks/hits per innings pitched (WHIP), plus strikeouts, less wild pitches and balks, wins minus losses, minus home runs allowed.

Although Wagner didn’t have the most saves(37), he made up for it with a win differential of 5 and lows in ERA, SIERA and WHIP (0.87) and high strikeout total (104, second only to Marmol out of this bunch). What hurt Marmol was his a win differential of -1 to go along with higher ERA (2.55) and WHIP (1.18) even though he gave up fewer HRs. Wilson, like Marmol, also had a higher WHIP (1.18) and lower strikeouts (only 98), but had more saves (48). He also gave up 3 HRs had a SIERA of 2.72 while earning 3 wins and 3 losses.

*denotes Honorable Mentions

Editor’s Note: No, I am not a Braves fan!

Position Players

1. Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds, 1B

There isn’t really a better way to stay out of the national media than to play for the Reds, and because Votto was held up in south west Ohio for the season, not many were privy to his performance. Votto led all National League rookies in at bats, hits, homeruns, batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. He was also second in RBI. The Reds have a good core of young talent on their team and with players like Votto in the fold; they may garner some attention in the coming years.

2. Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs, C

Many more people have heard of Soto and the player to follow more because of the team they play for than their performance. This is not to discount Soto’s .285 batting average, 86 RBI or 23 homeruns, but it is to say he did not have as good of a season as did Votto. He also played for a team with other hitters, so many would argue, this took some pressure off of him to produce thus letting him relax and produce as he was used to.

3. Kosuke Fukudome, Chicago Cubs, RF

Some how, Fukudome became probably the most well known rookie in the National League during this year. Some would say it’s because of his odd name and others would argue, the reason is that he plays for the Cubs, but the fact is that his .257 average with 10 homeruns just wasn’t enough to compete with Votto or Soto.

Pitchers

1. Jair Jurrjens, Atlanta Braves

Jurrjens is yet another player to go under the radar this season even though he won 13 games with a very respectable 3.68 ERA. He also led all rookies with 139 strikeouts and 188.1 innings pitched. Jurrjens is one of the players who may be able to help the Braves get back to their 1990s form that their fans are starving for and as it did then, it will without a doubt start with pitching.

2. Kiroki Kuroda, Los Angeles Dodgers

After Jurrjens, the competition drops off a bit. This is not to say that these players aren’t good, or going to be good, but it is to say that they just could not win enough games no matter who their team was. Kuroda finished with a 9-10 record and a 3.73 ERA to go along with 116 strikeouts in 183.1 innings. All numbers that any team would take from a rookie pitcher. They just can’t compare to Jurrjens’.

3. John Lannen, Washington Nationals

Lannen had a tough draw pitching for the Nationals who would have had trouble winning games with Nolan Ryan on the hill. His 9-15 record is a bit misleading when considering his 3.91 ERA. He also tallied 117 strikeouts in 182 innings and allowed just 172 hits. If the Nationals would have been able to produce anything on offense, Lannen may be higher in this discussion.

Overall Winner:

Jair Jurrjens, Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves Rookie Starter Jair Jurrjens

Jurrjens gets the slight edge because he tallied 13 wins as a rookie on a team with a meeker offense. Putting up a 3.68 ERA is something any manager would be happy with for an entire season from a rookie. There is no doubt that Jurrjens produced more than many thought this year and if the Braves can produce a few more pitchers in his mold, they could be back to form once again.

Position Players

1. Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays, 3B

Longoria was first among rookies in homeruns and RBI and third in batting average. He played solid in the field, especially for a rookie, and was one of the driving forces in getting one of the historically worst franchises to the post season for the first time. The Rays were so impressed by his performance that he was handed a contract extension after only being in the big leagues for a few months. He also posted big numbers in other categories as he was first among rookies in doubles, on base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS, while he was second in walks.

2. Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox, 2B

Some how, Ramirez was able to fly under the radar for most of the season because he plays for that other team in Chicago. Ramirez led all rookies with a .290 batting average and was second in both homeruns and RBI. He showed good range in the field at second base and provided the Sox with some much needed youth.

3. Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston Red Sox, CF

Unlike Ramirez, Ellsbury has been a household name for about a year already because of his play in the post season last year. Still considered a rookie because it was his first full season, Ellsbury did put up good numbers and was second with a .280 batting average. In the end, he just didn’t have the all around stats to win the award even though he had 74 more at bats than any other rookie.

Pitchers

1. Armando Galarraga, Detroit Tigers

Galarraga was one of the few bright spots on a Tigers team that struggled most of the season despite their huge payroll. The right hander had a strong rookie campaign, leading AL rookies in ERA, wins, fewest hits allowed, fewest runs allowed and strikeouts.

2. Nick Blackburn, Minnesota Twins

Blackburn was so good during the season, that many thought the Twins were going to be able to rely on him in the post season. He had a 4.05 ERA compared to Galarraga’s 3.73. He also had two fewer wins and four more losses than the Tiger.

3. Greg Smith, Oakland Athletics

Leave it to the Athletics to have yet another young pitcher in the fold. Smith was impressive throughout the season in his 32 starts although his record (7-16) doesn’t really illustrate that. He had a respectable 4.16 ERA and struck out 111.

Overall Winner:

Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay Rays Rookie 3B Evan Longoria

Longoria’s performance this season was just flat out more impressive than any other rookie in the American league. It’s hard to imagine seeing the Rays as a team that goes to the post season year after year, but having Longoria on their roster puts them much closer to that feat.