This week, we take a closer look at the league's top
candidates for the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year
Award from the infield positions. Last week we
focused on pitchers,
and next week will look at outfielders and catchers.
Middle Infielders: Let's Turn Two! Homer Bush
Unlike my incredible numbers as a rookie two years
ago, no freshman really stands out in the class of
middle infielders, but there are several young guns
who will be the stars of tomorrow.
Vancouver's Jimmy Rollins leads rookie middle
infielders in ABs (398), hits (98), runs (48), RBIs
(39) and stolen bases (14). The second-round draft
pick (27th overall) is second in OPS (.663), HRs (5)
and triples (9), and rates defensively among the top
shortstops in the league... Second baseman Alfonso
Soriano, Stanhope's first-round draft pick (9th
overall), leads rookie middle infielders in home runs
(9), doubles (27), slugging percentage (.418) and OPS
(.720), ranks second in stolen bases (11), hits (97)
and runs scored (43), and third in batting average
(.258) and RBIs (35)... The league's youngest rookie
batter, 21-year-old Juan Uribe (.243, .656
OPS), leads the DMBL in triples (13) to go along with
his 20 doubles and 36 RBIs, both second-best among
rookie middle infielders... Arkansas's David
Eckstein is hitting .264, tops among rookie middle
infielders, and also leads all rookies and is second
in the DMBL with 17 HBP, to go along with 36 R, 27 RBI
and 5 SB... Tijuana's D'Angelo Jimenez (.263,
.660 OPS) leads rookies in OBP (.338) to go along with
his 17 doubles, 34 runs and 31 RBIs; teammate Luis
Rivas (.217, .647 OPS) has just 46 ABs off the
bench, with 1 HR and 6 R.
The league's oldest rookie batter, 34-year-old Mike
"Crash" Mordecai, finally made his first
appearance in the show this season, getting two weeks
with Tijuana while Edgar Renteria was on the
disabled list. The veteran of 15 minor league seasons
went just 2-for-15 (.133) but did slam his first
big-league home run, a two-run shot off Bruce
Chen March 18. He turned down an offer to return
to Triple-A and will likely retire if he doesn't get
another shot at a major league roster. "He'll make a
fine minor league manager some day," said Lexington
Yokels manager Skip Riggins.
Homer Bush won the Listach Award as Vancouver's
second baseman in 2000, leading the league with a .349
batting average with 221 hits, 38 doubles, 112 runs
and 56 stolen bases. But after getting caught in bed
with the general manager's girlfriend, Bush was
released and spent most of last season with Carolina's
Triple-A team. The Mudcats gave up on Bush after he
hit .257 with 1 HR and 7 SB in 97 games this season.
He's now an analyst with Zane Smith's This Week in
Baseball.
Corner Infielders: Pulling for Pujols Paul Sorrento
If you're searching for the league's top rookie first
baseman, set your sights on Philadelphia's Albert
Pujols. If you're talking about the league's top
rookie third baseman, the discussion ends with
Albert Pujols. And by now you also know where
to look for the league's top rookie outfielder,
designated hitter and hot dog vendor. The first pick
of the 2002 draft hasn't disappointed anyone, hitting
.321 with a .993 OPS, slamming 26 HR, 76 R and 80 RBI.
He leads rookies in every category except at-bats
(he's 2nd), hits (2nd), triples (tied for 3rd) and
stolen bases (he has none). He leads all rookies in
every other offensive category! Among league leaders,
Pujols ranks 5th in hits and and in the top 10 in
batting average, slugging percentage, runs, RBIs,
extra base hits, runs created, total bases and OPS.
The sky is the limit for this 22 year old.
There certainly won't be any competition for Albert
from the ranks of the league's other cornermen, a
motley crew of utility guys and bench warmers, none
with much more than a third of Pujol's playing time.
Stanhope's Russell Branyan has slammed 7
doubles and 8 homers for 18 runs and 21 RBIs in 50
games, a respectable .463 slugging percentage, but
he's hitting just .201 (27 for 134) with 68 Ks, a pace
that would challenge Rob Deer's record 357
whiffs in 1993... Columbia utility man Jose
Macias is hitting .223 (29 for 130) with an empty
.617 OPS, while Stanhope's Jolbert Cabrera, is
hitting just .217 (.512 OPS) in 157 ABs, without a
home run or a stolen base this season... Not enough
PT: 32-year-old Bandito Shane Halter is hitting
.250 (18 for 72) with 4 HRs and 15 RBIs for a .780 OPS
in 40 games, while Arkansas's Randall Simon is
hitting .314 (16 for 51) with 6 runs and 6 RBIs for a
.732 OPS in 35 games. Newark's Shea
Hillenbrand, hitting .306 with 10 HRs for Triple-A
Dublin, has yet to make his big league debut.
As a rookie with the Vancouver Iron Fist in 1993,
Paul Sorrento would slam 25 HRs and drive in 93 RBIs,
but then missed the entire 1994 season after blowing
out his knee in spring training. He would have just
514 more big-league at-bats over the next five years,
retiring in 1998 after hitting .230 for the Honolulu
Sharks. He's now a lifeguard in Panama City,
Florida.
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