A few days back I took a look at the performance this year of breakout rookies Yu Darvish, Mike Trout, and Bryce Harper. I'll finish up this 2-part series with a couple lesser-known rookies, yet ones that are not to be overlooked:
Yoenis Cespedes.
The Cuban defector known for his big bat and his penchant for whiffs really had wide ranging expectations when he signed with the Oakland Athletics in the offseason. His power was never in question; his overall performance was a wild card. So far he has been a staple in the resurgent A's season.
Stats:
GP: 114
AVG: .291
SLG: .491
OBP: .355
HR: 19
SB: 16
WAR: 2.1
Analysis: Well...for being a massive wild card going into the season, he has been a very pleasant surprise for the A's. His AVG is a surprise too; most critics said he was too strikeout-prone to put up very high averages--especially one that is pushing .300. He has been in and out some due to injury, but when he has been in he's killed it. Will he be worth the large sum of money the A's paid for him come 3 years from now? If this season has any indication of future performance...heck yes. Big time hitter.
Matt Moore.
Moore is the most heralded SP since someone by the name of "Strasburg". Known for his ability to punch out hitters at a startling rate and with a fantastic performance in last year's playoffs vs. the potent Texas Rangers, his stock couldn't have been any higher going into this year. The Rays rewarded his potential with a sizeable long-term contract early this year as they have done with several of their young stars.
Stats:
GS: 29
W/L: 10-11
ERA: 3.88
WHIP: 1.36
K: 169
WAR: 0.8
K/9: 8.98
Analysis: Plain and simple, this was not the season we thought he'd have. Yes, the strikeouts are there but maybe not quite even up to what we thought he'd get (barely a K an inning) and he just flat hasn't shut down teams as expected. Given he has shown flashes of greatness, but the consistency is not there. Even recently he's struggled (0-4, 5.61 ERA in the last month) so its not like he's been getting better or even showing improvement against big league hitters. At this point only time will tell if he will become the pitcher everyone thought he'd be, and what the Rays need him to be if they want to continue to compete with the AL East powerhouses.
Wade Miley.
Honestly I really didn't know too much about Miley before May or so. He didn't come in with much fanfare, even wasn't the most talked-about rookie pitcher in the Diamondback's camp. He came out with a starting job, though, and has put together a more than solid rookie campaign; out-pitching teammate Ian Kennedy--one of last year's top Cy Young candidates.
Stats:
GS: 26
W/L: 15-10
ERA: 3.10
WHIP: 1.16
K: 127
WAR: 3.8
K/9: 6.30
Analysis: Solid, if not spectacular opening act for the DBacks' young lefty. He's been consistently good throughout the season for a team that underachieved for a good part of the season, enough so that a team that was projected to win the NL West is probably going to miss the playoffs entirely. It's definitely not Miley's fault. Not dominant, just consistent. He came in as a distant number two behind Ian Kennedy and has been the ace of the staff since day 1. His teammate for a few weeks and rookie phenom Trevor Bauer was the sexy pick to steal the show-but it's been Miley that's been the pleasant surprise for an underachieving team.
And that's all I got.
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