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5. Matt Davidson, Chicago White Sox

Matt Davidson was a top-rated prospect for several years before falling off the radar in recent seasons. So it's surprising that he still has rookie eligibility, much less the numbers he's working on.

Albeit in just 54 plate appearances, Davidson has four home runs and a .946 OPS that ranks third among qualified AL rookie hitters. If he keeps this up, he'll only need more plate appearances to make a serious run at the Rookie of the Year.

4. Yulieski Gurriel, Houston Astros

Yulieski Gurriel was cold out of the gate, hitting just .125 with a .292 OPS through seven games. He's since caught fire, hitting .411 with a 1.038 OPS over his last 15 games.

Overall, Gurriel has now come to the plate 82 times and put up an .835 OPS that's good for fifth among AL rookies. His age (32) will be a deterrent for voters if he stays in the race through the end of the season, but he's at least on track to numbers that would force the issue.

3. Mitch Haniger, Seattle Mariners

The disclaimer here is that it'll be a while before Mitch Haniger is seen again. He's on the disabled list with an oblique strain, and Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports that he could be out three-four weeks. That puts his Rookie of the Year push on ice for now.

Nonetheless, Haniger's numbers are going to loom large for a while. In 21 games, he's hit .342 with a 1.054 OPS. That last number ranks second among AL rookies.

2. Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox

While he hasn't quite been the best rookie hitter in the AL, Andrew Benintendi has been a very good hitter over a large sample size. He's come to the plate 102 times and has hit .333 with an .870 OPS.

These numbers have come from Benintendi living up to his billing as an advanced hitter. He's been one of the best contact hitters in the AL, and has utilized the whole field in the process. His power has been slow to come, but the two homers he hit over the weekend could be the start of him fixing that.

1. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Never mind just AL rookies. Aaron Judge leads all AL hitters with his 1.161 OPS, and his 10 homers are good enough to co-lead the league. That puts the Rookie of the Year race firmly in his pocket for now—and maybe for good.

A strikeout rate that was way too high in 2016 has come down this season, and Judge hasn't had to sacrifice any pop to make that happen. He entered Sunday hitting his batted balls at an average of 94.5 mph, ranking him third among all qualified hitters.

"I've said all along, if he gets the barrel of the bat to the ball, good things are going to happen," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, per Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. "That's what he's done."