The 2018 Yankees have two outstanding rookies in Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar. And with the grade-2 UCL sprain suffered by the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, it opened the door for one of these Bronx youngsters to take the American League Rookie of the Year. So who currently has the edge?

Offensive

Entering play on Monday, Aug. 13, Andujar holds the edge over Torres in batting average, runs batted in, and extra-base hits. Torres has one more home run. Earlier this season, it looked as if Torres was talked about more as being the forerunner in the race, but his production has dipped recently, as he has only hit .230 since the beginning of June.

Andujar, on the other hand, has been much more consistent, at least on the offensive side of the ball. The third baseman has not hit below .264 in any given month this year, and in that month he still hit seven home runs while driving in 20. Below are the two’s batting averages over the course of the season.

Defense

On defense is where Torres has the edge. Both have been below average, but Torres appears to be less bad.

– Fielding Percentage (Main Position) Ultimate Zone Rating Fielding and Positional Adjustment Combined Torres .966 -4.0 -2.8 Andujar .941 -9.2 -8.8

As seen above, Torres leads in a few key defensive metrics, which incorporate many things, including range, errors committed, and how good an infielder is at turning double plays.

Overall, Andujar’s fWAR sits at 1.8 while Torres is at 1.5. Again, both are noted more for their offensive prowess rather than their defense, and that is typically what tends to be weighted more in the voting for Rookie of the Year.

Torres was the more hyped prospect and certainly has performed well as a whole and is projected to be a perennial All-Star. However, Andujar has been more consistent with the bat this year, and thus gets the nod at the moment for the leader of the pack in the race for the American League Rookie of the Year.