As far as we are concerned, Rookie of the Year qualifications will be a tad strange this year. It's been loosely agreed upon that the award will be given only to players signed after the All-Star break for this season, considering more players are technical rookies than not. It gives chances for late-arrivals to strive for greatness, to reach for prestige. In this article, we will explore the opening games of some very promising careers, and try to predict who the game's next stars will be heading into 2018-19.



Hes Nahstee - Pittsburgh Pirates

Despite my constant internal pronunciation of his last name as 'Nazi,' the Pittsburgh rookie is authoritarian in only one way: getting sick hits. The Pirate already has more hits than a lot of full-seasoners. He has one more hit in 7 ABs than Sam Smith of the Baltimore Orioles has in 22.

Nahstee is seen as a clear favorite for the Rookie of the Year award, though he is perhaps the most tried and true of the others. It has only been 5 sessions of eligibility, after all. Nahstee has gone 0-for-2 in Session 14, as well, and is not starting Session 15. It should give other players time to catch up.

John Bumbus - Colorado Rockies

Talk about a debut. John Bumbus became John Bombus as he hit a 1-difference home run in his first plate appearance in Session 13. It didn't get much coverage, but it helped jumpstart a victory against the Montreal Expos in a very crucial game towards Colorado's playoff hopes. He would get two hits that day and follow it up with another hit and run scored in his next appearance. As far as pure numbers are concerned, Bumbus is looking to be a favorite to snag the RoY trophy away from Nahstee.

Time will tell, something something Coors.

Ian Pritchard - Cleveland Indians

Ian Pritchard's name is way too unknown right now. The Session 10 signee is currently 3-for-6 for his club with an RBI and run scored. It makes it criminal that he's been left off the lineup two sessions in a row now. I do hope he gets more ABs, because a few more hits could zip him above in the race, especially if he helps the Indians rocket towards the postseason.

Joel Embiid - Philadelphia Phillies

It was a serendipitous debut for the Philadelphia rookie. He pitched the majority of the Phillies shutout against the offensively-electric Pirates, pitching 3.0 innings with only one hit to show for it. Obviously he will need some more innings to boost his chances, but this is as good of a debut as they come. The next few sessions are crucial for Embiid as the Phillies push for a wildcard spot.

Literally Anyone Else - All Teams

The great thing about the Rookie of the Year is that it thrives on small sample sizes. It's okay if you haven't been grinding at this league for 6 months. The little guys have a stepping stone to look forward to, something they can get excited about without getting left out for late signups. This isn't a final, this Rookie of the Year format, but I think it very well should be. It gives us a reason to watch the fledgling careers of some of these young players, to see who could be in the MVP running next season. We've mastered the art of suggesting and running experiments, let's start putting some of these experiments into practice.

I'll take baby steps. First the Founder's Trophy (will explain in the future), then this, then we'll finally name that damn award after Cy Hadd.

Until next time.