American League Rookie of the Year: Andrew Benintendi, outfielder, Boston Red Sox
Entering the year, this would seem to come down to Benintendi and Yoan Moncada, now in the Chicago White Sox organization.
Moncada got a brief MLB cameo in 2016 and struggled. Seeing his struggles made it a lot easier for Boston to move him to Chicago in the Chris Sale deal.
Benintendi showed significantly more polish in his cameo. In 118 at-bats, he slashed at .295/.359/.476, hit two home runs and played great defense.
In addition to not looking as polished in 2016, Moncada doesn’t have as many exterior positives as Benintendi does heading into 2017.
The White Sox have a good lineup, but who really knows how Moncada is going to fit into it? Given that Chicago isn’t expected to contend in 2017, the South Siders may well wait to call Moncada up as a way to buy more years of contract control.
That’s not a concern with the Red Sox. Boston is expected to contend, and as such it can’t really be cute with Benintendi. Contending teams need to have their best lineup on the field all season, and for Boston that includes Benintendi.
Additionally, even with the loss of David Ortiz, the Red Sox lineup is loaded. That will help him put up monster numbers. Look for him to score around 100 runs and if he bats in the right position, maybe drive in 100, as well.
Even if you’re not a fan of old school stats like that, know that the voters are. Also, know that if he’s putting up numbers like that, chances are that Benintendi’s new-wave stats will follow.
With all of that in mind, it’s hard to like anyone else for this award.