{democracy:23}

Another day, another poll. Today we’re looking at the American League Rookie of the Year, an award I haven’t talked too much about in this space. My preseason pick was Royals third baseman Alex Gordon, and although he finished with respectable numbers, he’s not my choice.
Neither is Tampa Bay’s Delmon Young. I expect him to win the award because of his big RBI numbers, but I’d go with Boston’s Dustin Pedroia. In addition to outhitting Young this year, Pedroia also plays second base.
Beyond Pedroia, you could make a decent case for Baltimore right-hander Jeremy Guthrie, although the fact that he …read more

I was thinking about which players have been among the biggest surprises so far in 2007. There are plenty of names to choose from, but two that really stand out to me are the Tigers’ Magglio Ordonez and the Royals’ Alex Gordon.
Among all MLB qualifying batters, Ordonez has the highest OPS, while Gordon checks in at #185. Only Jason “I Really Need to Find a New Career” Kendall has a lower OPS (438).
Not to pick on any one system, but Ordonez and Gordon provide an excellent illustration of why “projection” is just a fancy word for “guess”:

Magglio Ordonez and Alex …read more

The thing about most “rookies” is that they aren’t being paid like all-stars or playing in an insane sports market. Sure, a guy like Alex Gordon faces a little pressure from hype, but he’s in Kansas City and there isn’t a contingent of foreign media following his every move.
Boston Red Sox right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka struggled again on Thursday night against the Mariners. The problem? According to manager Terry Francona, it’s a matter of command:
They didn’t knock him all over the ballpark. It goes down for me to command. When he commands, he will go very deep into a game. And …read more