According to MLB Pipeline, three of the top five prospects, Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals, Julio Rodrguez of the Mariners, and Spencer Torkelson of the Tigers, made their Opening Day rosters. The Top 100 has been rearranged since then, but we’ve also seen Adley Rutschman join the Orioles. The competition for MLB Rookie of the Year is going to be close, but we’ve got you covered.
This year has seen some rookies emerging as future stars, as well as some of the top prospects having a slow start. It’s always tough to get an idea of the future Rookie of the Year due to these kids being so young, but some have shown true promise.
Below, we will have a breakdown of each player. The odds are coming from BetUS. Most Vegas betting sites have Jeremy Pena as the clear favorite in the American League.
| Players |  |
|---|---|
| Seiya Suzuki | +100 |
| Mackenzie Gore | +400 |
| Alek Thomas | +700 |
| Jeremy Pena | +225 |
| Julio Rodriguez | +325 |
| Joe Ryan | +600 |
| Bobby Witt Jr | +700 |
| Adley Rustschman | +1000 |
| Spencer Torkelson | +1400 |
Julio Rodriguez +325
Rodrguez is gaining ground following a shaky start to the season. The figures we saw in April didn’t reflect the actual nature of Rodrguez’s talent. He slashed.206/.284/.260 with zero home runs, six RBIs, and 30 strikeouts in 20 games and 73 at-bats that month. He did have nine stolen bases, which was more than 11 different teams combined. The arrival of May seemed to have worked miracles, and now the true Rodrguez has surfaced.
Rodrguez had a.315/.351/.522 batting line in May, with five home runs, 14 RBIs, and four stolen bases.
Adley Rutschman +1000
The long-awaited top prospect has finally made his Major League Baseball debut, and he appears to be every bit as terrific as many had hoped.
He made an immediate impression, hitting his first Major League triple. Rutschman is a well-rounded switch-hitter who also performs admirably at the plate. Beginning in 2019, he ripped through the Orioles’ Minor League system, never staying at one level for long. In 2021, he played 80 games in Double-A, which was his longest stint at any level. He hit.271/.392/.508 there, with 18 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 61 runs batted in.
Spencer Torkelson +1000
With a strikeout rate of 29.8% and a batting average of.179, the Tigers’ first baseman is dangerously close to the bottom 10 among rookies with enough at-bats to qualify. Few rookies, however, have as much strength, as seen by a raw power grade of 70.
Torkelson’s differential is the tenth highest in the world (0.053). His progress might be explosive, especially given his high walk rate.
Jeremy Pena +225
Replacing a multi-time All-Star at shortstop is no easy chore, but Pea has done an excellent job in Houston as Carlos Correa’s heir. The 24-year-old has shown a diverse set of skills, hitting.293 with seven home runs and an.851 OPS while also ranking at the top in sprint speed and outs above average.
Joe Ryan +600
In the early going, Ryan has shown to be their ace. Ryan, who was acquired from the Rays in the transaction that brought Nelson Cruz from Minnesota to St. Petersburg in July, has a 2.28 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a 42-to-14 K/BB ratio in 43 1/3 innings for a Minnesota team attempting to move from last to first place in the AL Central.
Bobby Witt Jr +700
Witt was named to his team’s season-opening roster and was surrounded by a lot of hype when he made his debut on Opening Day, only to have a poor start. Witt, on the other hand, has started to improve at the plate, with eight extra-base hits (four homers) in his last 12 games. With his wheels, he has also turned heads, leading all players with an average sprint speed of 30.4 ft/sec.
The best bet for the 2022 Rookie of the Year in the MLB for both the American and National League is a tough choice.
Jeremy Pena has had an incredible start to the season and is worthy of getting money placed on him. Alek Thomas is getting great odds and with him potentially getting a ton of playing time with the Arizona Diamondbacks, he’s going to be the pick for the National League.
