MLB Rookie of the Year races: Did Yankees' Gary Sanchez do enough to win?

Baseball’s rookies of the year will be announced Monday and, while a runaway is expected in the National League, signs point to a close contest in the American League. USA TODAY Sports examines the top candidates and likely winners.

American League

The case for Michael Fulmer: The Detroit Tigers right-hander made his strongest push for the award with a brilliant 10-start spell from May 21 to July 17. In that stretch, Fulmer went 7-1 with an 0.83 ERA, allowing a mere 34 hits in 651/3 innings. Most important, the Tigers won nine of those games.

Fulmer, 23, cooled down after that, but his presence was a stabilizing force for a club that lost Jordan Zimmermann to injuries for the better part of two months. Fulmer completed at least six innings in 15 of his 26 starts, and his 159 total innings and 132 strikeouts ranked first among AL rookies.

Fulmer finished with an 11-7 record and a 3.06 ERA that would have been third best in the league if he had qualified for the ERA title. He fell three innings short.

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The case for Gary Sanchez: The New York Yankees slugging catcher didn’t come up for good until Aug. 3, but then he took off in stunning fashion. Sanchez, 23, became the second player to reach the 20-homer mark in his first 51 career games, and was twice named player of the week in his first month.

Sanchez’s hitting exploits, including an eye-popping .657 slugging percentage, powered the Yankees’ late push for a playoff spot even after they had traded some key veterans. He wasn’t just an offensive force. Sanchez displayed a strong throwing arm and logged 6.7 Defensive Runs Saved despite starting only 36 games behind the plate.

The case for Tyler Naquin: The shoulder woes that sidelined Cleveland Indians star Michael Brantley for most of the season created a huge void in the outfield and the lineup. The energetic Naquin helped fill it with a highly productive debut season that featured a .296 batting average, .886 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and 14 homers.

The lefty-swinging Naquin, 25, started mostly against right-handers and enjoyed a terrific first half (.314 average, .965 OPS) as Cleveland assumed command of first place in the AL Central and did not let go.

History lesson: Sanchez’s candidacy calls to mind Willie McCovey’s splashy debut in 1959, when he won NL rookie of the year honors despite playing in 52 games (one less than Sanchez). McCovey’s 13 homers, .354 batting average and .656 slugging percentage earned him the nod unanimously.

Consensus: Sanchez’s impact was more immediate and spectacular. Fulmer’s was more extensive, and that factor might get him the award. Fulmer joined the Tigers on April 29 after starting the season in the minors and remained a fixture in the rotation the rest of the way, finishing second on the club in innings pitched and providing a solid complement to staff ace Justin Verlander. The Tigers would not have been in the race until the last weekend of the season without him.

National League

The case for Corey Seager: The Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop is one of the top three finalists for the MVP award. Enough said.

Seager was a study in consistency, batting at least .295 in each of the final five months of the season on the way to a final slash line of .308/.365/.512 (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage), with 26 homers and 72 RBI. His 193 hits were the second highest total in the league. Whether measured by traditional stats or more modern metrics like Wins Above Replacement – his 7.5 mark ranked second in the NL – Seager was one of the league’s top players, rookie or otherwise.

At 22, Seager took over the most important infield position for a contending team and handled it with the aplomb of a 10-year veteran. He ranked fourth in the league in Defensive Runs Saved, starting 149 games at short and earning an All-Star invite. It won’t be the last.

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The case for Trea Turner: The Washington Nationals got a jolt of energy when they called up Turner on July 10. The speedster became a must-watch player with his aggressive style on the basepaths. A shortstop by trade, he found his playing time in center field and used his speed to make outstanding catches that belied his inexperience at the position.

Turner, 23, was also a revelation at the plate, hitting 13 homers — five more than his best total in the minors — and fashioning an unexpected .567 slugging percentage. Pressuring opponents and creating disruption on the bases is Turner’s stock in trade, though, and he excelled at it by batting .342, reaching base at a .370 clip, stealing 33 bases and scoring 53 runs in 73 games.

The case for Kenta Maeda: The Dodgers right-hander made a smooth transition to the majors after a distinguished eight-year career in the Japanese League. On a team that seemed to lose a starter to injury every week, Maeda was a pillar of stability. He led the Dodgers with 32 starts and 1752/3 innings.

The workload might have taken a toll, as Maeda faltered a bit down the stretch and in the postseason, but he still finished with a 16-11 record and a 3.48 ERA. Perhaps surprisingly, considering he was regarded as a finesse pitcher coming in, Maeda, 28, struck out better than a batter per inning.

History lesson: Seager has become the seventh player to finish in the top three in the rookie of the year and MVP races. The most recent one was the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout, who finished second in AL MVP voting as a rookie in 2012.

Consensus: In most other years, Turner’s impactful arrival or Maeda’s steady contributions might have provided compelling cases for rookie honors. Not this time, when Seager stands well above the competition. A sure-handed shortstop who can hit is a rare commodity. One who also adds power to the mix is a gift from above - and the surefire NL Rookie of the Year.

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