The AL Rookie of the Year race has settled into a clear favorite at the All-Star break, but there’s still enough time for a late surge to shake things up.
Kevin McGonigle has taken control of the market, and the Tigers rookie has backed it up with production across the board. He’s appeared in 93 games and leads all AL rookies with 99 hits.
He’s also shown a little pop with eight home runs, added 11 stolen bases, and is hitting .283 with an .812 OPS. For now, there isn’t much missing from his line.
Munetaka Murakami is the name that could still make this interesting. The Japanese slugger has been excellent in his rookie season, posting 20 home runs and 42 RBI with a .911 OPS in just 60 games.
Injury interrupted his run, costing him more than a month, but he returned last week. If the power keeps coming, the home run total could end up carrying his case.
Kazuma Okamoto has actually gone deeper more often than anyone else in the rookie class, with a rookie-best 22 home runs and 62 RBI in 93 games for the Blue Jays. The problem is the rest of the line: a .239 average and .488 OPS make it hard to see a clean path to the award.
Samuel Basallo is also sitting among the shorter-priced rookies, but his odds look like a long shot from here. He’s batting .248 with 16 home runs, solid numbers, but not enough to close the gap on Murakami or Okamoto in the power department.
McGonigle is listed at -245, and at this point he probably should be an even bigger favorite. If he keeps producing and stays healthy, he looks like the guy to beat for AL Rookie of the Year. Murakami, though, is the intriguing swing play at 7-1 now that he’s back from injury.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Scott Harris May Be Near A Risky Tigers Extension Call
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