This Texas Native Could be the First to Win Rookie of the Year Since 2005
The Major League Baseball season is coming to an end. As of writing this post, there are only 3 games left in the regular season (except for the Mets & Braves who have to play a weather induced doubleheader on Monday). So, with most playoff positions locked up, a lot of people are starting to looking to the playoffs and award season.
The MVP is pretty much decided in both leagues. The Cy Young is also pretty much a lock. But the one award that is up for grabs in both leagues is the Rookie of the Year. And interestingly enough, the frontrunner in the American League is a son of Texas.
Houston, Texas Native Frontrunner for American League Rookie of the Year
There have been a LOT of fantastic rookies to take the field in 2024. Austin Wells from the Yankees, Wilyer Abreu from the Red Sox, Gil from the Yankees...it's a pretty long list of impactful rookies really.
But, the one "frontrunner" according to baseball experts is Colton Cowser from the Baltimore Orioles. Cowser, affectionately known as the Milkman to fans in Baltimore, is a Houston native that played his college ball at Sam Houston State.
As far as rookies go, he's had one heck of a year. He's leading all American League rookies in Home Runs (23), Total Bases (219) and extra base hits (50). On top of all that, he's 2nd among AL rookies in slugging percentage with a .450 slug.
If he pulls this off, he'll be the first AL ROY from Texas since pitcher Huston Street won in 2005.
Betting Odds for American League Rookie of the Year
When it comes to the betting odds, depending on which sportbook you look at, is a little bit different than what the baseball experts are saying. According to the Vegas bookmakers, the race is slightly different.
According to BetMGM, rookie Yankees pitcher Luis Gil is the frontrunner in the Rookie of the year race with -250 odds. Cowser is second with +275. Then, in a distant 3rd place, is Yankees catcher Austin Wells with +500. But, as the writer notes, the race is wide open coming down the stretch and it could go either way.
In recent history, the award has typically gone to an offensive player. The last 'true' pitcher to win the award (I have to put that note because you can't really count Ohtani as a pure pitcher) was Michael Fulmer in 2016.
READ MORE: Should the Baltimore Orioles Be Texas' Team?
Cowser's slash line looks like this: 246/.326/.450 (125 OPS+), 24 2B, 3 3B, 23 HR, 68 RBI, 76 R, 9 SB, 3.0 WAR. Which is pretty darn good for a rookie hitter. His OPS+ numbers say that he's 25% better than your average hitter. Not bad for a rookie.
Now, Gil's 15 wins and low 3.27 ERA is also equally impressive. But, he missed some time due to injury and he's had some really inconsistent starts. Cowser on the other hand, even when his bat went cold, his defensive work was top notch. So, for an award that tends to lean towards offensive players and you take into Cowser's Gold Glove level defensive play, that may make the difference in the voting.
Previous American League Rookie of Years From Texas
As mentioned above, Huston Street was the last Texas native to win the AL Rookie of the year award. You may be wondering "how many others are there?". And the answer: not a lot. Since being introduced in 1947, there's only been 4 Texas natives to win the award. Here's the very short list of Texas natives to win American League Rookie of the Year.
- Huston Street in 2005.
- Ben Grieve in 1998
- Chuck Knoblauch in 1991
- Mike Hargrove in 1974
LOOK: MLB history from the year you were born
Gallery Credit: Seth Berkman