Kyle Lewis vs. Luis Robert: The Battle for AL Rookie of the Year
Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners, 2001 AL Rookie of the Year. (photo by Russ Walker, via Flickr)
The battle for 2020 American League Rookie of the Year is down to two candidates. Can Seattle Mariners five-tool sensation Kyle Lewis overcome the hype and major-market appeal of Chicago’s Luis Robert?
It was 2001 when the Seattle Mariners last had a Rookie of the Year winner. Amidst that magical season, Ichiro walked away with it, as well as the American League MVP Award. While this season hasn’t gone as magically for the M’s, the growth of their young nucleus has been incredible. The biggest story of 2020 has been the rise of Kyle Lewis.
The physically imposing Lewis (6-4, 205-pounds) broke onto the scene with three home runs in his first three games last September. In 2020, he has come into his own. However, is his breakout season enough to secure a major award?
Preseason Hype
On a regular Saturday with no doubleheaders, around 45 hours of baseball is played. Since members of the Baseball Writers Association of America vote for the awards, players need to catch their attention. Those in the limelight get more of their plays seen. So when players from major market teams, Luis Robert of the Chicago White Sox and Jo Adell of the Los Angeles Angels, came in as the top-rated prospects to move up to MLB this year, the Rookie of the Year Award seemed destined for one of them.
Amidst those preseason ranking lists of top 100 prospects, Lewis didn’t make the cut. In fact, the Mariners currently have three outfielders who made the Top-100 among every major list out there. Jarred Kelenic, Julio Rodriguez, and the newly acquired Taylor Trammell have all drawn praise. Lewis, to his credit, shows up and produces. Maybe the only person touting Lewis for ROY before the season started was our Ed Stein. Back on July 18, he wrote about Lewis’ betting odds to win the award.
“Curiously, Kyle Lewis doesn’t appear on many (futures) boards. If you can find him, he’s 50/1. That’s a value pick after his impressive 2019 September run.”
Lewis carried an over .400 batting average through his first ten games. With 17 hits and three home runs in those games, he announced his arrival in the ROY race. Just as he did with the knee injury that threatened to steal his career, when challenges come up, Lewis finds another gear to rise to the challenge.