Kyle Lewis vs. Luis Robert: The Battle for AL Rookie of the Year
Kyle Lewis, Seattle Mariners.
By the Numbers
As the 2020 season chugged along, ebbs and flows saw the numbers of every player fluctuate. Due to the shortened 60-game season, a bad week puts a big dent in any player’s numbers. Over 100 years of Major League history says an early batting average of .400 would never last. Lewis enters Tuesday’s game with Oakland hitting .278.
While Adell never clicked, Luis Robert has been magnificent. One impressive number that concerns him and has all of baseball’s attention is 34-20. As in, the Chicago White Sox have won 34 of their 54 games so far. That puts the ChiSox just two games behind Tampa for the best regular-season record in the AL.
With all of the extra attention on a team in the nation’s third-largest media market, Robert’s 11 home runs certainly have more eyes on them than Lewis’ 11. Robert holds the lead in stolen bases and RBIs. However, RBIs are often a product of being on a good team as much as they are from individual merit. Chicago’s rookie slugger is surrounded by much more talent than Lewis is.
Robert might get the hype, but Lewis has put up some impressive numbers of his own. He currently leads all MLB rookies in runs, hits, home runs (tied with Robert), and walks. Additionally, Lewis is second only to Jake Cronenworth of the NL’s San Diego Padres in batting average, OBP, and OPS. As the season wore on, pitchers changed their approach to the Seattle Mariners rookie center fielder, he made adjustments and rose to that challenge as well.
There are a few other numbers to consider when comparing Luis Robert and Kyle Lewis. The Chicago slugger is batting a mere .230 and has 50 percent more strikeouts than hits, 65-42. Also, in the Holy Grail of Sabermetrics, Lewis Holds a 1.8-1.7 advantage in Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
Is this good? This seems good. #KLew4ROY pic.twitter.com/VtETxP5FeK
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) September 17, 2020