How can a hitter with a .667 OPS be the National League Rookie of the Year over a pitcher with a 2.62 ERA?
Good question. But if I had a vote (and I don’t), I would lean toward picking Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton over Mets righty Jacob deGrom.
Yes, Hamilton ranks 60th out of 68 in OPS among NL hitters with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. But his defense and base-running more than compensate for his hitting deficiencies, and he has been with the Reds all season, appearing in 139 of 145 games.
DeGrom’s case lacks the same bulk - he did not join the Mets until May 13 and has thrown a mere 127 1/3 innings, in part because of a stint on the DL from Aug. 12 to 23 due to right rotator cuff tendinitis.
No doubt, deGrom has been brilliant when on the mound. His ERA in his last 10 starts is 1.60, and his Fielding Independent Pitching - a measure of effectiveness based on the outcomes he can control - indicates that his performance is not a fluke.
Still, if you go by Fangraphs’ version of Wins Above Replacement (WAR), Hamilton is at 3.4 for the season, deGrom 2.4. I’m not a slave to WAR, and it’s entirely possible that Hamilton’s rating overstates his defensive value. You can also question his 72.3 percent success rate stealing bases, which is right around the break-even point of providing an actual advantage.
Still, I’m looking at the totality of the season. And by that measure, Hamilton is more deserving than deGrom for the rookie award.
