Rookies who have been impressive thus far...

20 games into our young season, statistics aren't overly reliable. That is a known fact. In spite of that, here are the first year guys who have had impressive starts to their career.


LF/DH Bomani Crittenton, Seattle
   Crittenton has turned out to be an excellent pick by the Cascades, and can be considered a steal at this point. One of only 5 rookies to be hitting over .300 thus far (coincidentally, they are the other 4 hitters on this list), he has found a place atop the Seattle lineup. To this point, although a DH due to the corner outfield logjam for the Cascades, he has been a constant source of offense for the team, contributing 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, and 5 RBI in 21 games.


SS Blaine Savage, Shanghai
   Savage is the frontrunner for a rookie of the year award this year. He has started hot for the Crowned Cranes, hitting the cover off the ball to the tune of 4 doubles, a triple, 7 HR, and a dazzling 19 RBI in 20 games. It is unlikely that he keeps this pace for the duration of the season, but Shanghai is clearly enjoying the fruits of his labor thus far.


SS Stewart Bone, New York Mets
   Bone has been a bit of a surprise, and has shown a keen ability for getting on base so far. He has posted a .385 on base percentage, tops for all rookies, and the Mets should feel lucky to have found him in the draft. An early steal candidate for sure.


2B Anton Wall, Arizona
   Wall is another rookie who is a surprise to see on this list. Though he has yet to hit anything more than a double, he is consistent at the plate. Thus far, he has a batting average above .300, and is getting on base without problem. He is the player who is least likely to stay on this list, as he has only 2 walks to his 13 strikeouts so far.


1B Chu Long-Chau
   Leave it to Aclilly to have two players appear here. CLC, as he affectionately has been nicknamed by his teammates, has been destroying anything thrown at him. Sporting an impressive .348/.389/.652 spread, he has two doubles and six home runs to his credit. Most impressively, he is second in RBIs by a rookie with 18, trailing only Shanghai's much more highly touted Blaine Savage. He has proven thus far to be a dynamic switch-hitting threat for Arizona, and only Aclilly hopes that his production continues.


SP Guillermo Torrino, Kansas City
   Torrino has been nothing short of spectacular for Kansas City to start his career. Through his first four career starts, he has allowed only 3 runs, 4 walks, and only 16 hits, in addition to his 23 Ks. This gives him a sub-1.00 ERA through 4 starts (all wins), which included an 8 inning, 4 hit shutout in his 3rd career start. He has been so good that only Abe Lincoln VIII has a lower ERA thus far. Incredible. Unless something changes drastically, this is an incredible selection, and will pay off in numerous ways for hollinn's new city.

SP Jan Heirlief, Atlanta
   Heirlief has been rather successful thus far, though his personal efforts haven't always translated into wins. Only 1 of his 4 starts has ended up as a win for the Braves, but those three games were lost by the bullpen after Heirlief exited the game. With a 1.32 ERA to start his career, the shutdown pitching is there, but his lack of power ability will eventually become more of a hindrance than Atlanta can handle. I would look for him to cool off in the coming weeks.



For those who were wondering, the pitching analysis will be saved for the start of next season. I hope you enjoy!