The Atlanta Braves continue to roll out some of the best young talent in the game with two more potential Rookie of the Year candidates in 2021.
It’s no surprise that the Atlanta Braves continue to have really good candidates for the Rookie of the Year award with the farm system they put together during their rebuild.
Ronald Acuna Jr. won the award in 2018 and Mike Soroka finished second in 2019.
Last year Ian Anderson received a third-place vote, but he’s back up for the award in 2021.
The latest betting ods from BetOnline.ag has two Braves players among the top five favorites.
The NL ROY race is going to be tight, who’s the best bet for the odds?
— Locked On MLB Prospects (@LockedOnFarm) March 9, 2021
A full breakdown in today’s episode: https://t.co/MCO7oRLKs1 pic.twitter.com/9IBlDzd01C
Of course, with the season Ke’Bryan Hayes had with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2020, he’s the overwhelming favorite to win the award in 2021.
But Ian Anderson and Cristian Pache will likely be in the mix.
If Anderson does what he did in a short sample size last year over a full season he would be the unanimous winner.
But he’d also likely win the NL Cy Young award if he’s able to duplicate a sub-two ERA 11.4 K/9 over 30-plus starts.
Even if his numbers do regress a little in his sophomore season, he’s more than capable of being the best rookie pitcher in 2021.
We didn’t get to see as much of Pache in 2021 as I would have liked — but that’s a gripe for another time.
I was really impressed with his at-bats when forced into the action during the playoffs and he’s looked really good in Spring Training so far with a couple of nice opposite field hits.
He’s going to be batting eighth in the Braves lineup so I’m not sure he’ll have a chance to get the same kind of counting numbers as Hayes who will bat in the middle of a weak Pirates lineup.
But if defense figures into the NL ROY metrics, then Pache should be near the top — especially if continues to refine his approach at the plate and adds some more power.
I’m really excited to see what both of these rookies do for the Braves in 2021. If even one of them is in the mix for the NL ROY then it means Atlanta is having a big year.