Rookies of the Year

And more

LEADING OFF

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Today, paid subscribers will get a look at 15 rookies (though a few are modified comments from Rotoman’s Sheet) and a look at how the sausage of player prices gets made.

Paid subscribers also get access to back issues and Rotoman’s Sheet, with prices and projections and archived player comments, too.

TALKING ABOUT ROOKIES

In recent years Rob Leibowitz curated the Rookie of the Year pages in The Fantasy Baseball Guide by asking a number of friends of the Guide who followed the minor leagues to send in their Top 25 lists for that year. Rob would compile them along with blurbs from the writers who most agreed with each ranking.

Now that I’m out on my own, I’m going to crib the top of the list of Jacob Resnick, who did a similar compilation of the rookie rankings from MLB Pipeline, FanGraphs, the Athletic, Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, and ESPN. Here they are, the numbers in parens are the players’ average ranking in the six surveys, with my notes

Photo: Bryan Green

1 -- Gunnar Henderson, 3B/SS, Orioles (1.2) I wrote about him a couple of weeks ago. For me the distinctive thing after he was called up last year was that he hit the ball hard. On the ground. He walked a lot and didn’t have a strikeout surge, so he’s ready to play. Just don’t count on an immediate homer bounce, but expect to pay as if one is imminent. A value PAN.