2013 First Half All-Rookie Team

                The first half of the season has had many intriguing storylines.  There has been the overhanging threat of PED suspensions.  Multiple ace pitchers (Price, Dickey, Verlander, Cueto, etc.) have either struggled or have succumbed to injuries.  Other fixture players have missed substantial time, especially up and down the roster of the Yankees.  This has allowed for many new faces to begin making their mark on the league.  Some players made splashes late last year and are making waves this year.  Manny Machado finished the first half with the second most doubles ever before the break.  Jean Segura leads the NL in hits, is second in steals, and is tied for second in triples.  Starling Marte has had a very effective year that the top of the Pirates lineup and Andrelton Simmons has been unflappable on defense along with solid offensive numbers.  Both Segura and Machado made their first All-Star team.  Unfortunately, these four players were all 50-60 plate appearances over the limit to be eligible for rookie status this season.  There have been many true rookies making big splashes this year.  Here is my first half, all-rookie team:

Starting Pitcher: Shelby Miller (Cardinals)

                The pipeline in St. Louis is still pumping out young pitchers.  Already established are Adam Wainwright, Jaime Garcia, and Lance Lynn.  This year the Cardinals have had Joe Kelly, Seth Maness, Carlos Martinez, and Trevor Rosenthal getting their first real taste of big league action.  Shelby Miller has been the most impressive this year.  Into the break, he holds a 9-6 record in 18 starts with a 2.92 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and a 9.6 K/9.  He has made one of the best pitching staffs in baseball that much better and is a big reason why they command the best record in the National League.

Relief Pitcher: Justin Wilson (Pirates)

                The Shark Tank in Pittsburgh has been one of the best bullpens in the game this year.  They rank 2^nd in ERA (2.75), 2^nd in innings pitched (333.1), 2^nd in batting average against (.213), 1^st in WHIP (1.10), 2^nd in Saves (34), and 1^st in Holds (54).  They have veterans like closer Jason Grilli and setup man Mark Melancon that hole down the tail end, but rookie Justin Wilson has as impressive stats as any of them.  Wilson comes into the All-Star Break with a 6-1 record in 53 innings.  His 1.87 ERA is best among all rookie pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched.  He also boasts a 0.98 WHIP.  If the Pirates are to avoid their yearly second-half collapse, they are going to need Wilson and the rest of the Shark Tank to stay reliable.

Catcher: Evan Gattis (Braves)

                Despite missing the past month with an oblique strain, Gattis is still leading all rookies in home runs (14) and RBI (37).  Gattis was reinstated from the DL last week, so the question still remains how well he will rebound from his injury.  There have only been three rookie catchers that have played significant time, so there is not much competition in this category as of yet.  Gattis could get challenged by Rob Brantly or Mike Zunino in the second half.

First Base: Matt Adams (Cardinals)

                With little competition in the catcher category, there is actually less at first base.  Only Nate Freiman (Athletics) and Adams have played significant time this season.  That being said, Adams has stats that stack up well against all rookies.  He ranks 3^rd in average (.316), 4^th in slugging percentage (.544), 5^th in RBI (26), and tied for 6^th in home runs (7).  Adams is also hitting an impressive .341 with runners in scoring position.

Second Base: Jedd Gyorko (Padres)

                Gyorko has played some third base as well, but most of his time has been at second.  He ranks 5^th among all rookies in hits (67), tied for 2^nd in doubles (17), tied for 3^rd in home runs (8), tied for 6^th in RBI (25), and 2^nd in runs (36).  Gyorko could see some competition in the second half from Anthony Rendon (Nationals) who ranks top-10 among all rookies across the slash line – .293/.344/.449 (7^th/5^th/9^th) – in limited time.  Also, Nick Franklin (Mariners) put up a pretty impressive slash line of .270/.337/.453 with 6 home runs.

Third Base: Nolan Arenado (Rockies)

                In a very tight competition with Conor Gillaspie (White Sox), I am giving the nod to Arenado for his defensive ability and clutch performance.  The slash lines are nearly identical: .248/.310/.380 for Gillaspie and .242/.284/.392 for Arenado.  Both players have 7 home runs with 23 RBI/26 runs for Gillaspie and 27 RBI/25 runs for Arenado.  However, Arenado had 16 doubles to Gillaspie’s 9 and Arenado has very effectively taken over the everyday third base job in Colorado.

Shortstop: Jose Iglesias (Red Sox)

                There is a high level of competition at shortstop and Iglesias blows them all away.  Aside from nearly flawless defense, he has posted a slash line of .360/.410/.452, which is good for 2^nd/2^nd/8^th among all rookies.  Didi Gregorius (Diamondbacks) is a strong second with .273/.338/.399 and 5 home runs (1^st among rookie shortstops) as well as playing Gold Glove caliber defense.  Pete Kozma (Cardinals) and Adeiny Hechavarria (Marlins) have both played the full season as their respective teams and have put up solid numbers.  Kozma is 3^rd among rookies in RBI (30) and Hechavarria leads all rookies with 5 triples.

Outfield: Yasiel Puig (Dodgers), Marcell Ozuna (Marlins), AJ Pollack (Diamondbacks)

                Who would have thought Puig would land on this list?  His slash line is off the charts at .381/412/.600 which are all tops among rookies.  Despite only playing in 39 games, Puig has definitely been one of the most impactful rookies so far this year.  Ozuna filled in at right field for Miami while Giancarlo Stanton and was so effective he has been the everyday centerfielder since Stanton returned.  He is tied for 2^nd among rookies in doubles (17) and ranks 2^nd in triples (4), hits (71), and RBI (32).  Pollack may be the surprise on this list, but is more than worthy to be here.  He stepped up very big for a Diamondbacks outfield that was expecting highly-touted prospect Adam Eaton starting in centerfield and hitting leadoff.  Pollack leads all rookies in runs (39) and doubles (23), ranks 2^nd in steals (6), and 3^rd in hits (70).  Aaron Hicks (Twins) may be in the Gold Glove debate in the American League and is tied for 3^rd among rookies with 8 home runs, but has struggled to hit his weight only managing a paltry .192 average.  Third-rated prospect Wil Myers (Rays) has put up an impressive slash line at .310/.336/.460 in very limited time thus far and David Lough (Royals) has filled in very well in Kansas City with a slash line of .291/.311/.440, allowing for the departure of veteran Jeff Francoeur.

                There is a new generation of young players emerging in baseball this year.  The old guard is being pushed aside by the new wave coming through.  Keep your eyes on the new talent that continues to get a taste of the big leagues as the season continues into the second half.