Rookie of the Year in the National League? As Mike Nadel writes, if it's not Cubs catcher Geovany Soto there's something very, very wrong with the voters …
If Geovany Soto doesn't win the award unanimously, Baseball Writers Association of America voters should be drug-tested. Meanwhile, Cubs teammate Kosuke Fukudome has become a fixture on Lou Piniella's bench, a $48 million late-inning defensive replacement.
Piniella and GM Jim Hendry thought enough of Soto to anoint him the starting catcher before spring training -- and the kid has delivered. His powerful bat (22 home runs, 83 RBIs) has strengthened the league's highest-scoring lineup, and Soto has displayed savvy behind the plate unusual for a first-year player.
…
"He's earned our respect," said Jason Marquis, who will start Wednesday and can put the Cubs within one victory of clinching the NL Central title. "Geo knows when to listen to us, and he knows when to speak his mind. If you didn't know he was a rookie, you'd never believe it."
It's equally hard to believe that, early in the season, Fukudome was The Man in Cubbieland.
He arrived from Japan with great fanfare and capped a three-hit Opening Day performance with a game-tying homer off Milwaukee's Eric Gagne. On May 1, he was batting .353, slugging .500 and had a .455 on-base percentage. Fans chanted his name and Sports Illustrated credited him with changing the Cubs' offensive philosophy.
Then opposing pitchers made adjustments … and Fukudome stopped hitting.
Nadel is right about Soto.
Only four National League rookies have played enough to qualify for the batting title: Soto, Fukudome,
Joey Votto and Braves outfielder
Gregor Blanco. Most years, Votto would be a solid Rookie of the Year candidate, but Soto has a slightly better on-base percentage, a significantly higher slugging percentage and, of course, Soto has more defensive value. Also more doubles, more homers, more RBIs…
There's only one National League pitcher who's going to draw much attention: Atlanta's
Jair Jurrjens (13-9, 3.62 ERA). In most years he would be a fine candidate, especially if he finishes with 15 wins. But this year Soto will blow him out of the water.
And Fukudome? At the end of April he was batting .327. At the end of May he was batting .310. On June 7, his average stood at .300 on the nose. Since then he's hitting .226/.323/.330, which of course falls well short of playable. This month he has started only three of the Cubs' 11 games. Which only makes the Cubs' record (and superior run differential) all the more astounding. Remember, the Cubs spent $48 million on Fukudome to energize a moribund offense that finished eighth in the league in scoring last year.
So Fukudome might be a bust, the $48 million wasted … and the Cubs still lead the NL in scoring this year. Which is fine, for now. But the Cubs do have a number of overachievers --
Mark DeRosa,
Ryan Theriot,
Jim Edmonds and
Mike Fontenot:
This means you! -- and while I believe the Cubs have the best team in the National League, their edge might not be as large as the numbers suggest.
(Tip of the cap to BTF's
Newsstand.)
Rob Neyer
