AL Rookie of the Year OUTRAGE: Did Andujar & Torres Get Robbed?

When I use the term "outrage," I'm referring to local Yankee fans, of course.

But did Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres really get robbed in the AL Rookie of the Year voting? Or was Shohei Ohtani truly deserving of the award?

Let's take a closer look...

PART I: Comparing Torres to Ohtani

The Yankee fans keep harping on games played, but there isn't much of a disparity, here. Torres played in 123 games for the Yanks, whereas Ohtani hit in 104 for the Halos, while pitching in 10. If you count the rest required after pitching, that nullifies the games played argument. 

At the dish, Ohtani homered once every 14.8 at bats. Once every 17.9 ABs for Torres. Despite not being an everyday hitter, Ohtani homered 22 times, nearly matching Torres' 24. Torres has the slight edge in RBI, but Ohtani's BA was 14 points higher. Ohtani's OBP was also 21 points higher. Essentially, their offensive stats were comparable -- if I'm being kind -- but Torres isn't a two-way player. 

Ohtani whiffed 63 batters in 51 innings of work, to go along with a very solid 3.31 ERA. Considering his pitching in combination with comparable offensive stats, Ohtani clearly deserved the ROY vote over Torres. No contest, here. 

PART II: Comparing Andujar to Ohtani

This is where things get a bit more difficult. Andujar played in 149 games, to Ohtani's combined 114. Andujar was a steady offensive force for a Yankee team that won 100 games and reached the postseason.

On the other hand, Ohtani's Angels were again a disappointment, falling apart after a quick start and finishing with just 80 wins. As a frame of reference, the Angels had a $173 million payroll, compared to Oakland's $80 million. Billy Beane's A's finished with 17 more wins than the Angels, and made the playoffs.

So, as a voter, it's up to you if you want to consider the relative impact on winning. Andujar and Torres played for a successful team, and you know what? These weren't the dominant, runaway Yankees. Aaron Judge went down for a long stretch of time. Giancarlo Stanton suffered through a slump that seemed to last half the season. The inconsistency of New York's starting pitching was a problem throughout the year.

Torres and Andujar were key players; particularly the latter, who batted .297 with 27 HRs and 92 RBI. Andujar's 47 doubles were third-best in the MLB, tied with some guy named Mookie Betts -- the dominant AL MVP.

Andujar put up big-boy stats. He certainly didn't look like a rookie at the plate.

PART III: Johnny Fro's Vote

When Yankee fans were complaining around the office this week, I was agreeing with them. I would have voted for Andujar, I echoed. Reviewing everything with a fine-toothed comb, the verdict is more elusive. It's not so easy. 

Important peripheral stuff to consider: (1) The sheer WOW factor of Ohtani pitching and hitting so well. Jeff Passan, one of the most well-respected baseball writers in the world, wrote that Ohtani looked over-matched in the preseason. I think we were all surprised by Shohei's .285 BA and 22 HRs despite limited opportunities at the dish. 

I mean the kid pitched, and yet he was still the Angels' second-or-third best hitter behind Mike Trout (the other being Justin Upton). Hard not to be super impressed by that. 

And (2) Andujar was atrocious in the field. One of the worst defensive third basemen in the game. Growing pains of a young player; but the fact remains: he hurt the Yankees in some big spots, defensively. 

But, in fairness, there's a strong argument to be made that Andujar, as a rookie, was the Yankees' offensive MVP. Stanton's inconsistency was uber-frustrating, and Judge only had 413 at bats. 

So, Ohtani most certainly has the enticing wow factor, but Andujar was steady. He was there, day in and day out. He stayed healthy, en route to contributing in a major way to 100 wins. 

We're splitting hairs, here...but I'm going with Andujar. The Ohtani win can easily be justified, but I would have voted him second. But hey, what do I care?

My Jacob deGrom won the NL Cy Young. Go Mets!