Frontpage Features

BY WILLIAM MORRISS

This year has been a bumper crop for rookies. From Atlanta's Jason Heyward’s opening day offensive showing, to Washington's Stephen Strasburg’s long awaited debut, rookies have dominated Major League Baseball. With so many rookies having spectacular years, here is a starting nine that could take on any lineup of grizzled veterans.

Catcher – Buster Posey SF (.396 AVG, .429 OBP)
A early season call-up, Posey has already established himself as a threat in the Giants lineup. He has 7 RBIs in only14 games. With Bengie Molina blocking his path to catcher, Posey is playing first and playing it well.

Backup: John Jaso TB (.404 OBP, 24 RBI, 22/12 BB/SO)

First Base – Gaby Sanchez FLA (.283 AVG, 7 HR, 28 RBI)
Sanchez was given the job out of spring training.  He hasn’t let the fish down.
He leads rookie first basemen with 28 RBIs and 7 HRs and is the only one batting over .260.  Sanchez sports a .989 fielding percentage to go along with his offensive prowess.

Backups: Justin Smoak TEX (6 HR, 24 RBI), Ike Davis NYM (29 R, 7 HR, .439 SLG)

Second Base – Neil Walker PIT (.303/.361/.455)
The former top prospect has found a new lease on life in his second stint in the majors. The Pittsburgh native is an important piece to the Pirates future. He has the ability to play second and third and he gets on base consistently.

Shortstop – Ian Desmond WASH (4 HR, 31 RBI)
After a cup of coffee in the majors last year, Desmond has wrestled the job away from veteran Christian Guzman and established himself as a building block for the Nationals future. His 31 RBIs rank seventh in the league among shortstops. While he does commit a lot of errors, Ian’s turned 37 double plays, seventh in the league.

Backup: Reid Brignac TB (.303 AVG, .430 SLG, 22 R)

Third base – David Freese STL (.305 AVG, .431 SLG, 32 RBI)
Freese ranks third on a potent Cardinals lineup with 32 RBIs. He also ranks in top three in hits and batting average among rookies. 

Right field – Jason Heyward ATL (10 HR, 42 RBI, 39 BB)
Heyward tore up the league the first two months of the season, hitting all ten of his homers and driving in 38 runs. In the past few weeks he has hit a slump, but he still leads all rookies with 42 RBIs. As with most young players, he’s been prone to strikeouts, something he’ll have to improve on. 

Center field – Austin Jackson DET (36 R, 10 SB, .308 AVG)
Sent over from the Yankees in the Curtis Granderson deal, Jackson has been excellent at the plate and in the field. Thrust into the leadoff role, he’s flourished batting .308. Jackson has the speed to be a threat on the base paths, leading all rookies with 10 stolen bases. His stellar defense in center has made him a Web Gem regular.

Left field – Brennan Boesch DET (8 HR, 30 RBI, .345 AVG)
While Austin Jackson’s good, he might not even be the best rookie on his team. Boesch’s .345 average leads all rookies with over 100 at-bats. Hitting behind Miguel Cabrera in the Tigers lineup gives him great protection and it shows. Brennan is in the top 5 for Detroit  in homeruns, RBI, total bases and runs scored.

Backup: Tyler Colvin CHC (6 HR, .305 AVG, .600 SLG) Mike Stanton FLA(.368, 4 RBI, 2 SB in 5 games)

Starting Pitcher – Jaime Garcia STL (6-2 1.49, 59 K)
While Strasburg has garnered the big headlines, Garcia has been excellent all season. During spring training he won the fifth spot in the rotation and hasn’t looked.  Garcia is second in MLB in ERA and third on his team in wins and strikeouts. The 22nd round pick of the draft debuted in 2008 as a 21 year old and spent 2009 in the minors. Since his return, Garcia has struck out almost 2 batters for every walk.

Rotation: Stephen Strasburg WAS (2-0 2.19, 22k/5BB) John Ely LAD (3-3 3.38, 1.13 WHIP) Mike Leake STL (5-0 2.68, 52 K) John Niese NYM (3-2 3.61)

Closer – Neftali Feliz TEX (15 SV, 3.29 ERA, 29K/27.1IP)
Feliz came to the Rangers as part of the package that sent mark Texeira to the Braves. Armed with a 100 MPH fastball, Feliz has succeeded in 15 of his 17 save opportunities. Feliz averages more than a strikeout an inning and has a 2.9 to 1 K to BB ratio.