Zimmerman Sprinting to the Finish
Ryan Zimmerman just keeps on hitting. In baseball's marathon of a season, the Nationals third baseman has saved his best for last, raking the ball all over the field and providing highlight reel defense. Though Zimmerman has had a strong year overall, he has really come into his own in the last month, hitting doubles at an incredible rate and driving in droves of baserunners.
It should come as no suprise that his outstanding season has him in contention for NL Rookie of the Year. Ordinarily, we could already pencil him in for the honor (his numbers stack up nicely to previous ROYs). However, this year's rookie class is particularly deep. Zimmerman faces serious competition from several notable rookies. In fact, this year's race is so tight, Zim's performance in the Nats' final 4 games may well decide his chances in taking home the award.
Let's take a look at the other leading contenders and try to handicap this race.
Photo by Flickr user Scott Ableman
Prince Fielder
Before there was Big Papi, there was Big Daddy. Eagerly filling Big Daddy Fielder's shoes is Prince Fielder, his 6 foot, 260 pound bohemoth of a son (sadly, the nickname "Big Baby" is already taken). In addition to his father's girth, Prince has inherited the ability to hit a baseball a long, long way. His 26 homers this year are tied for the lead among rookies. He is also second in walks and slugging percentage. However, there are two main factors that hinder his campaign for Rookie of the Year: batting average (.273) and status as a first baseman, baseball's least demanding defensive position. Zimmerman's proficiency on the field and hitting for average should give him the edge here.
Conor Jackson
This Arizona first baseman has shown the most plate discipline among this year's crop of rookies. He gets on base 37% of the time bats .291. Unfortunately for him, his power numbers don't stack up to the rest of the field, so we'd be safe to write him off.
Hanley Ramirez
Hanley Ramirez is a terribly exciting player to watch. The Marlins shortstop is somewhat of a pitcher's nightmare, as he can beat you with speed or power. His 51 stolen bases are good for 3rd in the entire National League, and he leads all rookies with 72 extra base hits and a .292 batting average. Additionally, he plays the game's most demanding defensive position. If anybody's going to beat out our boy Zim, we think it's going to be this guy. Though Zimmerman has the major advantage in RBIs (109 to 59), Hanley has the built-in excuse of batting leadoff. To boot, he has also enjoyed a strong finish, accumulating an MVP-like 1.023 OPS over the month of September.
Dan Uggla
This guy came out of nowhere — the Marlins picked him up from the Diamondbacks with a Rule 5 draft pick. All he's done in his rookie season is make the All-Star Game, put up great numbers across the board, and establish himself as one of the premier second baseman in baseball. Though he is tied with Prince Fielder for the NL rookie home run lead, his other offensive statistics don't match up to Zimmerman, especially his 89 RBIs and 26 doubles. Throw in his abysmal performance in September (.227 BA), and Zim's got him covered for the ROY.
Josh Willingham
Yet another Marlin rounds out our short list. His name tends to get lost amidst the other Marlins in ROY contention, even though he leads all rookies with a .851 OPS. The left fielder has also displayed promising power in hitting 25 home runs. Like Uggla, Willingham significantly trails Zimmerman in RBIs and doubles. His mediocre defense in left field does not help his cause either. He'll get some votes, and probably could have taken the award in previous years, but a top-5 finish is all he should expect with this year's loaded field.
THE VERDICT
Zimmerman's pursuit of the NL ROY should give Nats fans a reason to pay attention to what could have been a meaningless final series. We may be showing a bit of a home town bias here, but we really like the kid's chances. We're not alone, either. Giants manager Felipe Alou is sold on him, too.
Like MVP voters, ROY voters live the RBI, and in that category, Zim is king. Throw in his strong finish and his Gold Glove-worthy defense at third, and we think he'll be able to beat out Hanley, et al. Even if he doesn't, we'll surely be treated to a photo finish, a worthy climax for baseball's marathon of a season.