BA all Rookie Team

Two Heroes landed on the all rookie team posted on Baseball America

OF Kevin Kiermaier • Rays

Kiermaier entered the season with a reputation as a contact-, speed- and defense-oriented center fielder, but he exited 2014 as the Rays’ team leader for slugging (.450) and OPS (.765), making him one of the underachieving club’s few bright spots. Among rookies, only corner players Jose Abreu, C.J. Cron, Mike Olt and George Springer had a higher isolated power (.187) than the 24-year-old Kiermaier this season, and he continued to show plus defensive ability in both center and right field.

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
331 35 87 16 8 10 35 23 71 5 4 .263 .315 .450

SP Yordano Ventura • Royals

One of the youngest starters in the majors at 23 years old, Ventura logged the most innings by a rookie starter (183) by a wide margin, and he ranked 10th in the American League ERA race (3.20). He kept firing upper-90s heat during the Royals’ playoff run, and only the Angels’ Garrett Richards, among starters with 100 innings, threw a faster fastball than Ventura, who averaged 96 mph. Just as much as the pure velocity, though, Ventura’s continued improvement to his control and secondary stuff have made him a complete pitcher.

W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO SO/9 WHIP
14 10 3.20 31 30 0 183 168 70 65 14 69 159 7.8 1.30