A Way Too Early Look at Rookie of the Year

		Your Junk my Happy Zone
		by Brandon Corbett

First of all, it is incredibly early to try and divine an end of the year award. Second, that is what makes it the best time to try! Quite a few rookies have put in a good performance or two early on this season. John Sharlow had a seven hit, 6 RBI series the second time he took a Wiffleball field. Thomas "Bones" DeMaria leads the Warriors in AVG, OBP, and SLG%, while yet to give up a run or hit on the mound. Honestly, Bones' numbers may well make him the front-runner for the 2013 RotY at this point. However, I am going to either praise or lambaste Carl for his preseason predictions and focus solely on those three rookies in this article.

Mark Brannan						Keifer Haffey						Nicco Lollio
Offense			Pitching			Offense			Pitching			Offense			Pitching
AVG:	.200		ERA:	3.81		AVG:	.273		ERA:	0.00		AVG:	.500		ERA:	0.00
SLG%:	.250		WHIP:	1.81		SLG%:	.273		WHIP:	0.33		SLG%:	.714		WHIP:	1.52
HR:	0		K:	51		HR:	0		K:	29		HR:	1		K:	2
OBP:	.500		BB:	20		OBP:	.273		BB:	1		OBP:	.611		BB:	1
RBI:	4		IP:	21		RBI:	0		IP:	12		RBI:	4		IP:	0.2
SB:	1		W:	1		SB:	0		W:	2		SB:	4		W:	0
						Perfect Game

The first thing to jump out at me when looking at their numbers is Lollio's offensive column. His .500 average is nearly double the closest follower considered here (and .125 points higher than DeMaria, as well). His .714 slugging percentage more than doubles both (and nearly doubles Bones' .375). Nicco is also the only one of these rookies to have taken a round-trip after three weeks. And although Brannan is able to match him in total RBI, Lollio once again steals a deciding advantage with his four stolen bases.

Equally impressive on the other side of the coin, though, are Haffey's pitching numbers. Not only is Kiefer one of four WSEM pitchers with a 0.00 (along with his Westside teammate, DeMaria), but his 0.33 WHIP is best in the league after three weeks (just ahead of DeMaria at 0.44). Kiefer's 2.42 KpI may only be third among rookies, narrowly edged out by Bones and Brannan at 2.44 and 2.43, respectively, but his 29.0 K/BB ratio is far and away the best in the league: making his strike outs much more impressive. Oh yeah, and Kiefer's already tossed a perfect game!

If the coin is in the other hand and you look at RotY like MVP while thinking of MVP in the context of "most valuable to his team," then Brannan may well be your rookie. He is the workhorse of the Belgian rotation, having pitched 21 of 43 innings, and registers the lowest ERA of their pitchers with 2+ innings thrown. He was pulled from his Opening Night start due to a leg injury, but luckily was able to return a week later. As mentioned above, Mark's 2.43 KpI is remarkable for a rookie pitcher. His most impressive performance this season has to be holding the Aces scoreless through 9 innings to give Belgian a chance to upset one the favorites.

Over the last two WSEM seasons, the RotY has been won by Snow and Tomlinson with impressive offensive numbers. Lollio is obviously riding the train to accomplish that for a third straight season. Haffey, Brannan, and DeMaria, meanwhile, are banking on showing that rookies can also capitalize on pitching's domination of the game. As early as it is, do not for one second think RotY is all these players are after: their sites are locked on the greater jewels of the league and charging past the veterans of WSEM to get them.