2024 Pat Listach Award contenders

Rookies are a funny bunch. Some are drafted in the 1st round and make an immediate impact. Others are drafted as prospects and may spend years on rosters before they even make an impact - if they ever do.

There are only 3 spots on the ballot for the Pat Listach Award, recognizing the league's top rookie. In most years, it's a tight squeeze to notch a vote and this year might be the toughest in recent memory. There were plenty of solid and terrific rookie campaigns.

Just look at OF Will Benson, drafted by Philly with the first pick in 2nd round of the 2024 draft. He sported a strong line of .281/.364/.528 and spread his power around with 21 2Bs, 15 3Bs and 21 HR to go with 90 runs and 22 SBs in 131 games. Yet those numbers still pale in comparison to some other spectacular rookie seasons in 2024. OF Matt Wallner sported an .832 OPS with 24 HR, 61 RBI and 71 runs combined between Blue Ridge and Hoboken. The numbers are perfectly cromulent for a solid rookie season but this year, that's not likely to be enough to grab one of just three spots on the ballot.

And we haven't even gotten to pitchers yet.

To be eligible for DMBL, batters must compile at least 200 plate appearances (it was 250 until expansion in 2021). There are players who might have collected a few seasons of <200 PAs but haven't been eligible for DMBL - that means they're still rookies as far as DMBL is concerned. For pitchers, it's 10 starts and for relievers, 30 appearances or 50 innings - that latter is the most difficult to confirm. Trust me, there's lots of rookie relievers most years, and most years we never hear from them again.

Let's try to keep the field down to 20 or less considering you can only vote for 3 players, with points compiled on a 5-3-1 basis. They appear in no particular order:

Nolan Jones, OF, Philly/Livingston

It's always a safe bet to start with the 1st overall pick in the draft. What's unique about Jones' season is that he spent time with two teams thanks to a deadline deal. 

Jones (.302/.390/.558) led rookies in several batting categories, including runs scored, 123 (4th in DMBL), strikeouts 233 (2nd), 139.6 RC (3rd), and .948 OPS (6th). His 80 extra base hits was 2nd among rookies (behind Sardine City's Luke Raley) and 9th in the league, as were his 347 total bases.

With Philly, Jones hit .306/.393/.527 in 93 games with 18 2B, 19 HR and 52 RBI and 74 runs scored and going 7-for-9 on SBs. In 67 games with Livingston, he kept it up, batting .297/.385/.606, slamming 19 2B, 17 HR and 37 RBI with 49 runs + 6-for-7 on SBs. Combined, that's 37 2Bs, 36 HRs, 123 runs, 89 RBI, and 13-for-16 SBs.

Gunnar Henderson, 3B/SS, Empire City

The first prospect taken in 2023, Henderson was drafted 7th overall, just ahead of Kodai Senga. His 109 runs was 3rd among rookies behind Jones and Raley but still matched Juan Soto for 10th in DMBL. Henderson slash line wasn't much to look at (.237/.302/450) but his counting numbers were impressive for a debut season: 27 HRs, 92 RBI, 36 2Bs, and 11 3Bs, with 59 BB against 184Ks, to go with 11-4 SB. It helps that he made 162 starts, mostly at 3B (143) with some time at SS (19). The RBI total was likely 2nd among rookies.

Philly's Will Benson led rookies in triples with 15, followed by Vancouver's Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson's 11 3Bs were tied for 2nd among rookies and 3rd in the league.

Matt McLain, SS/2B, El Paso

McLain was the second eligible position player drafted, then 7th overall, and he paid off for the Chihuahuas. He led the rookie class in several categories where he was also among the league's leaders, tying for 6th in the batting race (.307) , one of three players with 200+ hits (205), and his 44 doubles matched fellow rookie Mickey Moniak of Vancouver for 8th in DMBL. McLain also ranked 9th in RC (121.5), 7th in total bases (339), which were 3rd among rookies, and his 101 RBI were 2nd among rokies. Eligible at 2B and SS, he made 158 starts at SS. 

The Chihuahuas featured a number of youngsters who made an impact but might not make the ballot. SS Elly De la Cruz was drafted 11th overall in 2023. He banked on his speed more than anything else, leading the entire league in SB% (.889/24-3) with Green Lake's C.J. Abrams, and his SB total was tops among rookies, ahead of Benson (22-7) and Corbin Carroll (18-8). His slash line left a bit to be desired (.225/.285/.372) but he compiled 24 2Bs and 9 3Bs while smacking 14 HR and 60 RBI with 72 runs scored. Eligible as SS and 3B, he was primarily used at 3B with 158 starts but made 4 cameos at SS.

Luis Campusano, C, Vancouver

Rookies played a big part for Vancouver and their strongest candidate may be a pitcher (more on that later). Mickey Moniak, a 2nd round pick, slapped 44 doubles, tied for 8th in the league and tops among rookies. Campusano was picked immediately after and batted .324/.359/.504 in 140 games, including 53 behind the plate, an under-the-radar leader among rookies and qualifying for 4th in the batting race and leading all first-year players.

Vancouver's Corbin Carroll is likely the longest-tenured prospect in the league, drafted in the 3rd round of the 2022 draft. He slashed .253/.332/.444 and his 11 triples tied for 3rd in DMBL with Henderson. He also registered 18 SBs (8th in DMBL, 3rd among rookies) on 26 attempts. He added 19 HR and 70 RBI with 85 runs, and 11 intentional walks, tops among rookies and 6th in the league, one more than Moniak.

Yainer Diaz, C, San Francisco

The first catcher off the board in 2024, Diaz was drafted immediately after McLain. He led all rookies in SLG (.577), outpacing Luke Raley (.568) of Sardine City and Josh Outman (.563) of Tucson, with all three ranking in the league's top 10 in the category. His .908 OPS matched Raley for 4th among rookies and 9th in DMBL.

Diaz led the Experience in batting (.307), which was good enough to finish 6th in DMBL and tied McLain for best among rookies. He also led the squad with 35 HR and 80 RBI in 126 games, including 113 starts behind the plate.

Josh Outman, OF, Tucson

The 16th overall pick in 2024 finished 2nd among rookies with 42 HR, just behind Luke Raley of Sardine City. That helped boost his OPS (.921), which was 8th best overall and 2nd only to Jones among rookies. Outman (.275.358/.563) scored 116 runs, 2nd among rookies and 6th in the league, and added 8 triples, which were 10th overall but 5th among rookies. The 7.7 RC/27 he compiled was second only to Jones among first-year players and was 6th-best in the league.

Luke Raley, CF, Sardine City

A 3rd round pick this year, Raley put together a season worthy of a 1st rounder. While his 229 Ks against just 36 BB might scare some voters, the numbers he compiled across 162 games should get attention, most of which ranked 1st or 2nd among rookies and among the league's leaders: 43 HRs, 125 RBI, 114 runs, 33 2Bs, 10 3B, with 357 total bases and 86 EBH. He even added 15 SB and 23 HBP, which was 2nd among rookies to Philly C Miguel Amaya, who compiled 27 in just 73 starts. His 123.9 RC was 2nd to Jones (139.6) and his .908 OPS matched Diaz for 4th among rookies and 9th in DMBL. The 229 Ks were second only to Jones (233) among rookies,

One drawback might be his 229 Ks, 3rd highest in the league, against just 36 BB. But Raley made his swings count: He added 33 2B, 15 SB and his .833 SB% (15-18) ranked T3rd in the league. If he doesn't get onto a ballot for the Mitch, the 30-year-old rookie might get some consideration for the Listach Award among the league's top rookies. 229 Ks was 2nd only to Nolan Jones (233) among rookies and only Poovey's Christopher Morel had more in the DMBL this season (237).

Cole Ragans, SP, Poovey Farms

The Dairy Cows drafted Cole Ragans 4th overall. The 2nd SP off the board can make a strong case for the Listach, even up against these batters, but also the Ben McDonald Award as the league's top pitcher. After all, he finished on the heels (2.82) of Vancouver's Tarik Skubal (2.80) for the ERA title. He led rookies in most categories and usually found himself among the league's top 10, including strikeouts (252, 7th), 2n in SLG (.336), 3rd in HR/9 (0.7), and 213.2 IP (7th).

The lefty led the league in QS (25) and QS% (.781). His 19 wins matched Logan Webb of Philly for the league lead and his .731 win % ranked 3rd overall, 2nd to Hoboken's Emmett Sheehan (.833) among rookies.

The one spot where others may have him beat is WHIP, where his 1.18 mark was well behind other rookies, including Cristopher Sanchez of Vancouver (0.94), Hoboken's Alex Faedo (1.11), and Reese Olson of Newark (1.12).

Cristopher Sanchez, SP, Vancouver

While Ragans might be the pick among traditionalists, Vancouver's Cristopher Sanchez might more likely get the nod among SABRmetricians. Drafted 13th overall, he led not just rookies but the entire DMBL in WHIP (0.94) - that's were he's got Ragans beat by a wide margin (1.18). The lefty ranked 2nd among rookies in ERA (3.21), 6th in DMBL, and also 2nd in QS% (.741) behind Ragans and his 20 QS tied for 6th overall. Sanchez led all rookies in K/BB ratio 6.1 (3rd), OBP (.256), R/9 (9.0), H/9 (7.0). One weakness to his candidacy might be the 27 starts, 5 less than Ragans, though he did toss a shutout.

Kodai Senga, SP, Allentown

The 31-year-old was drafted 8th overall in 2023, compiling 244 strikeouts, which 2nd among rookies and 10th overall. He also led the league in walks (106) while sporting a 13-9 record in 203.3 IP with 1 shutout and a 3.59 ERA.

There are a few rookies who deserve at least an honorable mention, if not support on the Listach ballot:

The second pick of the 2nd round last year, 3B Jared Triolo batted .298/.369/.381 with 188 hits, tied for 6th in the league with Jones and 2nd among rookies behind McLain. while he only popped 8 HRs, he scored 87 runs and drove in 76 RBI in 152 games at 3B.

Drafted 18th overall Zack Gelof (.262/.318/.528) might get some attention for the Listach with his team-best 32 HRs and .528 SLG, while adding 33 2B and 10 SB.

1B Triston Casas of Blue Ridge, picked in the 2nd round of the 2023 draft, bopped 28 HR with 81 RBI in 149 games. 3B Josh Jung was drafted a few rounds after Carroll, in the 9th of 2022, hit .302/.325/.604 for Poovey Farms but in only 62 games, compiling 14 HR and 28 RBI.

On the pitching side, SP Reese Olson was drafted 2nd overall and registered an impressive 1.12 WHIP, 8th best in the league. Otherwise, he had a formidable rookie campaign, going 12-8 with a 3.70 ERA and 195 K in 199.1 IP. He logged 16 QS in 31 opportunities (.516). Teammate Tanner Bibee racked up 211 Ks in 191 IP with a pedestrian 13-10 record. While he logged 17 of 32 quality starts (.531), he suffered a rather ghastly 4.95 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. Erie's Gavin Williams sported a solid 14-7 mark and 3.54 ERA but gnarly 1.32 WHIP across 173 innings.

SPs Alex Faedo and Emmet Sheehan filled out the Hoboken rotation behind some veterans. Faedo, the penultimate pick of the 2nd round, notched a 1.11 WHIP, ranking 7th in the league. Sheehan, taken in the 3rd, led the league in win percentage (.833, 15-3) across 24 starts and his 15 wins was 2nd among rookies, tied for 5th in DMBL.

Looking ahead to the 2025 Listach class, we'll be keeping an eye on prospects drafted in 2024 who are eligible likely will be protected: OF Wyatt Langford, Green Lake (1st round, 3rd overall); SP Paul Skenes, Empire City (1st round, 5th overall); CF Jackson Merrill, Newark (5th round); SP Jared Jones, Tucson (19th round); OF Jackson Chourio, Green Lake (3rd round, 2023).