Top 3 Rookie Of The Year Candidates: American League

It'll be tough to top the Class of '22, but as usual this season, there'll be a ton of fresh new talent suiting up in the majors for the first time, looking to make an impact. 

Julio Rodriguez and Adley Rutschman from last season set a pretty high standard for first-year players, but here are three American League freshman who could take home Rookie of the Year in 2023: 

1. Gunnar Henderson, 3B, Baltimore Orioles

So, yeah, when you're the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball heading into the season, your odds of taking home the ROY hardware have to rank you at the top of the list.

The O's 21-year-old could follow up his teammate Rutschman in winning the award, if his brief cameo in September is any indication. He didn't look overmatched in any way, as he posted a .788 OPS with four homers and 18 RBIs in just 34 games. His OPS+ of 123 already made him better than 23% of major league hitters. 

2. Triston Casas, 1B, Boston Red Sox

The BoSox' 23-year-old power bat is the No. 23 prospect overall according to MLB Pipeline. He also had a small taste in September, and although he struggled with his average, he still managed to launch five longballs in only 76 at-bats, and had an OPS+ of 113, indicating he was far from out of his element. 

The first base job in Boston is his.

3. Josh Jung, 3B, Texas Rangers

Another rookie who got his feet wet at the big league level in '22. Jung has dominated in the minors, with a .919 OPS across 153 games at all levels, with 30 HR and 118 RBIs to go with a .311 average. All he needs is to stay healthy.

Honorable mention goes to catcher Logan O'Hoppe of the Los Angeles Angels and right-hander Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros. 

The Top 3 NL Rookie candidates can be found here.

Photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports