Why Angels’ Shohei Ohtani will beat Yankees’ Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres for Rookie of the Year

The 2018 American League Rookie of the Year will come down to three players: Los Angeles Angels DH/pitcher Shohei Ohtani, New York Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar, or Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres. Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge won the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2017. Catcher Gary Sanchez finished second in voting in 2016.

The Yankees have not one, but two American League Rookie of the Year candidates in third baseman Miguel Andujar and second baseman Gleyber Torres.

But it’s looking like Angels DH/pitcher Shohei Ohtani will be taking home the hardware.

Here’s the case for Ohtani, per The Athletic’s Jayson Stark:

If Shohei Ohtani and his world-famous ulnar collateral ligament had just made it through the entire season un-torn, he would have made this an easy choice. Because that ligament had other ideas, however, it wasn’t such an easy choice.

Not in a year when the Yankees did something they’d never done — have two rookie position players (Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres) hit more than 20 home runs. (There was a time, by the way, when the only two Yankees rookies who had ever hit 20 were Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio. But we digress.)

Nevertheless, here’s why Ohtani-san is still the right choice: Because even though he didn’t get 500 plate appearances as a hitter, as Andujar did, he was on the field for more than 550 plate appearances — 211 of them as a pitcher, the rest as a hitter. And no one in this sport has been part of 200-plus plate appearances as a pitcher and 300-plus as a hitter in the same year since (who else?) George H. (Bambino) Ruth. A mere century ago.

But Shohei Ohtani didn’t just log playing time. He logged star-level playing time. His OPS+ as a hitter is 150. Among AL position players who got to the plate as much as he did, here are the only men who beat him in OPS+: Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, Alex Bregman and Jose Ramirez. Pretty distinguished group, right?

MY AL ROY “BALLOT”: 1) Ohtani, 2) Andujar, 3) Torres, 4) Joey Wendle, 5) Brad Keller.

What’s Yankees’ magic number for home field?

If Andujar or Torres somehow beats Ohtani, he will become the second straight Rookie of the Year winner for the Yankees, who watched Aaron Judge run away with the award in 2017. Catcher Gary Sanchez finished second in voting in 2016.

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.