We have a new AL Rookie of the Year favorite. Mason Miller is now the betting favorite to become the next AL Rookie of the Year over Cole Cowser for the Baltimore Orioles. Mason Miller is at +185 on FanDuel and has burst onto the scene this season and helped the Athletics a lot despite all of the other outside noise surrounding the team. Miller has been the best player on the Athletics this season and the odds reflect that.
The Athletics have been dealing with all sorts of issues of late and now they have a great prospect to rally around. On the season, Miller has been great in relief this season. There are already some trade rumors surrounding Miller, even though he is a great young prospect that the fans and team could rally around if they are willing to be patient. If he is traded, it seems like it would be a massive slap in the face to a fanbase that already has every reason to be cynical about the Athletics due to them relocating to Las Vegas.
Mason Miller
Contenders for AL Rookie of the Year
Miller’s emergence on the mound has made this award very close and contested between not just him but also Colton Cowser of the Orioles and Evan Carter of the Rangers.
Here are the MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Mason Miller (+185): Mason Miller is seeing his opportunity this season after getting drafted in the third round of the MLB Draft in 2021. There are not many reasons to watch the Athletics in general because of how much apathy is surrounding the team and the fanbase now that they are relocating to Las Vegas. Mason Miller has given the team hope and something to like, even with the trade rumors already circulating him. Mason Miller has eight saves, a 1.10 ERA, 33 strikeouts, and a 0.67 WHIP through 13 games this season with the Oakland Athletics. Miller came from a small school in Gardner Webb and has been thriving so far in the MLB, but it remains to be seen if he will stay with the Oakland Athletics or be traded before the deadline.
Colton Cowser (+320): Colton Cowser is one of many young talented players that you can seemingly find across the Baltimore Orioles lineup. He is from Houston, Texas, and came out of the 2021 MLB Draft from Sam Houston State as a left fielder. Cowser has had a great year so far with a .277 batting average, a .346 OBP, a .400 SLG, and a .721 OPS. He also has six home runs and 20 RBI so far on the season. He has been a key piece in helping the Baltimore Orioles and their offense be one of the best in the MLB, with a top-10 team batting average of .247. Cowser is a great talent, but he might not win this award because Mason Miller can stand out more on a bad team, while he might just be looked at as one of many good players on the Orioles.
Evan Carter (+500): Evan Carter is one of the best young players in the MLB and is also on a juggernaut of a team in the defending champion Texas Rangers. He came straight out of high school in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and was drafted in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Rangers at left field. This season, Carter has a .218 batting average, a .305 OBP, a .419 SLG, and a .724 OPS. He also has five home runs and 15 RBI. He started the season slow, but the team believes in him, according to Bruce Bochy. Carter is facing two issues regarding this award. The first is that he has had a bit of a slump this year recently. The second is that he has not been amazing behind the plate and the Rangers are still third in team batting average at .258.
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