The Cincinnati Reds' breakout season was built on a foundation of electric rookies, but none of them were recognized by the Baseball Writers Association of America in their year-end awards.
MLB announced the three finalists for the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award on Monday – Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll, New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder James Outman.
Carroll has been the heavy favorite to take home the award since the All-Star break, and Senga has long been in the running himself. Outman was a surprise inclusion, however, earning the final spot over several Reds contenders.
Matt McLain was long considered a dark horse to secure the honor, making quite the impression after debuting in May. The shortstop and second baseman even led all qualified NL rookies in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS as of mid August.
A season-ending oblique injury two weeks later cost McLain some count stats, but he still ended the season batting .290 with 16 home runs, 50 RBI, 14 stolen bases, an .864 OPS and a 3.7 WAR in just 89 games.
Steer, on the other hand, appeared in 156 of 162 games while playing first base, second base, third base, left field, right field and designated hitter. He hit .271 with 23 home runs, 86 RBI, 15 stolen bases, an .820 OPS and a 3.0 WAR in 2023.
And thanks to his dynamism in the field, Steer was named a finalist for the NL Utility Gold Glove Award on Thursday.
Elly De La Cruz also stood out as a rookie to watch for the Reds this season, but the shortstop's production suffered a sharp dropoff after his star-making first month. Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Noevli Marte showed flashes in their limited time as well.
Even starting pitcher Andrew Abbott was seen as a threat to contend for NL Rookie of the Year at the season's midpoint. He still managed to give himself a decent shot at garnering scattered votes by rounding out the campaign with an 8-6 record and 3.87 ERA.
Outman put up solid numbers of his own – batting .248 with 23 home runs, 70 RBI, 16 stolen bases, a .790 OPS and 3.3 WAR in 151 games – but he was running behind McLain and Steer, according to most pundits and oddsmakers.
Carroll was likely to win regardless of who the other finalists were, and he is expected to claim his award on Nov. 14. The winners will be revealed that night at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.
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