Experts' Awards Picks (cont.)

AL Rookie of the Year

Phillies rookie hurler J.A. Happ posted a major league-best 1.99 ERA on the road. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Tom Verducci: Andrew Bailey, A's.
I really like what Elvis Andrus did at shortstop for the Rangers, but it's tough to get past that OPS+ of 82. Bailey of Oakland gets the call for a phenomenal, if overlooked, season. In the DH era, only two pitchers ever posted a lower WHIP when pitching as many innings as Bailey did: Pedro Martinez (2000) and Jeff Zimmerman (1991). And Bailey is only the league's sixth closer in the DH era to get 25 saves (he had 26) with an ERA 1.84 or better and at least 80 innings pitched -- the first to do it in 19 years. Major league hitters batted .167 against him, including .081 with two outs and runners in scoring position.

Jon Heyman: Rick Porcello, Tigers.
He became a rare 20-year-old to win 14 games (Dwight Gooden was the last one to do it). Plus, he pitched superbly when it counted most, giving the Tigers an excellent chance to win the decider against the Twins in Minnesota. Very tough for his age.

Ted Keith: Bailey.
Gordon Beckham had a fine debut season, and Porcello was a vital part of the Tigers rotation, but no rookie was better, and perhaps no player talked about less, than Bailey. He had 26 saves this season, the same number as all other rookies combined. He also led all first-year relievers in innings pitched (83.1), ERA (1.84) and batting average against (.167) and was second in strikeouts (91).

Joe Posnanski: Bailey.
Extremely close race between Bailey, Detroit's Porcello and Texas' Andrus. Porcello became the first 20-year-old to win 14 games in a season since CC Sabathia in '01, and Andrus played Gold Glove caliber defense for the improved Rangers. But Bailey was pretty dominant as a first-year closer in Oakland. From July 31 on, the league hit .114 with one homer against him, and he finished the year with 25 saves, a 1.84 ERA and 91 K's in 83 innings.

Ben Reiter: Bailey.
The 25-year-old Wagner College alumnus entered the season as perhaps Oakland's third option to close games, behind Joey Devine and Brad Ziegler. He finished it with 26 saves (he blew only four opportunities) and with a better ERA (1.84) than Joe Nathan and Jonathan Papelbon and a better WHIP (0.88) than Mariano Rivera -- a better WHIP than anyone, for that matter, who threw more than 60 innings.

Joe Lemire: Bailey.
Strangely, Bailey was better in the majors -- 6-3, 26 saves, 1.84 ERA, 0.88 WHIP -- than he ever was in the minors, and his emergence solidified the back end of Oakland's bullpen when Devine got hurt and Ziegler didn't repeat his magical '08 season. He edged out 20-year-old Tigers starter Porcello, who won 14 games with a 3.96 ERA, White Sox third baseman Beckham, who batted .270 with 14 home runs and 63 RBIs, and Rangers shortstop Andrus, who stole 33 bases and played terrific defense.

David Sabino: Gordon Beckham, White Sox.
One of about a dozen candidates with no clear frontrunner, my nod goes to Beckham, who sparked Chicago's offense after seizing the starting job at the hot corner. Among his league's rookies, he was first in RBIs (63), second in home runs (14), tied for second in hits (102) and first in extra-base hits (43). Honorable mention to pitchers Porcello of the Tigers (14 wins), Bailey (26 saves) of the Athletics and Tampa Bay's Jeff Niemann (13 wins).

NL Rookie of the Year

Tom Verducci: Chris Coghlan, Marlins.
I can't recall a closer race among five candidates. Three are pitchers: Tommy Hanson, Randy Wells and J.A. Happ. I'll give Happ the edge because he logged almost 40 more innings than Hanson and held the slightest edges over Wells in ERA, innings and strikeouts. Two are everyday players: Andrew McCutchen and Coghlan. I'll give the edge to Coghlan because he had more at-bats, more hits, more total bases, hit 35 points higher and had a better OPS. The final call, between Coghlan and Happ, goes to Coghlan.

Jon Heyman: J.A. Happ, Phillies.
He finished with a superb 12-4 record and excellent 2.93 ERA. But consider, too, that he pitched at Citizens Bank Park, a hitters' haven. On the road he had a baseball-best 1.99 ERA. Maybe he should have been given a bigger chance in the postseason.

Ted Keith: Tommy Hanson, Braves.
Arguably the deepest field of contenders in this year's awards season is in this category. A case could be made for at least a half-dozen players, maybe more, including Coghlan of the Marlins, Dexter Fowler of the Rockies, Casey McGehee of the Brewers, Happ of the Phillies and not one but two Pittsburgh Pirates (yes, Pirates): McCutchen and Garrett Jones. Happ deserved serious consideration, but his numbers, especially as a starter, were not quite as good as Tommy Hanson of the Braves, who gets the call not only for his numbers but for the way he helped transform that team from the moment he made his debut in early June. He went 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA, allowed just a .225/.301/.358 opponents' hitting line and had 8.2 K/9. The Braves, two games under .500 when he was called up, finished with 86 wins at season's end.

Joe Posnanski: Happ.
Another close battle -- this one between Happ and Atlanta's Hanson. They had remarkably similar statistics. Happ went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA. Hanson went 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA. But Happ pitched about 40 more innings. Hanson seems the more likely future star, but I think Happ had the slightly better year. Pittsburgh's 22-year-old center fielder McCutchen had a very good rookie year and he might be the biggest star of the class.

Ben Reiter: Hanson.
There are a number of fine options here -- including McCutchen of the Pirates and Coghlan of the Marlins -- but the vote should come down to Hanson and Phillies starter Happ. The Braves (mistakenly, it appears) waited until early June to promote Hanson from Triple-A Gwinnett, and that gave Happ, who was in the majors all year, a bit of a head start. Happ pitched 38 more innings than Hanson, and won one more game (he was 12-4, Hanson 11-4), but Hanson has the edge in virtually every other category: ERA (2.89 to 2.93), WHIP (1.183 to 1.235), strikeouts per nine innings (8.2 to 6.5). Hanson also simply looked more dominant, and seems to have the brighter future. While that shouldn't matter in selecting a Rookie of the Year, it does.

Joe Lemire: Happ.
Happ began the season as a long reliever but entered the rotation in late May and was Philadelphia's most consistent starter this side of Cliff Lee. Happ went 10-4 with a 2.99 ERA as a starter (and 12-4, 2.93 overall), pitching three complete games, two of them shutouts. His overall body of work gives him the edge over the Braves' Hanson, whose starting numbers (11-4, 2.89) are nearly identical. Honorable mention also goes to McCutchen.

David Sabino: Hanson.
After making his major league debut on June 7, the rookie right-hander rather quietly settled in among the Senior Circuit's finest hurlers, going 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA and placing in the top 10 of multiple categories. He had stiff competition from Pittsburgh's Jones (21 home runs in 82 games) and McCutcheon (.365 OBP), Phillies starter Happ (12 wins, 2.98 ERA) and Milwaukee's McGehee (.301 average, .499 slugging percentage), but Hanson gets the nod.