AL and NL Rookie of the Year front runners announced

At 11:45 a.m. today, the MLB posted via X their top five Rookie of the Year candidates for both the American and National Leagues.

Starting with the American League, Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle tops the list.

McGonigle was drafted by the Tigers in the first round of the 2023 MLB draft.

McGonigle currently has a .291/.394/.496 slash line through his 237 at-bats this season. He leads all rookies in hits, triples and on base percentage.

McGonigle has become one of Detroit’s most dangerous bats in just a few months, and with trade rumors surrounding the teams ace, Tarik Skubal, McGonigle has been a silver lining in what has been a rough season for the team and it’s fans.

Munetaka Murakami has arguably been one of the most explosive seasons of any rookie in recent memory. Murakami, who was put on the IL on May 30, still leads all rookies in runs, home runs, RBIs, walks, SLG and OPS.

Murakami was posted for signing by the Tokyo Yakult Swallows during the 2025 offseason. And while he did play eight seasons in the NBP, his impact on the southside of the Windy City has been felt tenfold.

Murakami is currently sidelines with a “grade two hamstring” injury according to an injury transaction update by the White Sox. He’ll be expected to return late June to mid-July.

Travis Bazzana was called up from Triple-A Columbus on April 28, getting intentionally walked in his debut against the Tampa Bay Rays. Bazana had yet to record his first career hit, but the Rays weren’t taking any chances with the Aussie prospect.

Bazzana was the first Australian ever selected in the first round and first overall in the MLB draft. Being drafted to Cleveland after his college career with Oregon State.

Cleveland has really struggled to find an answer for their middle infield since Fransico Lindor left for Queens following the 2020 season.

But Bazzana seems to be living up to hype that the organization and its fans hoped he would. The Australian has posted a .263/.350/.431 slash line through his 137 at-bats to this point in the season.

Shifting gears to the National League, it’s no surprise who’s topping the charts. JJ Wetherholt, the top prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2025, and top 10 prospect across the entire league according to Sam Dykstra of MLB.com, has been a massive shot in the arm for the Cardinals.

Wetherholt was drafted by the Cardinals in the first round of the 2024 MLB draft.

He made an immediate impact, recording his first MLB hit and home run in just his second at-bat in the majors. Wetherholt didn’t stop there, however.

The following day, in just his second ever MLB start, in the bottom of the 10th, the rookie stroked a base hit into right field allowing both the tying and winning runs to score. Recording career his first walk-off after only two games.

Sal Stewart has been a bit of a dark horse in this rookie of the year race. In the aforementioned article, a link to the 2025 seasons top 100 prospects had Stewart at 84th. And while make the top 100 is nothing to scoff at, it’s hard to say anyone saw him having the breakout year he’s currently on.

Stewart was drafted 32nd over all in the 2022 MLB draft and has really started to make a name for himself.

With a .254/.348/.455 slash line, Stewart is second or third in several rookie stats, it’s this over shadowed consistency that has kept him somewhat out of the public mind. But do not be fooled, Stewart is absolutely on pace for a possible Rookie of the Year.

With still over half the season left to play, nothing is yet set in stone. But it will be interesting to see how these races shake out as we get closer to October.

Follow Adrian Murillo Silva on Instagram @adrianms_official

About the Author Published Jun 9, 2026

ADRIAN MURILLO SILVA

Adrian Murillo Silva covers both MLB and soccer news for Ball Exclusives. He has previously worked with other news publications such as The Lantern, the independent student voice of Ohio State.