Abreu’s Rookie of the Year caliber season brings hope Sox can be like O’s originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Two American League Rookie of the Year frontrunners face off when the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles begin their three-game series on Monday.
Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu and O’s outfielder Colton Cowser have been the best rookie position players on the Junior Circuit so far in the 2024 MLB campaign. According to Fanatics Sportsbook, they currently have the fourth and second best odds, respectively, to win the AL ROY award to deserve.
!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r=0;r
The Red Sox acquired Abreu and second baseman Enmanuel Valdez in the 2022 trade that sent veteran catcher Christian Vazquez to the Houston Astros. Time will tell, but that may have been the best move during Chaim Bloom’s tenure as Boston’s Chief Baseball Officer. Abreu ranks second on the team in doubles (13) and OPS (.859), and fourth in home runs (5) and RBI (21).
Abreu’s emergence offers hope that the Red Sox can follow Baltimore’s model of building a powerhouse with young talent. O’s catcher Adley Rutschman was AL ROY runner-up in 2022, shortstop Gunnar Henderson won the award in 2023 and Cowser has a strong chance to earn it in 2024. Young right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, previously the club’s top prospect, has shown ace potential through eight starts this season.
Baltimore’s top talent Jackson Holliday – the number 1 in the MLB – struggled in his first stint in the big league, but undoubtedly has a bright future. Catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo (No. 14), corner infielder Coby Mayo (No. 20) and outfielder Heston Kjerstad (No. 22) are the other O’s ranked in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100.
There is reason to believe that Boston’s young core will soon face off against Baltimore’s. Abreu is on track to join Cowser as Rookie of the Year finalists. All signs point to former top prospect Triston Casas – a third-place finisher in AL ROY last year – developing into a perennial All-Star first baseman. Rookie Ceddanne Rafaela has offensive work to do, but he is already an elite defender at both midfield and shortstop.
The Red Sox have three prospects in the MLB Top 100: shortstop Marcelo Mayer (No. 12), outfielder Roman Anthony (No. 17) and catcher Kyle Teel (No. 30). Each of them is believed to have All-Star upside and is expected to reach the Majors by the end of 2025, if not later this season.
Casas and Abreu’s Rookie of the Year nominations could mark the start of an Orioles-like rise for Boston. That dream will become a reality when the aforementioned “Big Three” Red Sox prospects compete for the prize next year. Like the O’s, the Red Sox will rely heavily on their young talent to vault them from the basement to the top of the AL East.
While Boston’s team-building approach is similar to Baltimore’s, there is one significant difference: the Orioles have not yet locked up any of their young stars to contract extensions. The Red Sox have already signed Rafaela and young righty Brayan Bello – their former top pitcher – to new deals.
The first pitch for Game 1 of the Red Sox-Orioles series is scheduled for 1:05 PM ET at Camden Yards.
