Any NL awards – MVP, Cy Young, or Rookie of the Year – for the Nats?
Picks: NL Cy Young – Max Scherzer (8 of 9 votes), NL Rookie of the Year – Juan Soto (8 of 9 votes)
All hail Soto the Wunderkind! At the midway point, District on Deck tabbed the 19-year-old outfielder as the undisputed National League Rookie of the Year.
Soto is batting a remarkable .301/.411/.517 this season and spraying liners all over the field, but his talent might stand out most when he isn’t making contact.
He already leads the Nationals in pitches per plate appearance (4.11). He spits on pitches out of the zone, only swinging at balls 25.3 percent of the time.
For reference, Harper – who has the seventh-most walks in the MLB since 2012 – swung at 34.5 percent of pitches when he was 19 years old. Soto remains extraordinarily comfortable throughout each at-bat, and his .313 OBP with two strikes is evidence of his relaxed approach.
Last month, we analyzed Soto’s competition for the NL Rookie of the Year award, and not much has changed. Soto’s unsightly defense is a black mark against his candidacy, but his mature attitude and impressive power at the dish easily outweigh the negatives.
Scherzer is also the favorite to capture the NL Cy Young award. Scherzer currently sits behind New York’s Jacob deGrom and Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola in WAR and ERA, but his dominance in nearly every category sets him apart. However, the NL East race could tip the scales in Nola’s favor if the Phillies cruise to the playoffs while the Nats falter.