2019 MLB All-Rookie Team

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With each passing year, another rookie record falls.

In 2017, Aaron Judge set a new rookie record with 52 home runs. In 2018, Juan Soto recorded a historic .406 on-base percentage for a teenager.

In 2019, it was Pete Alonso’s turn.

The Mets’ first baseman hit a rookie-record 53 home runs to lead another banner season for rookies. Alonso shined brightest in a season where baseball’s top three prospects—Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr. and Eloy Jimenez—debuted and showed flashes of why they are considered future franchise players.

In addition to Alonso’s record-setting season, Will Smith tied a rookie record for most home runs to start a career, Bryan Reynolds made a run at becoming the first National League rookie to even win a batting title and Yordan Alvarez broke Albert Pujols’ record for most RBIs in the first 30 games of a player’s career.

Rookies stood out at every position across the diamond, pushing many worthy players off the All-Rookie team. Pirates shortstop Kevin Newman, Nationals outfielder Victor Robles, D-backs first baseman Christian Walker and Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado all made big impacts for their respective teams but were pushed off by the sheer depth of this year’s rookie class.

Similarly, Indians righthander Zach Plesac, D-backs righthander Zac Gallen and Brewers righthander Adrian Houser all had worthy seasons on the mound and would have made the team in weaker years.

Players must be eligible for the American and National League Rookie of the Year awards to make the All-Rookie team.

C Will Smith, Dodgers

The latest of the Dodgers’ impact rookies, Smith made his major league debut in late May and took over as primary catcher by the end of July. The 2016 first-round pick from Louisville tied Rhys Hoskins’ major league record with 12 home runs in his first 28 games and finished the season with 15 homers and a .571 slugging percentage, both highest among rookie catchers. Behind the plate, Smith allowed just two passed balls in 46 games and graded above-average in various pitch-framing metrics, living up to his reputation as a potentially premium defensive catcher.

AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	2B	HR	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
.253	.337	.571	170	30	43	9	15	0	15	42	18	52	2

1B Pete Alonso, Mets

Alonso hit a rookie-record 53 home runs in a mesmerizing season, surpassing Aaron Judge’s previous record of 52 and leading the majors. The 2016 first-rounder from Florida also led the National League with 85 extra-base hits, just shy of the rookie record of 89 set by Hal Trosky in 1934. Overall, Alonso finished in the top 10 in the National League in total bases (second), RBIs (third), slugging percentage (sixth), OPS (seventh) and runs (ninth), in addition to leading in homers and extra-base hits, guiding the Mets to their first winning season in three years and posting one of the loudest rookie seasons of all time.

AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	2B	HR	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
.260	.358	.583	597	103	155	30	53	2	53	120	72	183	1

2B Keston Hiura, Brewers

Hiura debuted in May and became the Brewers’ starting second baseman by the All-Star break. The 2017 first-rounder from UC Irvine spent more than two months of the season in the minors and missed two weeks late in the year with a hamstring strain, but he still led all rookie second basemen with 23 doubles and 19 home runs. Long lauded for his bat, Hiura delivered a .938 OPS that ranked fourth among rookies who played at least 81 games, trailing only Pete Alonso, Yordan Alvarez and Fernando Tatis Jr.

AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	2B	HR	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
.303	.368	.570	314	51	95	23	19	2	19	49	25	107	9

3B Tommy Edman, Cardinals

Productive but unheralded throughout his career, Edman debuted in mid-June and became the Cardinals’ primary third baseman by the end of the month. The 2016 sixth-rounder out of Stanford proved to be a spark plug and table-setter at the top of St. Louis’ lineup, batting .304 with an .850 OPS—seventh highest among rookies who played at least 81 games—while hitting mostly in either the No. 1 or 2 spots in the order. He also stole 15 bases in 16 attempts. Edman’s mix of contact, basestealing acumen and surprising power earned him the bulk of the starts at third base ahead of Matt Carpenter after his callup, but he also capably played second base and right field and appeared in center field and left field, as well.

AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	2B	HR	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
.302	.350	.500	326	59	99	17	11	7	11	36	16	61	15

SS Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres

Tatis’ season was limited by a hamstring strain that knocked him out for five weeks and a stress reaction in his back that ended his season in August, but he thrilled when he was healthy. Tatis finished with 22 home runs and 16 stolen bases despite playing just 84 games, and his feats of baserunning and defense became a nightly staple of highlight reels. Consistent as well as flashy, Tatis’ .317 batting average and .969 OPS were both second highest among rookies who played at least half of the season.

AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	2B	HR	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
.317	.379	.590	334	61	106	13	22	6	22	53	30	110	16

OF Eloy Jimenez, White Sox

Jimenez went on the injured list twice and still hit 31 home runs, second most among rookies behind only Pete Alonso. The bruising, powerful 22-year-old showed what he was really capable of unencumbered by injuries. From July on, he hit. 284/.327/.541. Expect more offensive fireworks from Jimenez in the future. According to MLB Statcast data, he ranked top 30 in the majors in hard-hit rate and average exit velocity on fly balls.

AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	2B	HR	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
.267	.315	.513	468	69	125	18	31	2	31	79	30	134	0

OF Bryan Reynolds, Pirates

Reynolds opened his career with an 11-game hitting streak and never stopped, making a run at becoming the first National League rookie to ever win a batting title before coming up short in the season’s final month. He settled for finishing in the top 10 in the league in both batting average (.314) and doubles (37) and finished just outside the top 10 in on-base percentage (.377). The 2016 second-rounder from Vanderbilt also displayed valuable defensive versatility, playing all three outfield spots for the Pirates.

AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	2B	HR	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
.314	.377	.503	491	83	154	37	16	4	16	68	46	121	3

OF Yordan Alvarez, Astros

Alvarez homered in his major league debut on June 9, a harbinger of the destruction he was about to inflict on the American League. The 22-year-old hit .314 with 27 home runs and 78 RBIs in just 87 games—the third-most home runs by a rookie—and his 1.067 OPS ranked fifth in the majors from the date of his debut. Primarily a DH, Alvarez saw time in left field as well, but it was his bat that defined him regardless of position.

AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	2B	HR	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
.313	.412	.655	313	58	98	26	27	0	27	78	52	94	0

DH Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays

The No. 1 prospect entering the year made his long-awaited debut on April 26 and hit a double in the top of the ninth inning to put the eventual winning run in scoring position. While a 6-for-41 start weighed down his overall numbers, Vlad Jr. was still one of just five rookies this season with at least 125 hits and 15 home runs, and he was the youngest of them to do it at only 20 years old.

AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	R	H	2B	HR	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB
.272	.339	.433	464	52	126	26	15	2	15	69	46	91	0

SP Mike Soroka, Braves

After a shoulder injury cut short his debut season a year ago, Soroka got another try as a rookie in 2019 and emerged as one of the majors’ top starters the year he turned 22. Soroka’s 2.68 ERA led all rookies and ranked fifth in the major leagues, and he did it while holding up over 174.2 innings, tied for third most among rookies. He proved especially adept at keeping the ball in the park. His home run rate of 0.72 per nine innings was second lowest in the majors.

W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	R	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
13	4	2.68	29	29	0	175	56	153	56	52	14	41	142

SP Dakota Hudson, Cardinals

Hudson got off to an inauspicious start, then surged to give the Cardinals a second young ace to pair with Jack Flaherty. After posting a 5.79 ERA in his first five starts, the 2016 first-rounder from Mississippi State logged a 2.99 ERA the rest of the way to help the Cardinals win their first division title since 2015. While the sinker-baller missed a below-average number of bats and led the majors with 86 walks, he proved extremely difficult to square up. Hudson limited batters to a .230/.327/.368 slash line from May through the end of the season, and his 56.9 percent ground ball rate was the highest in the major leagues.

W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	R	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
16	7	3.35	33	32	1	175	80	160	80	65	22	86	136

SP Chris Paddack, Padres

Paddack jumped straight from Double-A to the Padres’ Opening Day roster and experienced both highs and lows in his rookie season. The 2015 eighth-rounder got off to a brilliant start (1.93 ERA in his first nine starts), struggled through a rocky middle (5.32 ERA in his next 13 starts) and rebounded for a strong finish (0.77 ERA in his final four starts). Altogether, Paddack ranked second among rookie starters (min. 100 IP) with a 3.33 ERA and 153 strikeouts, solidifying himself as a key component of the Padres’ rebuild.

W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	R	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
9	7	3.33	26	26	0	141	58	107	58	52	23	31	153

SP John Means, Orioles

Means emerged from relative obscurity to become a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season for the Orioles. The 2014 11th-rounder from West Virginia remade himself during offseason workouts and came back with a few extra ticks of fastball velocity and a devastating changeup that placed third best in the American League in Best Tools balloting. As a result, he ranked fourth among rookie starters (min. 100 innings) in wins (12) and ERA (3.60) and was Baltimore’s lone All-Star Game representative.

W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	R	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
12	11	3.60	31	27	0	155	68	138	68	62	23	38	121

SP Sandy Alcantara, Marlins

Alcantara got little run support but emerged as a workhorse the rebuilding Marlins could count on. The 24-year-old led all rookies with 197.1 innings and was one of just three pitchers in the majors to throw two complete game shutouts this season, along with Lucas Giolito and Shane Bieber. Alcantara finished with a 3.88 ERA, seventh among rookies with at least 100 innings, and earned his first All-Star selection.

W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	R	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO
6	14	3.88	32	32	0	197	94	179	94	85	23	81	151

RP Nick Anderson, Marlins/Rays

A product of NAIA Mayville in North Dakota who pitched three seasons of independent ball, Anderson emerged as an unlikely relief ace this year with the Marlins and then the Rays after a midseason trade. The 28-year-old righthander struck out 41.7 percent of the batters he faced this season, second highest in the majors behind only Josh Hader among pitchers who threw at least 60 innings. He was at his best in the heat of the pennant race. After joining the Rays at the trade deadline, he struck out 41 of the 78 batters he faced.