The Freshman Class Runs Deeper Than One Bat

The first-year players worth watching.

Today belongs to the rookies. A few are doing veteran work, one is hiding in plain sight on a contender, and a pair of arms is quietly keeping runs off the board. Here's the class so far.

The rookie class

Top first-year players, hitters by OPS (minimum real playing time).

Bryce Eldridge leads the freshman bats at .956, but the steadiest name is Munetaka Murakami at .938 with 20 home runs. On the mound, Bradgley Rodriguez has a tidy 2.23 ERA, with Walbert Ureña close behind at 2.44.

• Bryce EldridgeSan Francisco Giants0.956OPS rookie
• Munetaka MurakamiChicago White Sox0.938OPS rookie
• Colt EmersonSeattle Mariners0.884OPS rookie
• Tristan PetersChicago White Sox0.818OPS rookie
• TJ RumfieldColorado Rockies0.809OPS rookie
• Bradgley RodriguezSan Diego Padres2.23ERA rookie
• Walbert UreñaLos Angeles Angels2.44ERA rookie

Stats via the MLB Stats API. Colors, form scores and power rankings are Baseball Lens's own.