A’s closer Mason Miller was named the American League Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News this week after posting a 2.49 ERA (1.76 xERA, 2.18 FIP) in 65 innings with an MLB-high 41.8% strikeout rate. He was also the A’s All-Star representative at the Midsummer Classic. While Miller is certainly deserving of the honor, there was also a lot of stiff competition for the award in 2024.
Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith made a name for himself in the postseason, but in the regular year he went 6-1 with a 1.91 ERA (2.50 xERA, 1.40 FIP) in 75 1/3 innings, but he also wasn’t the team’s closer. Smith earned one save this season while Miller closed out 28 games for the A’s, serving as a big difference between the 2023 version of the team and the ’24 squad.
Another AL pitcher that was likely in the mix was Luis Gil of the New York Yankees. He went 15-7 as a starter with a 3.50 ERA (3.83 xERA, 4.14 FIP) in 151 2/3 innings, but he also with less fWAR than both Miller and Smith, despite the huge advantage (or perhaps disadvantage) in innings. Smith led the trio with 2.7 WAR, placing him fourth overall among all rookies, while Miller (2.3) placed seventh, and GIl (2.2) ranked ninth…