Arguments may be made about talent levels and style of play whenever the National League is compared with the American League.
But in the calibre of rookies this season, there is no debate at all.
The first-year talent in the NL is a 98-mph fastball ahead.
Even under the assumption that the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is the front-runner for Rookie-of-the-Year (ROY) honours, thanks to his spectacular first month, it is the first-year pitchers in the NL that will likely be remembered from the Class of 2013.
Jose Fernandez of the low-budget Miami Marlins is the best of the pitching kids, through the grind-it-out days of mid-August. The right-hander, who just turned 21, has a 2.58 earned-run average and an 8-5 record for a team that struggles to score. Part of his success can be attributed to a self-help program: he strikes out batters at a clip of more than one per inning.
"He continues to get better each time," his manager, Mike Redmond, told the Miami Herald. "I'm biased, but I can't imagine there being a better rookie than him."
A case can be made for three, however. Shelby Miller of St Louis Cardinals is 11-7 with a 2.89 ERA and a strikeout ratio better than one per inning, too. Ryu Hyun-jin of the Dodgers has become an instant hero of the substantial Korean community in LA, thanks to his 11-3 mark and 2.99 ERA. Most years, Julio Teheran of Atlanta Braves (9-5, 2.96 ERA) would be the centre of ROY attention. This year, he is a longshot.
Puig set the bar high from his first week in the big leagues, in early June. His two-month numbers (.376 average, .441 on-base percentage, 11 home runs, 26 runs batted in, seven stolen bases) are just part of the story. His strong arm and willingness to challenge outfield fences while chasing fly balls has attracted attention, and his sense of drama is impeccable.
Most importantly, the Dodgers went from fourth place to first since his arrival.
In the American League, it is hard to discern a race at all. Before Wil Myers of Tampa Bay Rays was brought up from the minor leagues in the middle of June, the only rookie of note in the league was the infielder Jose Iglesias of Boston Red Sox, since traded to Detroit Tigers to fill the spot vacated by the suspended drugs cheat Jhonny Peralta. But Iglesias is a defensive star and that rarely impresses ROY voters.
Myers, 22, was moved into the clean-up spot soon after his promotion and has responded (.331 average, eight home runs, 30 RBI).
Like Puig, he has led a Tampa Bay surge that took them from the bottom of the division to a battle for first place.
In the NL, though, Myers would be just another face in the crowd.
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