Joey Wendle: The Best Rookie You’ve Never Heard Of
Rookies are awesome. The alluring nexus of potential and kinetic talent, the unassuming exuberance of “just happy to be here,” and the tension-and-release of finally seeing prospects in action all contribute to our infatuation. We give out a special award to the best rookies in each league just because we’re so happy you’re finally here!
This rookie class is as gifted as any other in history. In the NL, out-of-this-world prospects Ronald Acuña, Juan Soto, and Walker Buehler have already become the newest generation of superstars. However, a few out-of-nowhere rookies kept pace with them all year: Harrison Bader and Dereck Rodriguez. In the AL, it’s become a three-way race for the Rookie of the Year between Angels’ dual threat Shohei Ohtani and Yankee infielders Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar.
There’s a fourth AL rookie who might deserve consideration with the big three: Tampa Bay Rays utility man Joey Wendle doesn’t have the prospect pedigree or backstory of Ohtani, Torres, and Andujar. He doesn’t play in a big market like New York or Los Angeles (Anaheim, whatever). The chasm between numbers and narrative is wider in reference to awards voting than it is anywhere else in baseball. All the same, Wendle’s performance this year deserves as much recognition as any other rookie in the league.
Meet Joey Wendle
Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar, ages 21 and 23 respectively, were among the consensus top prospects in baseball prior to this season. Ohtani, also 23, was the toast of Japan as a pitcher and hitter. Wendle, a 28-year-old with his third organization, received considerably less fanfare.
Wendle was drafted by Cleveland in the sixth round of the 2012 draft as a left-handed hitting second baseman from West Chester University. He hit pretty well in his first three minor league seasons, albeit against a lot of younger competition, and spent most of 2014 in double-A. The following winter he was traded to Oakland straight up for Brandon Moss. He spent the next three years playing well at triple-A Nashville, just not well enough to be noticed. He did earn 28 games in the majors in 2016 and eight more in 2017, but by age-27, he had failed to force his way permanently onto a big league roster.
This past December, the Rays acquired him for a player-to-be-named-later (minor leaguer Jonah Heim). Most likely, the A’s just didn’t have room for him on the 40-man roster, and needed to clear spots for better prospects ahead of the Rule V Draft. In other words, they didn’t think too much of him.
Wendle played well enough in Spring Training (.327/.386/.558) to make the Rays’ Opening Day roster. He hasn’t been back to the minor leagues since. Through 488 PA this season, he’s batting .292/.342/.421 with 13 stolen bases. He’s now their primary second baseman, though he also spent plenty of time at third base, shortstop, and left field.
Rookie Comparisons
Maybe a 28-year-old with bits of MLB experience in 2016 and 2017 doesn’t fit your schema of a classic rookie. Nevertheless, he’s still rookie eligible, and therefore deserves fair consideration for the Rookie of the Year. Here are the AL rookie position player leaders in fWAR:
| Name | PA | wRC+ | Def | BsR | WAR |
| Joey Wendle | 488 | 110 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 2.9 |
| Shohei Ohtani | 316 | 162 | -7.5 | 1.2 | 2.8 |
| Miguel Andujar | 552 | 129 | -15.6 | 1.9 | 2.4 |
| Gleyber Torres | 434 | 127 | -6.2 | -2.0 | 2.1 |
(*Ohtani also has 1.0 fWAR as a pitcher, which is not included in this total.)
Given the vastly superior offense of Ohtani, Andujar, and Torres, it’s surprising to see Wendle on top of the leaderboard. While he’s still a pretty good hitter, it’s defense that gives him a clear advantage. Torres has been below average at second base and flat-out bad at shortstop, with -14.0 UZR/150 at the former and -24.1 UZR/150 at the latter. Ohtani is strictly a DH when he isn’t pitching. Andujar is one of the worst defensive players in baseball at any position.
On the other hand, Wendle compiled six DRS across all positions this year. His 10.2 UZR/150 at second base is the best in the AL and third best in baseball (minimum 700 innings):
| Name | Inn | UZR/150 |
| Kolten Wong | 827.2 | 19.8 |
| DJ LeMahieu | 986.2 | 11.0 |
| Joey Wendle | 731.2 | 10.2 |
| Ian Kinsler | 1015.0 | 9.5 |
Wendle won’t win the Rookie of the Year (it should probably be Ohtani). He won’t even be a finalist, and it’s possible he doesn’t get a single down-ballot vote. He hasn’t carved out a place among the crowded rookie class narratives, but his total contribution on the field – on offense, defense, and the base paths – rates with any of his rookie contemporaries.
