Francisco Lindor named finalist in American League Rookie of the Year voting

In case you have not heard, Francisco Lindor is kind of good at baseball. So kind of good, in fact, that  21-year-old is officially a finalist in the 2015 American League BBWAA  Rookie of the Year voting. Despite the Sabermetric numbers being on his side (and maybe a little bit of personal bias on my side), there is absolutely no guarantee that the Cleveland Indians shortstop will win the award.

His main competition will be Houston Astros own shortstop Carlos Correa, who at one point looked like the runaway favorite for the AL Rookie of the Year award. It was not until Lindor surged toward the end of the season, and his defense had the chance to shine, that he began to make his claim on the award. Lindor will also be competing with Minnesota Twins’ designated hitter Miguel Sano.

Lindor finished 2015 with an outstanding .313/.353/.482 slash and 12 home runs in 99 games for the Tribe, all the while making spectacular plays night after night on defense. His 4.6 fWAR lead all American League rookies and had him 12th in the AL among batters with at least 100 plate appearances. And again, keep in mind: 99 games.

By most accounts, Lindor should have this award wrapped up. But as I talked about in a previous post, Correa has more "traditional" factors on his side, such as more home runs and his team making the playoffs. Either way, Major League Baseball has two great shortstops to look forward to for years to come.

The BBWAA voters submitted their ballots prior to the postseason—as they do every year—but if you really want to campaign for Lindor by putting posters on your front lawn or obnoxious bumper stickers on the back of your minivan, I am certainly not going to be the one to stop you. #Lindor2015, baby.

The winner will be announced next Monday, November 16.