The American League is filled with excellent candidates to compete for the AL Rookie of the Year Award. You can even say that every team has at least one impact rookie.
In what is shaping up to be one of the most talented rookie classes in recent memory, players like Kevin McGonigle, Cam Schlittler, Carter Jensen, Kazuma Okamoto, Munetaka Murakami, Tatsuya Imai, Samuel Basallo, and Connelly Early, just to name a few, will have a chance to take the award home.
Don’t forget about the Cleveland Guardians, though. There are several excellent rookies on the roster (hello, Parker Messick), but the main candidate is, without a doubt, Chase DeLauter.
Fans, media, and even sports betting sites are in love with DeLauter and are calling him one of the main AL ROY candidates. Analyst Bruce Drennan also thinks he will be fighting for the award.
“Hitting, it’s still a problem. [Chase] DeLauter’s off to a fabulous start and, obviously, ridiculously early. Certainly, if he can keep this up, he will be a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year,” Drennan said.
"Certainly, if he can keep this up, he will be a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year…" 📈
It’s still early, but Bruce thinks Chase DeLauter’s hot start could have him sprinting toward the AL ROY award. #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/gVBFqceUmA
— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) April 15, 2026
DeLauter entered Wednesday’s afternoon game against the St. Louis Cardinals, slashing a healthy .273/.349/.618 with five home runs, 12 RBI, and a 169 wRC+. Not too shabby for a guy whose MLB experience was limited to seven plate appearances in the 2025 postseason.
DeLauter’s swing is a thing of beauty: short, compact, and explosive. Experts believe it is equipped to avoid prolonged slumps and to tap into his considerable raw power.
DeLauter has a solid chance of hitting 25 home runs with above-average offensive performance. The problem has always been injuries.
After being drafted in 2022, the young lefty has played just 138 minor league games while dealing with a wide array of injuries. He entered the spring healthy, though, and that has remained the case except for a brief lower-body scare in March.
Don’t expect DeLauter to play 155 games, but he could win the AL ROY Award even if he plays 135-140. If he keeps hitting as he has in the early stages of the 2026 campaign, it will be hard to vote for another candidate, no matter how talented he is.
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