The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association has been handing out a Tigers Rookie of the Year award since 1969, counting Mark Fidrych, Lou Whitaker, Curtis Granderson and Justin Verlander among the previous winners. On Monday, they announced the 2012 award, giving it to outfielder Quintin Berry over left-hander Drew Smyly.
Berry hit .258/.330/.354 with two homers, 29 RBI and 21 steals in 291 at-bats for the Tigers last season. He did have a nice run when he first came up, but he hit just .218/.270/.293 in 147 at-bats after the All-Star break.
Baseball-reference puts him at 0.2 WAR for his performance.
Smyly likewise started off better than he finished, but in his case, it was a couple of midseason DL stints that really held him back. He went 4-3 with a 3.99 ERA and a 94/33 K/BB ratio in 99 1/3 innings overall.
That was good for 1.5 WAR at Baseball-reference
Fangraphs WAR does have the two players closer, as it gives Berry a bit more credit for his baserunning and defense. Still, Smyly has a 1.7 to 1.0 lead there.
And I think that’s about right. Berry was a liability after his fast start and struggled in the postseason as well, if the DSBA is taking that into account. Smyly also made most of his impact early, but that impact was more valuable than Berry’s. Also, he pitched well in a couple of late spot starts while the Tigers were putting away the White Sox, allowing just an unearned run over 9 2/3 innings in the team’s 152nd and 157th games of the season. Not that it should matter to anyone outside of Detroit, but Smyly deserved this award.
