The hottest rookies of the past two weeks

They say these are the dog days of summer. The list of rookies below would beg to differ.

This edition of our Rookie Hot List are based entirely on performances from Aug. 18-31 and features a number of hitters who found their power strokes and one who passed up a Hall of Famer. Not to be outdone, a number of hurlers were downright nasty on the mound. All the players have graduated from our organization Top 30 Prospects lists unless otherwise noted.

1. Bobby Dalbec, 1B/3B, Red Sox
The Red Sox have struggled to find a consistent performer at first base for much of 2021, but if Dalbec can stay this hot, they can take down the “Help Wanted” ad. Dalbec hit .321/.424/.821 for the week, with four homers and nine RBIs. That gave the slugger nine homers and 21 RBIs, not to mention a 1.205 OPS, for the month of August, and he’s now tied for fifth among all rookies with 18 home runs for the season.

2. Ryan Mountcastle, 1B, Orioles
Mountcastle led all rookies with 35 total bases over the previous two weeks, leading to a robust 1.037 OPS, and he hit six balls out of the park while driving in 10. A reduced strikeout rate helped the AL Rookie of the Year candidate to hit .357/.397/.786 in August and he’s third among all rookies in OPS for the season (first in the AL at .819) and tied for second with 25 homers.

3. Patrick Wisdom, 3B, Cubs (unranked on Chicago Top 30)
Wisdom trailed only Mountcastle with his 32 total bases during the period, and he slugged .842, thanks to his seven home runs. His 13 RBIs led rookies over the last two weeks, and he currently leads all rookies for the year with his .897 OPS, sitting in that second-place tie with Mountcastle in homers (25).

4. Andy Ibanez, 2B, Rangers (unranked on Texas Top 30)
Although Ibanez landed on the injured list with a hamstring strain on Monday, he made the most of his time before the injury, picking up hits in his first nine games of the period. That included seven straight multi-hit games which led to a gaudy .462/.500/.692 line over the past two weeks.

5. Wander Franco, SS, Rays
Franco deserves to be on list strictly for passing Hall of Famer Mel Ott by reaching base in 31 straight games at age 20 or younger, with only Mickey Mantle’s 36-game streak that stretched from the end of 1951 to the start of 1952 ahead of him. The former No. 1 overall prospect also hit .375/.444/.500 over the period while driving in nine runs, bringing his season line up to .273/.336/.440.

6. Carlos Hernández, RHP, Royals
Hernández moved into the Royals’ rotation in mid-July and has largely made the most of it with a 3.38 ERA and .214 batting average against in seven starts. That included one start during his period, a seven-inning gem during which he gave up just one run on four hits and three walks while striking out eight on Aug. 22. Perhaps more impressive was when he was pressed into relief duty on Aug. 27 -- a day before a scheduled start -- and he promptly retired the first 14 batters he faced and gave up on unearned run on one hit over 5 1/3 IP, giving him a 0.71 ERA and .122 BAA for the period.

7. Alek Manoah, RHP, Blue Jays
The big right-hander had two more solid starts, allowing three runs on eight hits over 12 1/3 IP, walking three and striking out 13. Since coming off the injured list on July 31, Manoah has gone at least six innings in four of his last six starts, including both of his outings this period, and has lowered his season ERA to 3.15, second among all rookie pitchers who qualify, while his .199 BAA is also second lowest.

8. Brandon Marsh, OF, Angels
The general feeling is that if Marsh is healthy and playing every day, he’s going to hit. So no one was pressing any panic buttons when he batted .190/.277/.262 over his first 13 games after being called up in July. Sure enough, the left-handed-hitting outfielder posted a .395/.435/.605 line over the last two weeks, with 10 RBIs. That’s enabled him to bring his season numbers up to a much more respectable .272/.340/.382 with a big up arrow next to his name.

9. Emmanuel Clase, RHP, Indians
Since blowing three straight save opportunities in July, Clase hasn’t allowed a run across a span of 19 outings. Over the last two weeks, he tossed seven shutout frames and allowed just two hits (.083 BAA), striking out eight without issuing a walk. His two saves give him 19 for the year (putting him in position to become the first rookie to record 20 saves in a season since 2015) to go along with a 1.44 ERA and .198 BAA

10. Bailey Ober, RHP, Twins
The 6-foot-9 right-hander continues to show he can get big league hitters out without wow stuff, giving up a couple of runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out 12 over 11 IP during the period. That let him finish August with a 2.30 ERA and a ridiculous 26/3 K/BB ratio in 27 1/3 IP. His 67-percent strike rate puts him in the top 25 among all big league pitchers who have thrown 1,000 pitches (average is 63.8 percentage) or more this season (and tops among rookies).