Rookie of the Year poll: Imanaga strong in NL, but new favorite in AL

June is when the baseball season truly hits its stride, when hot or cold starts usually begin to normalize to give us a more accurate reading of what we can expect from players and teams the rest of the way.

When it comes to the 2024 rookie class, June will be a time to hopefully build on the first two months of impressive performances that have allowed the races for AL and NL Rookie of the Year to come into focus.

Our latest Rookie of the Year poll shows the strength of this season's crop of rookies. A total of seven players – three in the AL and four in the NL – received at least one first-place vote from a group of 41 MLB.com experts.

Players received vote points on a 5-4-3-2-1 scale – five points for a first-place vote, four points for a second-place vote and so on. Here are the results.

All stats are through Sunday.

• Power Rankings: Two teams are separating from the pack

AMERICAN LEAGUE

1. Luis Gil Yankees (26 first-place votes)

In the absence of Gerrit Cole, Gil has emerged as a near carbon copy of the Yankees' ace. Through 11 starts, the 26-year-old has pitched to a 7-1 record, a 1.99 ERA and more than 11 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. He leads the Yankees in all three of those categories and has also allowed a rotation-low 29 hits across 63 1/3 innings. In fact, his 4.12 hits allowed per nine innings is the best in baseball.

Gil, named the AL Pitcher and Rookie of the Month for May, has been a very pleasant surprise for New York, but he's been exactly what the Yankees needed with Cole rehabbing an elbow injury. And he's been a big reason why the Yanks remain in first place in the AL East.

2. Mason Miller, Athletics (7 first-place votes)

Miller has a case as the most electric pitcher in baseball. With a fastball that often exceeds 100 mph and a big slider that keeps hitters off-balance, Oakland's closer has produced an elite 45.2 percent whiff rate and 51.5 percent strikeout rate.

He has nearly twice as many strikeouts as innings pitched (51 K's in 26 innings), has held opponents to a .149 average and has converted 11 of 12 save opportunities for the A's. In other words, Miller has been about as automatic as a closer can be.

3. Colton Cowser, Orioles (7 first-place votes)

The Orioles' roster is full of young talent, and Cowser has been among the standouts this season. The outfielder carried an OPS of 1.004 into May and kept it at a very respectable .892 as late as May 19. A recent offensive downturn has caused that number to dip, but Cowser showed enough in the first two months to give reason to believe that was closer to what we can expect from him as the summer months loom.

His seven homers show that there's definitely pop in the bat, and his strong work as a defender (he's in the 99^th percentile for range and arm strength) only adds to his overall value.

4. Wilyer Abreu, Red Sox

Abreu's debut in 2023 showed what was possible – .862 OPS in 85 plate appearances – and he's carried that success into 2024. In his 189 plate appearances through June 2, Abreu showed his ability to hit for average and slug.

In addition to his six homers, he's second on the team in doubles (14) and tied for second in triples (two). He's had just 17 games this season in which he didn't reach base via a hit or walk. That means he's reached first at least once in 68 percent of Boston's games. That, combined with his work in the outfield, have him on pace for around 4 bWAR. That'll play.

5. Wyatt Langford, Rangers

Langford has had an injury-shortened season so far, but he's shown flashes of why the Rangers see him as a big part of their future. Langford is capable of driving the ball with authority, as evidenced by his 19 balls in play of 100 mph or higher. He's twice recorded hits of 111-plus mph and has crushed outs at more than 100 mph nine times. This is why his expected batting average (.255) is more than 30 percentage points higher than his actual average.

Considering that Langford has elite sprint speed in the 97^th percentile, a little more luck with the bat should make his overall numbers appear much more impressive.

Others receiving votes: Evan Carter (1 first-place vote), Ceddanne Rafaela, Simeon Woods Richardson, Wenceel Pérez, Cade Smith, Colt Keith, Mitch Spence, Kyle McCann, David Hamilton, Junior Caminero

NATIONAL LEAGUE

1. Shota Imanaga, Cubs (28 first-place votes)

Imanaga spent most of the first two months as the best starting pitcher in baseball by ERA, and he's kept himself in that conversation as June gets underway. He allowed no runs or one run in seven of his 10 starts through May and had more strikeouts (59) than innings pitched (58), despite a four-seam fastball that averages about 92 mph.

But that "slow" fastball has proven to be the most valuable in baseball for much of the season, which is a big reason why Imanaga has already been worth 2.4 bWAR, which ranks second in the NL among pitchers. He's also generated an overall chase rate of nearly 36 percent, well above the league average of 28.4 percent.

2. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers (4 first-place votes)

Yamamoto generated the most buzz of any rookie pitcher coming into the season, and the righty has made a case that the hype was at least reasonable. He's in the top 10 in the NL in strikeouts (76 K's in 65 innings) and has pitched to a 6-2 record and a 3.32 ERA for the Dodgers, and has thrown the second-most innings (65) among the team's rotation arms.

Yamamoto hasn't been the most flashy pitcher, but the results so far have been in line with what LA hoped to get when it signed him to a 12-year, $325 million contract in the offseason.

3. Paul Skenes, Pirates (7 first-place votes)

Skenes brought almost other-worldly hype as he made his MLB debut last month, and he's been appointment viewing so far when he takes the mound for the Pirates. Through four starts, the righty is 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 22 innings.

His 32.7 percent strikeout rate ranks in MLB's 98th percentile, thanks to a triple-digit four-seamer and a split-finger pitch that generates whiffs at a 40.3 percent clip and has opponents hitting a microscopic .067. Of Skenes' four starts, the clear standout came May 17 in Chicago, when he struck out 11 Cubs and walked none in six innings of no-hit ball.

4. Masyn Winn, Cardinals (2 first-place votes)

Winn's addition to this list comes after a breakout May in which he hit .309 and put together an 18-game hitting streak for the Cardinals. During the streak, Winn hit .377 with a .974 OPS and had a number of clutch hits for St. Louis.

But the offense was only part of his contribution to the Cardinals' first full month above .500 since last July. Winn has played stellar defense and has already accounted for six defensive runs saved, which is tops among all MLB shortstops. The total package makes him a prime candidate to climb the rookie rankings as the season progresses.

5. Jared Jones, Pirates

Jones has had an impressive start to his MLB career. The 22-year-old righty has pitched to a 3.55 ERA in 11 starts for the Pirates, with a team-leading 70 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings and just 12 walks. He's averaging nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings to go with a 1.01 WHIP.

His whiff and chase rates are both in MLB's 93^rd percentile, and he boasts a strong slider that has limited batters to just a .163 average. Not just that, but opponents tend to make weak contact off Jones, with an average exit velocity of just 89.2 mph.

Others receiving votes: Joey Ortiz, Jackson Merrill, Michael Busch, Ben Brown, Gavin Stone, Jacob Young, Jackson Chourio, Robert Gasser, Christian Scott