Bibee a finalist for Rookie of the Year
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CLEVELAND -- When the Guardians’ rotation seemed to be in trouble, losing all five starters from their Opening Day roster at different points of the year, it was rookie Tanner Bibee who kept everything together by pitching like a seasoned veteran. And now, he’s receiving national attention for his efforts.
Bibee has been named a finalist for the 2023 American League Rookie of the Year Award, joining Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas and Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson. The winner will be revealed on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.
Once in a while, a pitcher can be so dominant that they work themselves into an MVP discussion (we’re not including the enigma that is Shohei Ohtani in this group), but it’s usually just the Rookie of the Year vote that requires analysis of both pitchers and position players, which can be difficult to compare.
There were a handful of rookie position players who had solid 2023 campaigns, and Casas and Henderson were clearly at the top of that list. But when it comes to AL rookie pitchers, Bibee stood alone. Among AL rookies who tossed at least 100 innings, Bibee led in ERA (2.98), expected ERA (3.66), FIP (3.52), fWAR (3.0), left-on-base percentage (80 percent) and home runs per nine innings (0.82), while ranking second among AL rookies in innings pitched (142, behind Hunter Brown’s 155 2/3).
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“This is a really competitive kid who is the type of person who is trying to get everything he possibly can out of the coaching staff, out of himself, out of his teammates,” Guardians general manager Mike Chernoff said, “and it’s been really impressive just to watch him bring that consistent attitude every day.”
Bibee’s results shouldn’t just be compared to rookie hurlers. Of all Major League pitchers in 2023, the 24-year-old righty was one of just six to own a sub-3.00 ERA among those who threw at least 140 innings. His 0.82 HR/9 also ranked seventh amongst such pitchers.
“I mean, we had heard wonderful things about Tanner coming up through the Minor League system,” Chernoff said. “His ability to make adjustments, just the growth that he had and the competitor that he was. It was pretty clear the type of competitor he was when he showed up here and that was pretty neat to see. And he actually made some tweaks with his delivery while he was up here. He was able to adjust on the fly.”
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Bibee could have had an even more compelling case if he hadn’t been placed on the injured list in the middle of September with right hip inflammation. He ended his season on a one-run, 5 1/3-inning performance against the future World Series champion Rangers when he was removed from the game due to hip soreness. As much as he wished to make his final two starts of the season, the Guardians wanted to be sure that Bibee wouldn’t injure himself further and wouldn’t throw too many innings in his first season in the Majors.
Regardless of the abrupt ending to his season, Bibee not only proved that he belonged in the big leagues, but he also showed that if the veterans are out of commission, he has no problem stepping up to lead the staff.