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Well, that's pretty ridiculous.
In a league that has become more about the hype of a player as opposed to the actual production of one, Wade Miley came in 2nd place for the National League Rookie of the Year voting, trailing Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper. While there is no arguing that the 19 year old Harper certainly had an outstanding season, Miley is the one that was snubbed from winning this award.
Anyone could make a case for either of these players. Both had a WAR (wins above replacement) of 4.8, according to SB Nation affiliate blog, AZ Snakepit. And it's always difficult to compare the stats of a pitcher to those of a hitter and outfielder because, well, their assignments are very different.
But to me, Harper won this award based more on the hype surrounding his name more than anything else. He is a young player with some memorable quotes ("clown question, bro") that happens to play on a popular, East Coast team. Perhaps above all else is that the Nationals were a good team, winning the most games of any team in the MLB. The Diamondbacks, on the other hand, didn't even come close to making the playoffs over the eventual World Series champ Giants.
Call me biased because I cover Arizona sports and live in the greatest state. That's fine. I just see the impact Miley had on his club as being far superior. He was the sole consistent starting pitcher on the whole pitching staff. He could have easily won 20 games had it not been for the on-and-off offense of the D-Backs.
As John Baragona notes in the AZ Snakepit article, pitchers wear down faster than position players, too. So when Miley began to fumble down the stretch, it came as no surprise. How can a guy that is not used to such an arduous season just come in and pitcher for 30 games and almost 200 innings? Harper only played in 139 games, which I think actually helped his stats.
It's okay though. Awards are overrated. When looking into the future, both players look like they can be successful for a very long time. But for my money, give me Miley. He has already shown how much eh can do in just his rookie season.