Mets’ Kodai Senga named 2023 National League Rookie of the Year finalist
Major League Baseball announced the 2023 Rookie of the Year finalists for both the National and American Leagues on Monday, and unsurprisingly, Mets starter Kodai Senga was among the group.
Senga signed with New York on a five-year, $75 million deal last offseason and that’s quickly looking to be a steal. The right-hander was able to work through some early season adjustments and pitched like New York’s ace for the majority of the year.
He was named to the All-Star team but didn’t pitch in the game, and certainly was among the best pitchers in the league despite being left off the group of NL Cy Young finalists.
Senga cut his walk-rate from 5.1 BB/9 over the first three months of the season to just 3.3 after that. His ghost-fork was the most effective pitch in baseball, generating an MLB-leading 59.5 percent whiff-rate. He struck out 110 batters with the pitch and held opponents to just a .110 average.
Senga finished eighth in the National League with 202 strikeouts, becoming just the second rookie in franchise history to clear 200, with the other being Dwight Gooden. He also posted a sub-three ERA (2.98) and allowed just 0.9 HR/9 across 29 starts.
Senga faces a tough task going up against talented youngsters Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks and James Outman of the Dodgers, but it’s certainly quite an accomplishment just to see him scratch this list.
The winner will be announced on Nov. 13.
