Young and talented: Picking the MLB All-Rookie team for 2015

The 2015 season was very much the year of the rookie. It seemed like any team with a prominent prospect had the same idea: Bring those guys up, and do it as soon as possible. 

For the most part, those rookies didn’t disappoint. For the first time possibly ever, Major League Baseball was taken over by rookies. They became the story early in the season, and continued to snag headlines around the All-Star break and into the playoffs. 

When we look back on 2015, we’ll likely be astounding at how much young talent entered the game. 

With that in mind, it only seems fitting that we put together an All-Rookie team. This list will compile the best performances at each position this season. We won’t weigh future performance in there, so if you believe Player Y was better this year, but Player X will have the better career, we aren’t going to focus on that. 

It’s all about the best of the best this season. There are sure to be snubs, but hopefully this list will highlight the immense talent and future superstars who entered the game this year.

CATCHER
KYLE SCHWARBER, CHICAGO CUBS
Well, we’ve already run into our first issue. It’s pretty unlikely Kyle Schwarber sticks at catcher during his career. Only the Cubs really think he can make it there defensively, and of course they are going to support their guy. Schwarber only played 21 games at the position in 2015, but we’re going to give him the starting nod for now. His competition wasn’t all that strong, honestly, and that’s why we’re putting him here. J.T. Realmuto and Blake Swihart had some moments, but we’ll take Schwarber’s 16 home runs in just 276 plate appearances. He’ll be a special hitter, but the type of player that makes you wish there was a DH in the National League.

FIRST BASE
TRAVIS SHAW, BOSTON RED SOX
Going with Travis Shaw over Greg Bird is tough, but we’re going with Shaw for a couple reasons. Shaw proved himself over about 20 more games (which really isn’t much), and didn’t show a ridiculously high strikeout rate. Honestly, this one was tough. Bird certainly deserves to be mentioned, as does Mark Canha. There weren’t any major standouts at first, but Shaw and Bird could turn into solid contributors moving forward. 

SECOND BASE
ADDISON RUSSELL, CHICAGO CUBS
We admit, Addison Russell’s overall numbers are somewhat underwhelming. He hit just .242/.307/.389 over 142 games. However, he deserves more credit than that. Russell played both second and short last season, and displayed really great defensive tendencies at both spots. He should hit eventually, and will probably develop into one of the best middle infielders in the game. His main competition here was Devon Travis, who was much better at the plate, but only played in 62 games. 

SHORTSTOP
CARLOS CORREA, HOUSTON ASTROS
Well, this is freaking impossible. Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor took the league by storm in 2015. There’s a very good chance those two will wind up being the two best players on this list once they retire. We’re going with Correa due to two things: Power and defensive metrics. The power is self explanatory. Correa hit 22 home runs against Lindor’s 12 last season. The defensive metrics are harder to explain. They loved Lindor last year, with good reason. They weren’t so favorable to Correa, though. We don’t totally buy the latter. If you think Correa is a better than average defender (we do), then that’s enough to give him the nod here. The metrics may not have seen that, but it was a small sample, and we’re willing to trust the scouts. That’s no indictment on Lindor, by the way. He’s exceptional. We can’t wait to see these two battle it out over the next decade.

THIRD BASE
KRIS BRYANT, CHICAGO CUBS
Whew, finally we get an easy one. Matt Duffy and Jung-Ho Kang were really great, but Kris Bryant was exactly as advertised. His .275/.369/.488 slash line was excellent, and his 26 home runs were impressive. The rookie hit like a veteran, taking his fair share of walks, and working counts. He’s undoubtedly a future star, but everyone knew that back in March.

OUTFIELDERS
ODUBEL HERRERA, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Odubel Herrera flew under the radar this season, probably because he played for the Phillies. He turned in a nice debut, hitting .297/.344/.418 over 147 games. Those aren’t the numbers of a future superstar, but Herrera could be a solid contributor for a number of years moving forward. 

RANDAL GRICHUK, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Randal Grichuk is the latest example of the St. Louis Cardinals getting more out of questionable prospects than anyone thought. Grichuk wasn’t supposed to be this good, but he exceeded expectations when pressed into action. His approach is somewhat shaky, as he strikes out a ton, but he also showed excellent pop. Maybe he’ll never be this good again, or maybe the Cardinals found a way to turn him into a much better player than we think. It wouldn’t be the first time.

JOC PEDERSON, LOS ANGELES DODGERS
For a while there, Joc Pederson looked like he might truly challenge Bryant for the NL Rookie of the Year award. Pederson fell off big time in the second half, though, meaning Bryant will easily take the award. Still, Pederson showed some excellent skills when he was hitting. The power and patience are impressive, though he’s always going to strike out. The Dodgers will probably try and tweak his approach somewhat, but the first half offered a solid look at his upside. He’s still an immensely talented player.

DESIGNATED HITTER
MIGUEL SANO, MINNESOTA TWINS
Here’s another no-brainer. The 22-year-old Miguel Sano was excellent from the start. Over 80 games, he hit .269/.385/.530, with 18 home runs. Somehow, it seems like his performance went under the radar. Maybe it’s because people didn’t want to buy the Twins as a legitimate contender, or maybe it was because so many other rookies were already doing excellent things. Either way, Sano proved he could handle the majors. If the Twins are going to contend in 2016, he’ll be a major part of that. 

STARTING PITCHERS
NOAH SYNDERGAARD, NEW YORK METS
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Noah Syndergaard showed off his skills almost immediately, and continued to pitch like an ace during the Mets excellent postseason run. The 23-year-old posted a 3.24 ERA over 150 innings while racking up 166 strikeouts. He’s awesome, and should continue to be awesome going forward.

LANCE MCCULLERS, HOUSTON ASTROS
This might surprise some. There’s no doubt Lance McCullers belongs on this list due to his numbers. He finished with a strong 3.22 ERA over 125 2/3 innings while also striking out over a batter per frame. The surprise is that no one really expected him to be this good. McCullers wasn’t as highly rated a prospect as Syndergaard or Carlos Rodon, but he performed just as well as both players. He joins Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh in a suddenly exciting Astros rotation.

CARLOS RODON, CHICAGO WHITE SOX
It took a couple of starts, but Carlos Rodon really seemed to emerge down the stretch. Early in the year, he had some issues with his command. The strikeouts were there the whole time, but only when Rodon had his slider working. At some point, that changed. After the trade deadline, Rodon posted an excellent 2.28 ERA over nine starts. If he truly turned a corner, he could be one of the best pitchers in the game in 2016.

ANTHONY DESCLAFANI, CINCINNATI REDS
Let’s face it, Anthony DeSclafani doesn’t excite nearly as much as the other guys on the list. But there’s something to be said about eating up innings, and doing so with decent numbers. DeSclafani accomplished that. Over 184 2/3 innings, he posted a 4.05 ERA with solid, but not spectacular, peripherals. He may not have the upside of some of the other players listed here, but there’s no shame in being a mid-rotation starter who can eat innings. That skill set leads to double-digit salaries down the road. 

ROBBIE RAY, ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Robbie Ray is another young pitcher whose presence on this list might surprise some people. While the Diamondbacks were fringe contenders for most of the year, no one really took them seriously. So, that made it easy to miss Ray turning in a good season. The 24-year-old posted a solid 3.52 ERA over 127 2/3 innings with strong peripherals. After being traded twice in the last two years, it appears Ray has finally found his long-term home. He was clearly coveted prior to 2015, and now we finally know what those teams saw in him.

RELIEF ACE
CARSON SMITH, SEATTLE MARINERS
It’s easy to miss strong rookie relievers, particularly when they play on bad teams. No one was hyping Carson Smith coming into the year, but he emerged as a really promising pitcher during the season. He posted a 2.31 ERA over 70 innings, while striking out 92 batters. Smith also posted a decent walk rate, which makes us think he can replicate 2015’s surprising performance. He even got a chance to pick up some saves, and acquitted himself well.

CLOSER
ROBERTO OSUNA, TORONTO BLUE JAYS
At 20 years old, Roberto Osuna not only reached the majors, but was the closer on one of the best teams. He did not disappoint. Osuna posted a 2.58 ERA over 69 2/3 innings, with 75 strikeouts. His 20 saves were the most among rookies this season. It was a promising start to what should be a very promising career for one of the youngest players in the majors. 

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik