San Francisco Giants Have Two Contenders For Rookie Of The Year Award

The San Francisco Giants have a pair of rookies that could be end up hoisting the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

May 7, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Kyle Harrison. | Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants have had good luck with their rookies so far this season, so much so that two of them are considered Top 10 candidates for National League Rookie of the Year after six weeks.

The Athletic recently put together a Top 10 list for the NL, headlined by Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga, who is on a tear to start the season. But that doesn’t mean pitcher Kyle Harrison or outfielder Jung Hoo Lee can’t catch up.  

The Athletic ranked Harrison No. 6, and the 22-year-old left-hander has done solid work in a rotation that has had to lean into young starters in the wake of several injuries.

Harrison got a taste of the bigs last year as he had a 4.15 ERA in seven starts, but he retained enough service time to stay a rookie this season.  

The third-round pick in 2020 is 3-1 with a 3.20 ERA in his first eight starts, with 40 strikeouts and 12 walks in 45 innings. One thing to watch is that he’s allowing batters to hit .251 against him, 30 points worse than his stint last year.

The Athletic did write that batters are hitting .229 against his four-seam fastball.

The Giants invested heavily in Lee, a 25-year-old slugger who signed a six-year, $113 million deal after starting his career overseas in the Korean Baseball Organization.  

He’s already been a rookie of the year in the KBO and The Athletic ranks him No. 9 after six weeks.

So far he’s adjusted well to Major League pitching, as he slashed .262/.310/.331/.641 in 36 games, with four doubles, two home runs and eight RBI. He has struck out just 13 times and walked 10.

Harrison and Lee have plenty of time to make up ground on Imanaga with more than four months left in the season.