Twins’ Simeon Woods Richardson, Braves’ Spencer Schwellenbach and more under-the-radar MLB rookies to watch

Twins right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson got the nod on Sunday afternoon, and Minnesota closed out their season series against the Chicago White Sox with a sweep. The Twins, who now hold a 12-1 mark against the White Sox, liked their chances for reasons that are obvious and not. For the latter, consider how Minnesota has posted a higher winning percentage in games started by Woods Richardson than any other member of their rotation.

In this business, we refer to that as a “descriptive” stat rather than a “predictive” one. Still, it makes for a nifty introduction to noting how solid Woods Richardson has been for the Twins. In 18 starts, the 23-year-old has amassed a 3.74 ERA (111 ERA+) and a 2.79 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He ranks fourth on the staff in innings pitched and fifth in Wins Above Replacement, and it’s fair to say he’s stabilized the back of a rotation that’s without Chris Paddack and that’s had to rely on Louie Varland and David Festa.

Woods Richardson, originally obtained in the José Berríos trade, doesn’t necessarily excel in any one way. He’s not shown an elite ability to manage contact or miss bats, and he’s not going to make any highlight reels with his absurd pitch quality. Nevertheless, Woods Richardson has been the kind of unsung contributor who teams need in order to keep their operation on schedule. 

With that in mind, we wanted to take a look at four other interesting rookies who might be flying under the radar. (Do note the players are presented in no particular order.)

1. Jacob Young, CF, Nationals

When people think about talented young Nationals outfielders, they think about James Wood or perhaps Dylan Crews. Young, 25, deserves some love, too.

Let’s be upfront: Young isn’t a great hitter. He entered Sunday with career marks of .252/.317/.321 (85 OPS+) with one home run and 39 stolen bases in 133 big-league games. He doesn’t have to clear a high offensive bar in order to provide value, however, thanks to the secondary value provided by his wheels and his glove.

On that note, Young has been the best outfielder defender in the majors, according to Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric. He’s notched 14 of those, whereas just two other players (Michael Siani and Daulton Varsho) have as many as 10. What’s fascinating about Young is contained in Statcast’s breakdown of his defensive components. 

Indeed, Young grades as far and away the best at his initial reaction, or the ground he covers in the first 1.5 seconds after contact; he also rates well in “burst,” or the ground covered from 1.6 to 3 seconds. Yet Young seems incapable of taking a direct route, to the extent that he ranks last in feet covered compared to a straight line. You can click here and look at how much of an outlier he is compared to the rest of the game’s outfielders.

We’re not accustomed to seeing min-max defensive profiles the likes of Young. Clearly it’s working for him right now; heading forward, our instinct is that he might suffer a larger decline than the average bear as his athleticism fades. For as long as he remains this explosive, though, he deserves a lineup spot and Gold Glove Award consideration. 

2. Spencer Schwellenbach, RHP, Braves

The National League has been blessed with a great crop of rookie pitchers this season: Shota Imanaga, Paul Skenes, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Jared Jones among them. Schwellenbach, 24, is easy to overlook as a result, but he’s been nails for the Braves.

On the season, Schwellenbach has a 103 ERA+ and a 7.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 starts. He’s been particularly good as of late. In Schwellenbach’s five most recent starts, he’s tallied a 2.45 ERA and a 38-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That’s not a typo. He’s punched out 38 batters and walked one in his last 33 innings. Absurd.

Schwellenbach, formerly a two-way player at Nebraska, uses his high-grade athleticism to get way down the mound. He’s listed at 6’1″ but he generates around 6’9″ worth of separation between the pitching rubber and the ball’s release. That causes his comically large arsenal to play up. He’s thrown six pitches at least 9% of the time, according to Statcast, and almost all of those pitches have graded as average or better in the eyes of the various pitch-quality models. That includes a splitter that has, to date, generated roughly 49% whiffs.

It’s to be seen how the Braves will deploy Schwellenbach the rest of the way given his workload. He’s already cleared 109 innings, whereas his previous career-high was 65 innings. If Schwellenbach is available for the playoffs, it could serve as his star-hanging moment.

3. Max Schuemann, SS/UTL, Athletics

One benefit of being as bad as these A’s are? You can offer opportunities to players who may have not otherwise received them. That’s the case with Schuemann, a 27-year-old rookie who has served as Oakland’s primary shortstop since May. 

Schuemann has been a league-average hitter through his first 88 games, batting .250/.337/.352 (100 OPS+) with six home runs and 11 stolen bases (on 12 tries). He has a patient approach and he employs a short swing to launch an above-average rate of balls in the 10-30 degree sweet spot. Despite offering limited strength (his maximum exit velocity ranks as the fourth worst among qualifiers), he does swing and miss at higher-than-average rates. Combine that with his aforementioned willingness to work counts, and you have a recipe for a strikeout rate that’s over 25%. 

Top prospect Jacob Wilson, who injured himself in his big-league debut on July 20, is expected to return at some point this season. It would only make sense for Wilson to force Schuemann off the shortstop position, and perhaps back into a super-utility role. Schuemann being a cinch for a spot — any spot, really — on the big-league roster qualifies this season as a major win for him on an individual level.

4. Cade Smith, RHP, Guardians

We’ll close out with Smith. His path to the majors is an uncommon one. He played his high-school ball at Mennonite Educational Institute in Abbotsford, British Columbia. He then pitched collegiately at the University of Hawaii. Smith toiled in the minors for a few seasons before cracking the Guardians’ Opening Day roster. He hasn’t looked back.

Smith, 25, entered Sunday with a 1.86 ERA (222 ERA+) and a 6.73 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 53 innings. He’s recorded more than three outs in 15 of his 51 appearances, all the while working his way into higher-leverage work.

Smith has three quality pitches, led by a 96 mph rising fastball that he chucks nearly 70% of the time. Batters haven’t been able to figure it out, hitting a meager .169 against the pitch to date. Smith’s secret? That he delivers the pitch from a tough release point that’s deep, flat, and extreme to the third-base side. The Guardians have a few other pitchers with release points far to that side of the rubber, including Tanner Bibee and Triston McKenzie, which leads us to think that feature is part of their strategy.

Even if it’s not, clearly it’s working out well for Smith.