As we start to head into the All Star Break, we begin to truly analyze the league's top rookies. The NL Rookie of the Year race this season has been evolving ever since the season began on April 7th. Let’s take a deeper dive into all of this season's NL Rookie of the Year contenders.

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NOTE: The categories are separated by current betting odds

The Top Contenders

These are the current favorites to win the award. They've been consistently effective in multiple roles since the beginning of their MLB tenure.

SP Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves

20 G/9 GS

70.1 IP

2.56 ERA

1.82 FIP

2.43 xFIP

2.44 SIERA

30.6 CSW%

38.9 K%

9.9 BB%

2.5 fWAR

OF Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves

167 PAs

.283/.317/.491

.348 wOBA

122 wRC+

3.6 BB%

23.4 K%

2.7 BsR

7 OAA

4 DRS

1.8 fWAR

SS Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates

90 PA

.214/.256/.440

.292 wOBA

90 wRC+

5.6 BB%

35.6 K%

0.0 BsR

-3 OAA

5 DRS

0.0 fWAR

The Braves currently have the two top rookies in the National League, something I was not expecting coming into this season. The flame-throwing rookie Spencer Strider has shone since moving from the bullpen to fill the Braves 5th rotation spot, striking out opposing hitters at an extremely high rate. The only issue with Spencer Strider is that he gets into too many deep counts, causing him to not go as deep into games as he could. Right behind him is the youngest player in baseball, Michael Harris II who has shown fantastic defense and a great ability to hit at the Major League level. If he can walk more he has a chance to propel himself as the Rookie of the Year favorite. Finally, we have Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz. Cruz has incredible tools and is a freak athlete, but he hasn’t been able to put it together in the MLB early on. If Cruz cuts down on his strikeouts and begins to walk more he will become one of the best shortstops in the MLB for years to come.

Outside Looking In

Here are some guys who aren't necessarily the front runners but could find themselves in that category with a couple good weeks.

OF Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs

194 PA

.256/.245/.452

.344 wOBA

120 wRC+

11.9 BB%

26.8 K%

-0.1 BsR

-2 OAA

-4 DRS

0.8 fWAR

SP MacKenzie Gore, San Diego Padres

14 G/13 GS

68.1 IP

4.08 ERA

3.83 FIP

4.30 xFIP

4.28 SIERA

26.6 CSW%

23.5 K%

11.1 BB%

1.0 fWAR

INF Nolan Gorman, St. Louis Cardinals

175 PA

.236/.314/.427

.325 wOBA

113 wRC+

9.1 BB%

30.9 K%

0.3 BsR

-4 OAA

0 DRS

0.7 fWAR

Next Level

This next set of rookies contains multiple future stars for their respective teams. First we have the former Nippon Professional League superstar Seiya Suzuki. Suzuki has been dealing with injuries for a large part of the year but when he has been on the field he has been great for the Cubs. His key is to stay healthy and he will continue to perform for the rebuilding Chicago Cubs. Next we have highly touted rookie starter MacKenzie Gore. Gore started off extremely strong for the Padres but as the season has progressed he has begun to struggle a lot with his command. If he improves his command he will be a top of the line starter for many years to come. Finally we have Cardinals infielder Nolan Gorman. The former number one prospect in the Cardinals organization has been a bit inconsistent in the MLB so far. He has shown plenty of flashes of brilliance in his time in the Majors so far and I fully expect him to be a staple of the Cardinals infield for years to come if he can cut down on his strikeouts.

Longshots

These candidates are guys on the outside looking in, but could potentially make a late season push that makes things even more interesting than they already are.

DH/OF Juan Yepez, St. Louis Cardinals

225 PA

.256/.298/.464

.326 wOBA

113 wRC+

5.8 BB%

23.1 K%

-0.6 BsR

-6 OAA

-4 DRS

0.1 fWAR

UTL Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals

246 PA

.284/.390/.386

.350 wOBA

129 wRC+

11.8 BB%

18.3 K%

-2.1 BsR

-5 OAA

-1 DRS

1.1 fWAR

OF Jack Suwinski, Pittsburgh Pirates

250 PA

.198/.288/.428

.312 wOBA

101 wRC+

9.6 BB%

30.4 K%

0.0 BsR

1 OAA

4 DRS

1.2 fWAR

2B/OF Christopher Morel

227 PA

.267/.336/.490

.355 wOBA

128 wRC+

9.3 BB%

31.7 K%

1.0 BsR

-7 OAA

-8 DRS

1.2 fWAR

Honorable Mentions:

OF Alek Thomas, Arizona Diamondbacks

SP Roansy Contreras, Pittsburgh Pirates

OF Luis Gonzalez, San Francisco Giants

This final set of rookies have shown plenty of potential for their respective teams and in the case of two, might even be underrated by Vegas standards. Juan Yepez has shown an incredible hitting ability in the minors but hasn’t quite put everything together in the majors yet. He has shown flashes of brilliance but needs to start walking more for everything to truly come together. Brendan Donovan is being severely underrated by Vegas, possibly because he doesn’t have the counting stats like home runs or RBIs, but his ability to get on base as well as his low strikeout rate has made him one of the best hitters in this year's rookie class. Jack Suwinski has been a bit of a surprise for me. I hadn’t heard much about him entering this season but he has turned out to be an average hitter for the Pirates. If he improves his walk rate he can be a great piece for a young Pirates team. Finally, we have yet another NL Central rookie, Christopher Morel. Morel is one of the better hitters in this rookie class, but if he wants to truly elevate his game he will need to cut down on his strikeouts.

My Final Poll

This year’s NL Rookie of the Year race is one of the best in a few years. The NL’s top rookies don't have the star power of the AL’s rookies such as Julio Rodriguez, Bobby Witt Jr, and Jeremy Pena, but they have a very deep class with many fantastic players who will be stars for years to come. So who should be the winner?

1. SP Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves

2. OF Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves

3. UTL Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals

4. SP MacKenzie Gore, San Diego Padres

5. 2B/OF Christopher Morel, Chicago Cubs

Conclusion

The answer is flame-throwing rookie Spencer Strider, followed closely behind by his teammate Michael Harris II. Spencer Strider has propelled himself as the NL Rookie of the Year favorite since his move to the rotation. Barring an extreme fall off in the second half of the season he should be the clear-cut NL Rookie of the Year.