Jedd Gyorko Selected To Baseball America All-Rookie Team

For every San Diego Padres fan, it was a foregone conclusion, right? Jedd Gyorko was easily the best rookie second baseman in the league this year and Baseball America just needed to fill in the rest of the nation in their article.

2B Jedd Gyorko • Padres

Gyorko entered the season with all of 51 games of experience at second base in the minors, but he exited the season as one of the Padres’ primary run-producers and the entrenched regular at the keystone. In the process, he became just the fifth rookie second sacker to hit 20 home runs—joining Joe Gordon (1938), Dan Uggla (2006), Alexei Ramirez (2008) and Danny Espinosa (2011)—though the feat has become more common as teams favor offense at the position.

Jedd Gyorko's offensive output this year was a sight to see. Gyorko had the highest home run total among rookies with 23 this year. On defense, he committed 6 errors, 4 at second base and 2 at third base. That's not so bad. Maybe if they give rookie Gold Glove awards, he'd be on the list.

Other players that were up for the spot at second base on the All-Rookie Team were Nick Franklin of the Mariners and Anthony Rendon of the Washington Nationals. Franklin recorded his first 2 career home runs at Petco Park this year in the same game and Rendon is the player who knocked Yasmani Grandal out of action with an aggressive slide. So, yeah I'm glad they lost.

On the All-Rookie Team, Gyorko joins players such as Evan Gattis of the Atlanta Braves, Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies, Wil Myers of the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Baseball America Rookie of the Year for 2013, Jose Fernandez of the Florida Marlins. Also interesting was the fact that of the 15 players selected to the All-Rookie Team, only 3 of them hailed from the American League. Obviously, the best talent is represented in the National League with Jedd Gyorko a part of that charge.

Congrats, Jedd.