This year's rookie class has put on a show all season, and Sal Stewart, Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto have each hit 30 home runs.
According to OptaSTATS, this is the first season in MLB history when three rookies have hit at least 30 home runs. Murakami hit his 30th home run on Saturday. Stewart hit his 30th home run on Aug. 29 and is up to 31 on the year. Okamoto hit his 30th home run on Wednesday.
Stewart is the heavy favorite to win National League Rookie of the Year. He leads baseball in RBIs, but the Cincinnati Reds are unlikely to be playing October baseball. Murakami and Okamoto, on the other hand, could both be playing in the postseason. The Chicago White Sox, against all odds, are basically a lock to be playing in October. Murakami's stellar season is a major reason the White Sox are positioned to not only make the postseason, but also claim a first-round bye.
Okamoto and the Blue Jays are trying to claim the final wild card spot. They enter play on Wednesday trailing by one game in the wild card race.
Unlike Stewart, Okamoto and Murakami are not traditional rookies who came up through the minor leagues. Both spent plenty of seasons playing in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league. There were concerns about how their bats would carry over to the big leagues, but both have shown the ability to hit for power. Murakami's batting average has been on a dive as of late.
His swing-and-miss and strikeouts are still concerning, but he has made up for it by consistently hitting the long ball. He's not at the level of Kyle Schwarber, but he is proving he can be that kind of player for the White Sox.