2024 CRANE POOL POST-SEASON AWARDS: Rookie

[Edgy MD]

[FIMG=600]https://metsrostercentral.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/dwight-gooden-award.png[/FIMG]



Sometime, well into the 1984 season, an interviewer (possibly Hall-of-Famer Ralph Kiner) mentioned during a chat with Ron Darling that it was easy for people to forget that he's still a rookie.



"Yeah, I came up late last year," Ron answered, "but I'm still a rookie and I'm still learning."



"It's just that, I guess," Kiner (let's just say it was Kiner) stammered, "you're not a rookie like Dwight."



Rather than take umbrage, Darling slowly and knowingly smiled, deadpanning, "I don't think there's ever been a rookie like Dwight."



That is why, though the Mets have been fortunate enough to feature many celebrated rookies through the years, and not a few NL Rookies of the Year, The Crane Pool Forum has long honored Gooden as the namesake of The Crane Pool Forum Dwight Gooden Award for Outstanding Mets Rookie, the 2024 version of which you are invited to vote on now.



Some seasons afford many opportunities for rookies, while other seasons provide few occasions for unseasoned Mets to show their stuff. But every season, the challenge is the same, for the newcomer to shine in the big league spotlight, completing against the best of the best, overcoming the mountains of experience that advantages their opponents.



Here's a blank ballot for you to copy and paste and type in ten best Mets in the category of TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY A MET PLAYER WHO OFFICIALLY QUALIFIES AS A ROOKIE as displayed in 2024.



1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

9)

10)



While a lot of players rotated in and out of uniform for the Mets this season, a surprising amount already came with enough big-league exposure so as to blow their rookie qualifications sky high, leaving only 13 Mets eligible for your 10-player ballot.

• Luisangel Acuña


• Ty Adcock


• Eddy Alvarez


• José Buttó


• Reed Garrett


• Grant Hartwig


• Joe Hudson


• Tyler Jay


• Dedniel Núñez


• Eric Orze


• Christian Scott


• Josh Walker


• Danny Young

Apologies to those who came running to this thread hoping to vote for Matt Festa, but the above candidates are the only ones eligible. All the more reason for you to judge wisely but decidedly. It's your votes that gives the Crane Pool brand the market credibility that allows it to rise above the competition

[Edgy MD]

In a mostly veteraniffic campaign, the rookie barrel doesn't go deep, but a ballot that looks like this might look nice in your home for the holidays.



1) José Buttó

2) Reed Garrett

3) Dedniel Núñez

4) Luisangel Acuña

5) Christian Scott

6) Danny Young

7) Josh Walker

8) Eddie Alvarez

9) Grant Hartwig

10) ____________



Tyler Jay, Ty Adock, and Eric Orze are lovely people, I'm sure, but I couldn't pull the trigger and give any of them the last point.



Reasonalbe minds may differ.

[Edgy MD]

Or sure, why not? Tyler Jay, you get my tenth-place vote.

[Edgy MD]

Hey, if I can get you on board with voting for your outstanding rookie, I promise I won't come at you with increasingly granular requests. No award for outstanding coaching staffer, or outstanding in-game broadcaster or outstanding studio broadcaster or anything like that.



Just, you know, please rank your rookies!

[Edgy MD]

This is a tragedy. Why do you hate Dwight Gooden?

[whippoorwill]

Jay Payton

[Edgy MD]

😢