Rookie of the Year: Wil Myers, 2013

Outfielder, Tampa Bay Rays

Age:  22

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 205

Prior to 2013:

A North Carolina native, Myers starred as a third baseman and pitcher at Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point where he batted .532 with 14 home runs and 41 RBIs as a senior. He was chosen by the Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 2009 amateur draft, receiving a $2 million signing bonus. Playing for two Rookie level teams in 2009 as a catcher, Myers hit .369 in 22 games with 5 home runs and 18 RBIs. He started the 2010 season with the Burlington Bees of the Class A Midwest League and hit .289 with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs in 68 games before moving on to the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the advanced Class A Carolina League where he batted .346 in 58 games.  Advancing to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Class AA Texas League in 2011, Myers was shifted to the outfield and hit .254 with 8 home runs and 49 RBIs. In 2012 he started off with Northwest Arkansas before being promoted to the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League where he played some third base as well as in the outfield and batted .304 with 24 home runs and 79 RBIs. In the offseason he was traded to the Rays as part of a seven-player deal. Myers started the 2013 season with the Durham Bulls of the Class AAA International League and was hitting .286 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs when he was promoted to the Rays in June and inserted in right field.  

2013 Season Summary

Appeared in 88 games

RF – 72, DH – 11, CF – 8, PH – 3

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 373

At Bats – 335

Runs – 50

Hits – 98

Doubles – 23

Triples – 0

Home Runs – 13

RBI – 53

Bases on Balls – 33

Int. BB – 6 [15, tied with four others]

Strikeouts – 91

Stolen Bases – 5

Caught Stealing – 2

Average - .293 [Non-qualifying]

OBP - .354 [Non-qualifying]

Slugging Pct. - .478 [Non-qualifying]

Total Bases – 160

GDP – 10

Hit by Pitches – 1

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 4

Midseason snapshot: HR - 3, RBI - 15, AVG - .288, OBP - .321

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Most hits, game – 3 on five occasions

Longest hitting streak – 12 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 4 AB) at NY Yankees 7/28, (in 4 AB) at LA Angels 9/4

HR at home – 5

HR on road – 8

Multi-HR games – 2

Most RBIs, game – 4 at NY Yankees 6/22, at NY Yankees 7/28, vs. Seattle 8/15

Pinch-hitting – 0 of 2 (.000)

Fielding

Chances – 142

Put Outs – 140

Assists – 2

Errors – 0

DP – 1

Pct. - 1.000

Postseason Batting: 5 G (ALWC vs. Cleveland – 1 G, ALDS vs. Boston – 4 G)

PA – 21, AB – 20, R – 0, H – 2, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 1, IBB – 0, SO – 7, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .100, OBP - .143, SLG - .100, TB – 2, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Awards & Honors:

AL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

AL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Wil Myers, TB: 131 pts. – 23 of 30 first place votes, 87% share

Jose Iglesias, Bos,/Det.: 80 pts. – 5 first place votes, 53% share

Chris Archer, TB: 35 pts. – 1 first place vote, 23% share

Dan Straily, Oak.: 15 pts. – 1 first place vote, 10% share

J.B. Shuck, LAA.: 4 pts. – 3 % share

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Rays went 92-71 to finish second in the AL Eastern Division, 5.5 games behind the division-winning Boston Red Sox and qualifying for a Wild Card playoff spot after defeating the Texas Rangers 5-2 in a season-extending playoff game. The team led the league in walks drawn (589).  Won AL Wild Card Game over the Cleveland Indians, 4-0. Lost ALDS to the Boston Red Sox, 3 games to 1.

Aftermath of ‘13:

A broken wrist limited Myers to 87 games in 2014 and his batting average dropped to .222. He was dealt to the San Diego Padres in the offseason as part of a multi-player three-team trade that also included the Washington Nationals. Injuries were again a problem in 2015, negating a strong start at the plate. Myers was first sidelined with tendinitis in his left wrist and then needed surgery to remove a bone spur in the same wrist. He was limited to 60 games and hit .253 with 8 home runs and 29 RBIs. Myers bounced back to have an All-Star season in 2016 in which he batted .259 with 29 doubles, 28 home runs, and 94 RBIs, following which he signed a six-year contract extension worth $68 million. He had another strong year in 2017 with 29 doubles, 30 home runs, and 74 RBIs. Injuries again struck in 2018 and Myers played in 83 games and hit .253 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs. For his major league career through 2018 he has batted .253 with 599 hits that include 133 doubles, 9 triples, and 96 home runs. He has driven in 324 runs and stolen 77 bases. With the Rays, Myers hit .258 with 37 doubles, 19 home runs, and 88 RBIs.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.