A’s closer Mason Miller was named the American League Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News this week after posting a 2.49 ERA (1.76 xERA, 2.18 FIP) in 65 innings with an MLB-high 41.8% strikeout rate. He was also the A’s All-Star representative at the Midsummer Classic. While Miller is certainly deserving of the honor, there was also a lot of stiff competition for the award in 2024.

Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith made a name for himself in the postseason, but in the regular year he went 6-1 with a 1.91 ERA (2.50 xERA, 1.40 FIP) in 75 1/3 innings, but he also wasn’t the team’s closer. Smith earned one save this season while Miller closed out 28 games for the A’s, serving as a big difference between the 2023 version of the team and the ’24 squad.

Another AL pitcher that was likely in the mix was Luis Gil of the New York Yankees. He went 15-7 as a starter with a 3.50 ERA (3.83 xERA, 4.14 FIP) in 151 2/3 innings, but he also with less fWAR than both Miller and Smith, despite the huge advantage (or perhaps disadvantage) in innings. Smith led the trio with 2.7 WAR, placing him fourth overall among all rookies, while Miller (2.3) placed seventh, and GIl (2.2) ranked ninth.

There were a number of hitters that could have made a case of their own as well, including Baltimore’s Colton Cowser, who finished with a 120 wRC+ (100 is league average) and 4.0 fWAR in 153 games, or Wyatt Langford of the Texas Rangers, Austin Wells of the Yankees, or Wilyer Abreu of the Boston Red Sox. Alll of these rookies had solid, full seasons.

The difference between all of them and Mason Miller is that the A’s closer made a name for himself early in the season by handling the Yankees’ lineup in New York, and then never really let up the rest of the season. He was a force on the mound that also happens to throw 103. Having the stats is one part of the equation. The other is telling a little bit of a story of your season through the year, and Miller’s is arguably the best of the bunch.

This may not be how the BBWAA ends up voting for the AL Rookie of the Year next month, so it’s certainly nice that Miller is being recognized for his performance in 2024.