Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

It’s always difficult to handicap Rookie of the Year races in the American and National League entering any season because most teams keep their top prospects in the minors as long as possible for service time reasons. Cubs fans may remember that the team called up mega-touted prospect Kris Bryant the day after one service-time deadline in mid-April 2015. That ensured Bryant wasn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2021 season as opposed to after this year.

With the 2020 MLB season now likely to be much shorter than 162 games, will teams start the season with their top prospects on the big-league roster or just keep them in the minors all year? That’s just one of many questions surrounding the sport in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to MLB.com, a player is considered a rookie unless in a previous season(s) he exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the majors or accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a big-league club (or clubs) during the period of 25-player limit – i.e. before September when rosters expand.