Coghlan and Bailey won't stand test of time as top rookies

It's not that Chris Coghlan(notes) and Andrew Bailey(notes) don't deserve to be the majors' top rookies this season.

Well, neither probably does. But it's understandable how baseball writers reached those conclusions today.

Coghlan hit .372 in the second half, when everyone pays attention a little closer, and that stat was just too good to pass up. Three-seventy-two? Wow! And, presto, you have the NL Rookie of the Year.

Bailey had 26 saves and a 1.84 ERA. Great numbers, flashy. But also decisive-looking. How can you vote against them? Voila!

If voters took a closer look at Coghlan's stats and Bailey's stats, they might have seen some flaws and changed their votes. But, they didn't. The awards have been sent out and there's no going back; Coghlan and Bailey are winners, and we can't take it away.

And, why would we want to? It's just an award. There are worse, actual injustices in the world.

The best rookies of 2009 will get a chance to prove how good they are over the long haul of their careers.

Players such as Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen(notes) (right). Give all of the ROY awards to Chris Coghlan, because McCutchen's future is brighter. His combination of hitting, hitting for power, speed and defense leave Coghlan in the dust.

• Baseball America pegged McCutchen as its top rookie at the end of the season.

• Walkoff Walk rails against Coghlan's bloated batting average.

• Aaron Gleeman of NBC Sports touts McCutchen here.

On the other side, folks are wondering how Elvis Andrus(notes) failed to take home the hardware in the AL. Really, Elvis fans should be happy that Andrus finished second; that means the voters were taking his defense into account.

In 10 years, the bigger question will be how Brett Anderson(notes) lost the AL ROY to his teammate.