White Sox third baseman Gordon Beckham was named the American League's rookie of the month for July. This honor was a no-brainer, as "Bacon" hit .330 with three homers, 10 doubles, 18 RBIs and 11 multi-hit performances over 27 games.
Beckham has only been in the big leagues since June 4, but he leads all American League rookies in batting average (.311), RBIs (36), slugging percentage (.486) and on-base percentage (.374). He's tied for first among rookies with 17 doubles.
The question is, can he continue this for two more months and win Rookie of the Year? Given the fairly weak crop of rookies this season, the possibility can't be ruled out. Here's a list of some other guys who have a shot at winning the award, in no particular order:
Brett Gardner, CF, Yankees: Hitting .275 with 20 RBIs and 20 steals in 85 games.
Elvis Andrus, SS, Rangers: Hitting .263 with 19 RBIs and 20 steals in 90 games.
Nolan Reimold, LF, Orioles: Hitting .281 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 65 games.
Andrew Bailey, RHP, A's: 4-3, 2.21 ERA, 14 saves in 18 chances, 69 Ks in 61 IP.
Ricky Romero, LHP, Blue Jays: 10-4, 3.53 ERA in 17 starts. 87 Ks in 109.2 IP.
Brad Bergesen, RHP, Orioles: 7-5, 3.43 ERA in 19 starts. 65 Ks in 123.1 IP.
Jeff Niemann, RHP, Rays: 10-5, 3.62 ERA in 20 games (19 starts). Two shutouts.
UPDATE: Beckham went 2-for-4 against the Angels Tuesday night. He hit a solo home run in the first off John Lackey and tied the game at 4-4 in the seventh with a two-out RBI single. The Sox went on to win 5-4. Beckham now has six homers and 38 RBIs on the season. His batting average sits at .316.
He is the best rookie over all that is playing this season IMO. But I don't think he will win it because he is a White Sox though