Rankin

The votes couldn’t have been much closer for the inaugural rookie of the month award in the Giamatti League.

The winner, 3b Blake Rankin of the Colorado Everest, led all GL rookies in hits, BA, doubles, extra-base hits and total bases. That’s impressive, but it was hardly a walk-over for the award.

Vazquez

Burlington’s first baseman, Angel Vazquez, led all GL rookies in a bunch of the more obscure categories, like OBP, slugging, OPS, VORP, RC/27, ISO and one you wouldn’t expect … triples. You can blame that last one on the cavernous center field in the Phishheads’ home park of Cohen Green Field. If Vazquez had better wheels, he might have an inside-the-park home run on one of those 440-foot triples.

They both hit six homers, one fewer than co-leaders, Redbank 1b Santiago Lopez, who also leads in RBIs, and Rapid City catcher Tomas Perez.

Valdez

Over in the Landis League, half a dozen players share the statistical leads, including Nashville RF Leon Valdez, who led all LL rookies in batting, steals, OBP, VORP and runs. High Point RF Riley Martin, barely 20 years of age, led in HR, slugging, ISO and extra-base hits. But the prize for the top rookie went to Peoria’s Emilio Lima, who led all first-year players in the Landis in OPS, RC/27, walks and total bases.

Lima

And as if those guys weren’t enough for fans to cheer for, the league’s scouting combine still ranks Sioux Falls first baseman Nick Donovan the top hitting prospect in the entire Classic Baseball Union, even though his numbers weren’t as good as any of these guys in the first month and the fact that he’s older than any of them except Lima.

Donovan ... best of the lot?

Regardless of which ones take home the hardware at the end of the season, CBU fans have plenty to cheer about in the rookie class for the new league. Let’s hear it for the kids!