Rookie of the Years can come in all shapes and sizes. They can come with little or no hype. They may also have been hailed as the next great thing since the day they were drafted in the first round.

The 2008 American League ROY, Evan Longoria, was considered one of the best college bats available when he was selected third overall in the 2006 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. Two years later, he won the first-year award. Cubs rookie and 2008 National League ROY winner Geovany Soto languished in the minors for seven years, before recommitting himself to conditioning and getting into the best shape of his career, which led to a .353 average and 26 homers at Triple-A in 2007.

Boston's Dustin Pedroia, the 2007 AL ROY, was considered a good prospect, but no one expected him to win the first-year award and then the AL's Most Valuable Player award in his second full season. Milwaukee's Ryan Braun was thought by many to be the third-best college third baseman drafted in the first round of the 2005 draft, behind both Kansas City's Alex Gordon and Washington's Ryan Zimmerman.

The 2009 crop of rookies is gearing up to be an exciting group to watch. The AL group has a smaller set of names under consideration but they have huge ceilings. The players in the NL have slightly lower ceilings, generally speaking, but the depth of players under consideration is better.

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American League Candidates:

David Price | LHP | Tampa Bay
2008 Stats: 14 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 12 K, 1.93 ERA (MLB)

Price established himself as a ready-now MLB pitcher in last year's playoffs. However, Rays management still opted to option the left-hander down to Triple-A to begin the 2009 season. The club is lucky to have enough starting-pitching depth to justify the move, which will allow them to delay Price's arbitration eligibility and potentially save the organization some money. The southpaw has the upside of a No. 1 starter, although his slider was inconsistent this spring, so the time at Triple-A could benefit him.

Matt Wieters | C | Baltimore
2008 Stats: .365 AVG, 208 AB, 12 HR, 38-29 BB-K (AA)

Wieters is possibly the best prospect in all of baseball, and he is definitely the top rookie catcher. The switch-hitter is solid both offensively and defensively, which makes him a double-threat on the diamond. Wieters, like Price, will begin the season in minors to delay his arbitration eligibility, which will hurt his chances of winning the ROY award. The organization brought in veteran and former Orioles catcher Gregg Zaun to help bridge the gap until Wieters is ready to assume full-time duties in the majors … probably in May.

Travis Snider | LF | Toronto
2008 Stats: .301 AVG, 73 AB, 2 HR, 5-23 BB-K (MLB)

Snider has an edge on both Wieters and Price—if he stays healthy the entire season—because he will be patrolling left field for the Jays on Opening Day. Snider, 21, should be an offensive force from Day 1, although he currently does not project to hit for average at the MLB level due to a high percentage of strikeouts. Despite the whiffs, he has the potential to hit .260-.280 with more than 20 home runs. Snider's defense is underrated and he has a good arm for left, although his range is average. Rigorous offseason training has put Snider in better baseball shape.

Rick Porcello | RHP | Detroit
2008 Stats: 125 IP, 116 H, 33 BB, 72 K, 2.66 ERA (A+)

The least likely name to appear on the list, Porcello was taken by the Tigers out of high school in the first round of the 2007 draft and spent all of last season at high Single-A. However, he had a solid showing in camp this spring and with the organization in desperate need of starting pitching the Tigers decided to hand him an Opening Day rotation spot. Porcello's strikeout numbers were not overly impressive at the minor league level in 2008, but he induced a large number of ground outs (64.1 GB%). Detroit's spacious park will definitely be a benefit to the 20-year-old right-hander, but he may struggle early on in the majors due to his inexperience.

Brett Anderson | LHP | Oakland
2008 Stats: 31 IP, 27 H, 9 BB, 38 K, 2.61 ERA (AA)

Oakland has two rookie hurlers worthy of ROY consideration in Anderson and Trevor Cahill. Both are expected to begin the year in the MLB rotation, and while Cahill has a higher ceiling, Anderson is more polished. Although the southpaw has pitched just six games above Single-A in the regular season, Anderson did appear in the playoffs for Oakland's Triple-A squad. In 22 spring innings, Anderson has a 2.86 ERA with no home runs allowed. He has above-average command/control for a 21-year-old pitcher.

National League Candidates:

Colby Rasmus | CF | St. Louis
2008 Stats: .251 AVG, 331 AB, 11 HR, 49-72 BB-K (AAA)

Rasmus is one of four center-field prospects that have a good chance to win the NL ROY. The left-handed hitter had a rough offensive season at Triple-A in 2008, but has looked better this spring. The Cardinals outfield depth is not as deep as it has been in recent years, due in part to the demotion of Brian Barton, as well as the relocation of Skip Schumaker to second base and possibly Joe Mather to third base. Rasmus, 22, will likely have some growing pains in 2009.

Jason Motte | RHP | St. Louis
2008 Stats: 11 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 16 K, 0.82 ERA (MLB)

Motte has been lights-out this spring and fellow closer candidate Chris Perez was sent down to the minors. Incumbent closer Jason Isringhausen was allowed to walk as a free agent and signed with Tampa Bay. Manager Tony La Russa prefers to put his faith in veterans, which could lead to more saves for former starter Ryan Franklin. Motte, though, has opened some eyes—especially considering he has only been pitching for three seasons after giving up catching. He's the favorite for early season saves.

Cameron Maybin | CF | Florida
2008 Stats: .277 AVG, 390 AB, 13 HR, 60-124 BB-K (AA)

The Marlins organization loves its (inexpensive) rookies, and Maybin is no different. The former centerpiece of the Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis trade with Detroit, Maybin had a modest year during his debut season in the organization in 2008. At Double-A, he hit .277 with 13 homers in 390 at-bats but received a late-season call-up to the majors and hit .500 (16-for-32) in eight games. He could end up being one of those rare players who plays better in the spotlight (not unlike teammate Hanley Ramirez, whose MLB numbers far exceed his MiLB stats).

James McDonald | RHP | Los Angeles (NL)
2008 Stats: 118.2 IP, 98 H, 46 BB, 113 K, 3.19 ERA (AA)

McDonald, like Motte, spent time as a hitter so his development has been slow. He was originally drafted out of high school in 2002 and did not make his MLB debut until 2008 at the age of 23. He played at three levels last season and showed well at each stop. He has earned the fifth spot in the Dodgers' rotation this spring. His repertoire includes two plus pitches: a curveball and change-up. His fastball is average at 88-92 mph.

Dexter Fowler | CF | Colorado
2008 Stats: .335 AVG, 421 AB, 9 HR, 65-89 BB-K (AA)

The switch-hitting Fowler beat out Scott Podsednik for a spot on the Rockies' Opening Day roster and should be able to hold off Ryan Spilborghs for playing time. The speedy outfielder had the breakout season at Double-A in 2008 that everyone had been waiting for and the hitting environment in Colorado should help him continue the trend. He plays good defense, can steal 40 bases and is a smart player (he turned down Harvard to sign).

Jordan Zimmermann | RHP | Washington
2008 Stats: 106.2 IP, 89 H, 39 BB, 103 K, 3.21 ERA (AA)

Zimmermann is going to have to be pretty darn good to get consideration for ROY in 2009, because the Nationals do not get a lot of (good) press and the impressive win total is not going to be there for the right-hander. You have to be impressed with him, though. Zimmermann played for a small college and was selected in the second round of the 2007 draft. He spent less than two full years in the minors before being named to the Nationals' starting rotation this spring.

Jordan Schafer | CF | Atlanta
2008 Stats: .269 AVG, 297 AB, 10 HR, 49-88 BB-K (AA)

Schafer's 2008 season did not go exactly as planned after a 50-game suspension and a .269 batting average at Double-A. However, he impressed the organization enough this spring to make the club out of spring training. The Braves also traded away his competition (and safety net) when Josh Anderson was sent to Detroit. Schafer has the potential to combine above-average defensive skills with the ability to hit for both power and speed. The 16 strikeouts in 18 spring games are worrisome, though.