Moreso than any other major award, the Rookie of the Year award is totally unpredictable. We're dealing with players who have no major league track record whatsoever. Sometimes the elite prospects win (Mike Trout and Bryce Harper in 2012), sometimes guys come out of nowhere to win (Jacob deGrom in 2014), and sometimes a guy no one expected to be in MLB wins (Jose Fernandez in 2013).

So, for the sake of trying to predict the unpredictable, let's look at some prime Rookie of the Year candidates heading into the 2015 season. We've already looked at National League candidates, now let's look at the American League.

OF Rusney Castillo, Red Sox

This is no Kris Bryant in the AL. Heck, there isn't even a Jorge Soler or a Joc Pederson. There's no runaway, slam dunk Rookie of the Year favorite. Castillo might be the best AL candidate because he's an older guy (27) in the prime of his career, similar to Jose Abreu last year. Castillo is a much different player than Abreu though. He's more of a two-way threat, with a contact-based offensive attack and strong center field defense. Castillo should be Boston's everyday center fielder on Opening Day, but the combination of a spring oblique issue and a crowded outfield could push him to Triple-A for a few weeks of extra seasoning.

And just FYI, Red Sox wunderkind Mookie Betts is not eligible for the Rookie of the Year award. He played too much last year.

RHP Kendall Graveman, Athletics

Graveman's my under-the-radar Rookie of the Year pick, the non-top prospect candidate. He went to the A's in the Josh Donaldson trade and has locked up a spot in their rotation thanks to a ridiculous spring: 21 IP, 10 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 11 K. Graveman isn't a "blow you away" type. He's a pitchability guy with a deep arsenal who excels by hitting his spots and mixing pitches. With that big park in Oakland, don't be surprised if you look up in August and see Graveman sitting on an ERA near 3.00 with a dozen or so wins. Voters will love that.

LHP Andrew Heaney, Angels

I was planning to make Heaney my AL Rookie of the Year pick coming into spring training, but he lost the fifth starter competition and will open the season in Triple-A. I still expect Heaney to come up at some point this year and stick for good though. It would be wrong to call him a crafty lefty, though he is a guy who stands out for his strike-throwing ability and pitching acumen. Heaney will be pitching in a favorable home ballpark in a division with two other favorable ballparks, and he won't have a restrictive innings limit.

SS Francisco Lindor, Indians

Baseball is loaded with elite shortstop prospects right now, and Lindor might be the most well-rounded and MLB ready of a group that includes Corey Seager, Carlos Correa and Addison Russell. He could play in MLB right now if necessary, but the Indians will send him to Triple-A for a few weeks in part to manipulate his service time. Lindor does it all -- he hits for average, draws walks, has some pop, plays tremendous defense and has an infectiously positive personality and Grade A makeup. He's a franchise shortstop in every sense of the term. The question is whether he will see enough at-bats this year to make a Rookie of the Year caliber impact.

Daniel Norris is one of several Blue Jays Rookie of the Year candidates.
Daniel Norris is one of several Blue Jays Rookie of the Year candidates. (USATSI)

LHP Daniel Norris, OF Dalton Pompey, RHP Aaron Sanchez & 2B Devon Travis, Blue Jays

Toronto is set to break camp with six rookies -- those four above plus relievers Roberto Osuna and Miguel Castro. Norris and Sanchez are very high upside prospects, Pompey is a notch below that, and Travis is a notch below that. The fact that all four are being given prominent regular roles out of spring training works in their favor.

Of those four, I think Norris has the best chance of having a Rookie of the Year caliber season. Sanchez's command is still a rather significant question mark and Norris simply has more weapons, taking three swing-and-miss secondary pitches (curveball, slider, changeup) to the mound on his best days. Pompey is a speedy leadoff type with top notch defense in center field. He won't steal as many bases, but he's a better version of Billy Hamilton, who finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting last season.

LHP Carlos Rodon, White Sox

Rodon, the third overall pick in last summer's amateur draft, showed everyone what he is capable of last week, when he struck out nine Royals in four innings. His slider is arguably the single most devastating pitch in the minors:

It would be very easy for the White Sox to take Rodon north out of spring training -- have you seen the back of their rotation? yeesh -- but they're going to send him to Triple-A for some final tune-ups. Rodon figures to be a midseason call-up, and thanks to that devastating slider, expect him to put up some huge strikeout numbers.

OF Steven Souza, Rays

The Rays like the soon-to-be 26-year-old Souza so much that they effectively traded the much more heralded Wil Myers for him and some prospects. Souza had a monster season in Triple-A last year -- .345/.427/.577 with 18 home runs and 25 doubles -- but was never considered a big prospect until Tampa Bay acquired him. Funny how that works. Souza is going to be in the Rays' lineup on Opening Day, so he's going to play, and that makes him a Rookie of the Year candidate.