The 2018 Major League Baseball season has come to an end. The Boston Red Sox won the World Series two weeks ago. It is now time for the major awards: Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young Award, and Most Valuable Player.
On Monday, the Rookie of the Year for the American League and National League will be announced. The finalists in the American League are Los Angeles Angels Pitcher/Designate Hitter Shohei Ohtani, New York Yankees Third Baseman Miguel Andujar, and New York Yankees Second Baseman Gleyber Torres.
Shohei Ohtani
.285/.361/.564/.925, 22 HR, 61 RBI
4-2, 3.31 ERA, 63 K
Ohtani made a big splash when he chose to sign with the Angels in the off season. The Japanese two-way star was courted by most, if not all, Major League teams, but ultimately decided on the Angels. He came to the Major Leagues and showed that the hype was justified.
Ohtani hit .341 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI in his first month. At the same time, he went 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA and 26 strikeouts in four April starts. Ohtani suffered a UCL sprain during his June 5th start, and did not pitch again until September 2. He only threw 49 pitches that day, and he learned that he would need Tommy John surgery after the season. He continued to DH, though, and hit .310 with 7 home runs and 18 RBI in the month of September.
Miguel Andujar
.297/.328/.527/.855, 27 HR, 92 RBI
Andujar was signed by the Yankees in 2011 out of the Dominican Republic and spent six years in the minors. He broke camp with the Yankees this season and took over at the hot corner. His .297 average led the team, his 27 homer runs were tied for second on the team, his 92 RBI were second on the team, and his 42 doubles were second in the American League.
Andujar’s coming out party was on April 22, when he went 4 for 4 with 2 doubles, an RBI, and a run scored against the Toronto Blue Jays. He was hot in July and August, hitting .325 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI. He was a major reason that the Yankees were able to stay close to the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.
Gleyber Torres
.271/.340/.480/.820, 24 HR, 77 RBI
The Yankees acquired Torres from the Cubs in 2016 as part of a deal for Aroldis Chapman. Torres made his debut on April 22. He hit .325 with 9 home runs in his first 33 games. Torres (21) is the youngest member of a Yankee youth movement, one that has the entire infield full of twenty-somethings.
Torres made the All-Star team in his rookie campaign, though he did not appear in the game. He was one of the few offensive bright spots in their ALDS appearance against the Red Sox, hitting .308 with a pair of walks and a run scored in four games.
Who Will Win?
Andujar had the superior offensive season, no doubt, but Ohtani combined his offensive numbers with a pretty good pitching performance. This one will go to the two-way star from Japan.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.