Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout was the unanimous choice on Monday as Major League Baseball’s American League Rookie of the Year, beating out finalists Yoenis Cespedes and Yu Darvish.
In the National League, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper got the nod in a close election over Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Wade Miley.
Trout, 21, put together one of the best rookie campaigns ever.
He finished second in the American League in batting average (.326), first in stolen bases (49) and runs (129), third in on-base percentage (.399) and third in slugging (.564).
In the outfield, Trout also robbed opponents of four home runs and saved 23 runs altogether.
“He’s so fast, it’s crazy, because he’s so big,” teammate C.J. Wilson said. “People don’t understand how built he is.”
The Texas Rangers’ Japanese import Darvish was the only other player on every ballot and was third overall in the voting behind Oakland Athletics outfielder Cespedes.
Darvish had a 16-9 record and 3.90 earned run average in his first season as a major league pitcher. Cespedes boasted a batting average of .292 with 23 home runs and 16 steals.
The Rookie of the Year award, voted on by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, is just Trout’s latest honor.
He was also given the Players Choice Award for AL Outstanding Rookie, named AL Defensive Player of the Year by the equipment company Wilson, deemed Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year by Baseball America, recognized as AL Rookie of the Year by Sporting News and selected as the Angels’ Team Most Valuable Player.
Harper’s selection was much closer. After a season in which he batted .270 with 22 homers and 59 runs batted in, he placed first on 16 ballots. He received eight second-place votes and eight third-place votes for a total of 112 points.
He was the only player listed on each ballot.
Miley, who had a 16-11 record with a 3.33 ERA, received 12 first-place votes, 13 for second and six for third to score 105 points.
Trout, Harper earn rookie honors
