Los Angeles Angels pitcher/DH Shohei Ohtani and Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna, Jr. have won the 2018 AL and NL Rookie of the Year honors.
Ohtani's win is controversial here in NYC. Local fans believe the honor should have gone to runner up Miguel Andujar of the New York Yankees. While Ohtani is unique in being both a pitcher and an everyday player his stats weren't exactly Ruthian. Ohtani hit .285 with 22 HR and 61 RBI in 104 games and in 10 starts he went 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA. Good stuff, but not great. Last month, Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery and won't pitch in 2019. Meanwhile, Andujar grabbed the third base job and was a critical piece to the Yankees' AL Wild Card team with 27 HR and 92 RBI and just missed hitting .300.
Yankees fans perceive a bias against their players and they might be right. Some BBWAA members held Hideki Matsui's time in Japan against him during his 2003 rookie campaign. This was not the case with Ohtani. I suspect if Ohtani were in Yankees pinstripes and Andujar were wearing a halo on his cap the results would probably be different.
Acuna is a different story. The 20-year old Venezuelan hit .293 with 26 HR and 64 RBI in 111 games and led the Braves to their first NL East title in five years.
Tomorrow the AL and NL Managers of the Year will be announced.
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