Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson
Written by
The Associated Press
Written by
The Sports Network
NEW YORK - Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel has been chosen the NL Rookie of the Year in a unanimous vote and Tampa Bay pitcher Jeremy Hellickson has won the AL award.
The honors were announced Monday.
Kimbrel set a major league record for saves by a rookie with 46. The hard-throwing righty earned all 32 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Kimbrel easily outpointed Braves teammate Freddie Freeman.
Hellickson, meanwhile, led all rookie pitchers in ERA (2.95), quality starts (20) and opponents' batting average (.210). He was 13-10, but that is a bit misleading, as he received one run or less in nine of his 10 losses with Tampa Bay being blanked in five of his starts.
His batting average against was third lowest in the majors behind only Cy Young Award frontrunners Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw, while his ERA was the lowest among qualifying AL rookies (based on a minimum 162 innings) since Kevin Appier compiled a 2.76 mark for the Royals in 1990.
Hellickson, whose 2.64 ERA in the second half ranked third among AL starters, is only the second Rays player to win this award, joining Evan Longoria in 2008. He drew 17 of 28 first-place votes and finished ahead of Los Angeles Angels first baseman Mark Trumbo.
The AL Cy Young Award will be announced Tuesday.
The Associated Press and The Sports Network