Sunday, November 11, 2018

Angels’ Shohei Ohtani has a shot to win AL Rookie of the Year on Monday

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Shohei Ohtani and Angels fans are about to learn whether the award that once seemed a foregone conclusion will be his.

The Baseball Writers Association of America will announce the winners of the Rookie of the Year awards in both leagues on Monday at 3 p.m. PT, on MLB Network.

Although Ohtani was considered the favorite for the award when the season began, the elbow injury that limited him to just 51-2/3 innings on the mound opened the door for more traditional candidates.

The other two included in the top three are New York Yankees infielders Miguel Andújar and Gleyber Torres.

Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler is one of the top three in the National League, but the award is expected to go to Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. or Washington’s Juan Soto.

In the American League, the award is likely between Ohtani and Andújar.

Ohtani hit .285 with 22 homers and a .925 OPS in 367 plate appearances at designated hitter.

He pitched for the first two months of the season before hurting his elbow, which eventually required Tommy John surgery that will keep him from pitching again until 2020. He still compiled a 3.31 ERA and 11 strikeouts per nine innings.

Ohtani was the first player in major league history to hit 20 homers and strike out 50 batters as a pitcher.

Because Ohtani didn’t reach full-time status as a pitcher or a hitter, there is some sentiment that his performance didn’t match Andújar, who had a productive full season at the plate.

Andújar hit .297 with 27 homers and an .855 OPS in 606 plate appearances. He also hit .294 with a .916 OPS with runners in scoring position. His defense, however, was below average.

Late in the season, an informal poll of members of the BBWAA indicated that most were leaning toward Ohtani.

Votes were cast by two writers representing each city in the American League, before the start of the postseason.

Awards announcements will continue through Thursday, when the Most Valuable Players will be announced. Mike Trout is one of the top three for AL MVP, although Boston’s Mookie Betts is expected to win the award.


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