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On the day he would need to reconstruct elbow surgery, the Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani turned to his other extraordinary talent. That night in early September, against the Texas Rangers, Ohtani went 4 for 4 with two home runs.
That kind of response to grim injury would have been unfathomable for almost everyone else who has pitched for a living. But Ohtani proved this season that he could be a two-way star, with all the skills of Japan to be in Major League Baseball, even if his injury limited him to 10 starts on the mound.
Ohtani won the American League Rookie of the Year Award on Monday, a reward for becoming the first player since Babe Ruth in 1919 to hit home runs while also pitching at least 50 innings. Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., whose power and speed helped the Atlanta Braves to a surprise playoff berth, took the National League award.
Ohtani said through a translator on Monday. "I felt like I made the right decision ever since the beginning, and I still feel the same way. Of course getting hurt is not a good thing, but I was able to fight through it, and ending up with a great thing for me. "
Ohtani, 24, hit .285 with 22 homers, 61 R.B.I. and 10 steals. On the mound, he was 4-2 with a 3.31 E.R.A. and 11 strikeouts per nine innings. After having Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, he said that it is going well – "maybe even ahead of schedule," he said – there are no plans for him to pitch in 2019.
Ohtani collected 25 of 30 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, with the other five going to Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar. Another Yankees infielder, second baseman Gleyber Torres, finished third in the voting.
Acuna won by an even wider margin in the N.L., with 27 first-place votes, easily beating another outfielder, Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals, who had two. The Los Angeles Dodgers Walker Buehler had the other N.L. first-place vote.
Andujar was a mainstay on a team that earned 100 victories, leading all AL rookies in games (149), at-bats (573), runs (83), runs batted in (92) and extra-base hits (76) while batting .297 with 27 homers. These numbers may well have been awarded in most seasons, but the unusual nature of Ohtani is still weakened by Andujar, and poorly defended at third base clearly did.
Torres was also judged for his defense – he ranked 99th of the 124 defenders – but the Yankees were thrilled with his overall contribution. Like Andujar, Torres made a major impact with his bat, hitting .271 with 24 homers and 77 R.B.I. Torres earned a spot on the All-Star team, though a hip injury kept him from participating.
Acuna, who is from Venezuela, has become the sixth Braves player in the world and the first since Craig Kimbrel in 2011. The Braves traded Kimbrel before the 2015 season, part of a roster the future of the future.
Acuna, who turns 21 next month, has emerged as the best of the bunch. When the Braves clinched their first N.L. East title on Sept. 22, it was fitting that the final out landed in his glove in left field.
"At 20, I was still in college," Kurt Suzuki said late in the regular season. "It's pretty amazing what he's doing now. The pbadion, the energy, the talent are all undeniable. "
Acuna's father, Ronald Sr., spent six seasons in the Mets Farming System, and one with Milwaukee and Toronto. A speedster with little power, Acuna Sr. peaked at AA Clbad, playing almost 500 games at that level. His career has been much improved and used as a steppingstone in 2017, which he started in Clbad A and ended up in Baseball America's No. 1 overall prospect.
The Braves promoted Acuna in late April, as they often had their elite minor leaguers. Acuna started sluggishly in the minors on the road, but on the road.
Acuna arrived in Atlanta for home with a .382 average and two home runs. His average had dipped to .248 by May 25, but he batted .309 thereafter, overcoming a knee injury and adapting quickly to major league pitching.
"What has impressed me the most about Ronald is his ability to learn," Endfielder Ender Inciarte said. "He's shown he can mature and learn with the league, and he's made the adjustments quickly."
Acuna hit .293 for the season, and while his home runs and 16 stolen bases led all N.L. rookies, the runner-up, Soto, had a slightly better on-base plus slugging percentage (.923 to .917). Soto turned 20 last month, giving the Nationals a high-impact outfielder for the long term. Bryce Harper leaves as a free agent.
Buehler finished third after going 8-5 with a 2.62 earned run average and nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings. Unleashed Dazzling Innings in Game 3 of the World Series against Boston, allowing two hits and no runs in the Dodgers' only victory.
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