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A star was born in Seattle.
Outfielder Kyle Lewis, whose combination of power, speed and excellent defense provided much needed optimism for Mariners fans, was named AHL Rookie of the Year on Monday after by a unanimous vote of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He is the first Mariners player to win this award since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 and the franchise’s fourth winner. Surprisingly, this list does not include Ken Griffey Jr.
Lewis received all 30 first-place votes to beat Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert and Houston Astros pitcher Cristian Javier. Robert finished second with 27 second place votes. Javier was third, followed by A’s Sean Murphy and Tigres’ Willi Castro.
Here is the full ranking, via the BBWAA. You can find individual ballots on their site.
Lewis, 25, quickly established himself at plate, recording 25 hits, four homers and eight walks in his first 17 games. Although his average dropped significantly from then on – he finished with a .262 / .364 / .437 hitting line – every other aspect of his game continued to measure up well. When the dust subsided, Lewis finished tied with Robert for the lead among all rookies with 11 home runs.
He also swept five goals and provided one of the defensive plays of the season when he stole Oakland’s Ramón Laureano from a grand slam.
Games like this have helped Lewis fend off some worthy challengers.
Robert, 23, had a similar season in Chicago and got a lot more hype after signing a six-year, $ 50 million contract before making his MLB debut. Robert started off hot red, reaching .298 / .348 / .612 with 10 homers and eight doubles in his first 33 games. He slowed down considerably in September, hitting just 0.136 with a homerun, but he still led all rookies with 31 RBIs. Robert was also formidable defensively, as evidenced by his Gold Glove award.
Javier, 23, stepped into a key role for Houston after Gerrit Cole left free agency and Justin Verlander suffered an elbow injury late in the season. He answered the call, posting a 3.48 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 10 starts and two relief appearances. Javier finished with 54 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings.
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