Jump to content
  • Welcome to AngelsWin.com

    AngelsWin.com - THE Internet Home for Angels fans! Unraveling Angels Baseball ... One Thread at a Time.

    Register today to comment and join the most interactive online Angels community on the net!

    Once you're a member you'll see less advertisements. Become a Premium Member today for an ad-free experience. 

     

Recommended Posts

Posted

SHOHEI OHTANI NAMED 2018 AMERICAN LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Becomes Third Player to Win Award in Angels History

 

ANAHEIM, CA – Angels RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani today was named the 2018 Jackie Robinson American League Rookie of the Year in an announcement made by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The 24-year-old is the third player in Angels’ history to earn the honor, joining Tim Salmon (1993) and Mike Trout (2012). He also becomes the fourth Japanese-born player to win a Rookie of the Year Award in the Major Leagues, joining Hideo Nomo (1995), Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001).

Ohtani finished with 137 points in the balloting process, including 25 of 30 first place votes. He finished 48 points ahead of second place finisher Miguel Andujar of the New York Yankees (89 points).

"What Shohei did both on the mound and at the plate this season was just amazing to watch,” Salmon said. “He wasn't just good, but great. He made the transition from pitching to hitting look seamless and we all know how difficult it is to be successful at just one aspect of the game. Congratulations to Shohei and we can't wait to see what the future holds in his career."

“I want to pass along my congratulations to Shohei for this special honor,” Trout said. “It’s great to see all of his hard work and effort recognized with this very prestigious award.  All of us enjoyed playing along-side and watching Shohei excel as a two-way player and make history along the way.  I have no doubt the best is yet to come!” 

The Ōshū, Japan native finished his rookie season in the Majors with a .285 (93/326) batting average with 59 runs scored, 21 doubles, two triples, 22 home runs, 61 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He led all A.L. rookies (min. 300 PA) in OPS (.925), on-base percentage (.361), and slugging percentage (.564) and posted the best rates of at-bats per home run (14.82) and RBI (5.34).  

Additionally, in his 10 starts as a pitcher, he went 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA (51.2 IP – 19 ER) and his 63 strikeouts were the most by any pitcher in Angels history through his first 10 career starts. He allowed three-or-fewer runs in nine of 10 starts and held opponents to a .036 (2/55) batting average against his splitter.  

Ohtani was named the American League Rookie of the Month in April and September and also received A.L. Rookie of the Week honors twice. He is the first player in Major League history to hit 15+ HR and compile 50+ pitching strikeouts in a season and joined Babe Ruth (1918 & 1919) as the only players since 1900 with 10+ HR and 4+ wins as a pitcher in a single campaign.  

This season, he was the only player in the Majors to have multiple games of two home runs and a stolen base. Additionally, on Sept. 5 at Texas, Ohtani became the second rookie in A.L. history to record four hits, four runs, two HR and a stolen base in a single game, joining Craig Wilson who did so for the White Sox on Sept. 14, 1988 at Detroit. 

Ohtani signed with the Angels as an international free agent on Dec. 9, 2017 following five seasons with the Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Japanese Pacific League.  

The Rookie of the Year Award has been presented annually since 1947 and subsequently had its name changed to the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award in 1987, 40 years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier.

Posted
4 minutes ago, Kenny said:

Don’t hate me, but I think Ohtani is more exciting to watch than Trout.  Together, they really made it worth it to be an Angels fan this season.

He's exciting but that's a bold claim. It's a wonderful problem for the Angels to have. 

Posted
48 minutes ago, floplag said:

Well deserved, i was worried ill admit it.  Not that i didnt think he should that was never a doubt, i just had little faith in the bulk of the mlb media.

Pretty much same. I thought he’d win, but I wasn’t sure how close it would be. Writers have been getting better, but with only thirty, you never know how many dunces will get in to muck things up. As it turned out: Four + one Nimrod who apparently got hit in the head by baseballs too many times. 

38 minutes ago, greginpsca said:

Who else wanted to punch out Russo after his stupid comments?

Just made me laugh. He’s a typical radio host - often like former players, they don’t get the job because they’re insightful but because they make waves with their doofish hot takes. Most radio guys aren’t qualified to analyze sports, frankly. Former players are a mixed bag. 

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...