MLB got it right with AL and NL ROTY winners

MLB revealed the AL and NL Rookie of the Year awards on Monday.

Weeks ago, the 2020 MLB season reached its conclusion, which was an accomplishment in and of itself due to the league having to navigate through the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign was cut to 60 games, meaning the awards process would be that much more difficult. But there was no controversy, because the Baseball Writer’s Association of America got it right.

On Monday, the BBWAA announced that Seattle Mariners outfielder Kyle Lewis won the AL Rookie of the Year, while Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Devin Williams took home the honors in the NL.

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1325948719901122562

https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1325941006450221061

Lewis and Williams were no-brainer winners

Once the AL finalists were announced, the expectation was that Lewis would walk away with the award. But with the presence of Chicago White Sox outfield sensation Luis Robert on the ballot, many thought it would be tightly contested. That wasn’t the case, because Lewis won the award unanimously, becoming the fourth player in Mariners history to ever win the ROTY award.

Through 58 games this season, Lewis slashed .262/.364/.437, while recording 11 home runs and 28 RBI. Additionally, Lewis led all rookies in runs (37), walks (34) and total bases (88). Oh, and he was a magician in the outfield this season. Need we say more?

As for the NL, many believed that San Diego Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth or Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Jake Bohm would win the award. However, it was Williams, the relief pitcher in Milwaukee, who received the trophy with 14 first-place votes. And it was deserved, because the 26-year-old was dominant when taking the mound for the Brewers.

In 27 innings of work, Williams struck out 53 batters and surrendered just one earned run, netting him a 0.33 ERA and 0.630 WHIP. Those statistics are thanks to Williams’ devastating changeup. Williams threw that pitch 62 times this season, and the opposition could only muster two hits, per ESPN Stats and Info. That’s how nasty his changeup was. Additionally, opposing hitters recorded a .090 batting average against Williams. Enough said.

Let the record show that the BBWAA did a good job of choosing their winners, because both young star were absolutely deserving of the honor.