Buster Posey Named NL Rookie Of The Year Over Jason Heyward

In what many figured would end up being a close race, Giants catcher Buster Posey has won the 2010 National League Rookie of the Year Award, beating out Braves outfielder Jason Heyward.

Posey received 20 of 32 first-place votes, with Heyward getting nine, Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez getting two, and Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia getting one. Posey also got nine second-place votes, with Heyward getting 20, making this out as a clear two-horse race. The full voting table, courtesy of the BBWAA, is shown below:

Monday afternoon, at 2 p.m. ET, the winner of the 2010 National League Rookie of the Year Award will be announced. And this is an award with no easy answer, as the N.L. had a bumper crop of fine young talent.

Posey, of course, was no slouch, batting .305 with 18 home runs of his own. He also had a .505 slugging percentage while spending the bulk of his time behind the plate. With an excellent bat and surprisingly great defense for a 23-year-old rookie backstop, Posey would in most years be the clear favorite for the award. However, the deciding factor here may be that Heyward played in 34 more games, as Posey didn’t come up until the end of May. Playing time is a big deal to the voters, and it can help break an otherwise even race.