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.
2010 NL Rookie Of The Year Winner Is Buster Posey
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:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Points | |
| Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants | 20 | 9 | 2 | 129 |
| Jason Hayward, Atlanta Braves | 9 | 20 | 2 | 107 |
| Jaime Garcia, St. Louis Cardinals | 1 | 1 | 16 | 24 |
| Gaby Sanchez, Florida Marlins | 2 | 1 | 5 | 18 |
| Neil Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 | 3 | ||
| Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs | 3 | 3 | ||
| Ike Davis, New York Mets | 2 | 2 | ||
| Jose Tabata, Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 | 1 | ||
| Jonny Venters, Atlanta Braves | 1 | 1 |
The 23-year-old Posey debuted in late May and didn’t stop hitting once he showed up. Over 108 games and 443 trips to the plate, Posey batted .305 with 18 home runs, 67 RBI, and a .505 slugging percentage. He also turned in good work defensively from behind the plate, allowing just one passed ball while throwing out 23 of 62 would-be base-stealers. The voters evidently decided that Posey’s position helped outweight Heyward’s advantage in playing time, as Heyward spent the entire season in the bigs.
Posey is the sixth NL catcher to win the award, and the first Giant since John Montefusco in 1975.
See More:
