The Baseball Writers' Association of America officially announced Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu as the winner of the 2014 AL Rookie of the Year award.
Jose Abreu wins 2014 AL Rookie of the Year award
The Cuban slugger showed he could hit for average and power on his way to winning the AL Rookie of the Year award.
Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Abreu won the award unanimously, receiving all 30 first-place votes and 150 total points. Angels starter Matt Shoemaker finished second, earning 40 points from voters, and Yankees reliever Dellin Betances came in third with 27 total points. Eight other players received votes, with Astros starter Collin McHugh and Yankees right-hander Masahiro Tanaka finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
Jose Abreu
The 27-year-old Cuban import was signed to a six-year, $68 million deal in the offseason, and he paid handsome dividends immediately. Abreu mashed to the tune of a .317/.383/.581 line, belting 36 home runs to go with 107 RBI. He led the league in slugging percentage and OPS+ (169), and finished second in total bases (323) and OPS (.964). He finished third in the league in isolated power (.264).
While he didn’t fare well in the defensive metrics, Abreu’s offensive dominance dwarfed whatever shortcomings he displayed with the glove. He still finished with over 5 WAR according to both versions of the metric. He was also successful on three of his four stolen base attempts, though speed is not really part of his game.
Abreu is the sixth Southsider to win the award, joining Ozzie Guillen (1985), Ron Kittle (1983), Tommie Agee (1966), Gary Peters (1963) and Luis Aparicio (1956).
See More:
