Even after spending the first two months in the minor leagues, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa made a strong impact and on Monday was recognized as the 2015 American League Rookie of the Year.
Astros shortstop Carlos Correa named 2015 American League Rookie of the Year
Correa is just the second player from the Astros to win the award.
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Correa captured the honor with 17 first-place votes and 13 second-place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America, good for 124 points, beating out fellow shortstop Francisco Lindor of the Indians, who had 109 points off of 13 first-place votes and 14 second-place votes. Minnesota Twins designated hitter Miguel Sano finished third.
Correa is just the second Astro to win Rookie of the Year, joining Jeff Bagwell, who took home National League honors in 1991.
Correa hit .279/.345/.512 with 22 home runs, 22 doubles and 14 stolen bases in 99 games. Though he didn't debut until June 8, Correa led all AL rookies in home runs and was second with 68 RBI, two behind Mark Canha of the Oakland Athletics. Correa not only set a franchise rookie record for home runs, he also set the Astros mark for most home runs by a shortstop in a season.
Lindor made his big league debut on June 14, and hit .313/.353/.482 with 12 home runs and 22 doubles in 99 games to go with 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts. But he stood out on defense. Despite missing the first 2½ months of the season Lindor led all American League shortstops in Total Zone Rating, Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating.
Sano debuted even later than the two shortstops, playing his first game on July 2, but he was a force in the Twins lineup in the final three months of the season. He hit .269/.385/.530 with 18 home runs, 17 doubles, 52 RBI and 53 walks in 80 games, basically half a season. Among AL rookies with at least 300 plate appearances, he led in OPS, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, and was second only to Correa in home runs.
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