Astros SS Carlos Correa Wins American League Rookie of the Year

Kris Bryant was named the Baseball Writers Association of America’s National League Rookie of the Year. Chicago brought Bryant up after waiting just long enough to ensure he can not become a free agent until after the 2021 season.

Matt Duffy’s breakout first full season with the Giants garnered him a second-place finish in National League Rookie of the Year voting announced Monday.

The American League Rookie of the Year is Houston shortstop Carlos Correa. Correa, who was the majors’ youngest position player this season and did not turn 21 until September 22, banged out 22 home runs and drove in 68 runs in 387 at-bats. Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor was second, with 13 firsts, 14 seconds and two thirds for a total of 109 points.

Bryant became the first Cub to win the award since Geovany Soto in 2008. The next step for the Astros will nearly assuredly be to make an attempt to lock down Correa long-term and buy out his arbitration-eligible years, a tactic the team has attempted with other future (and now current) stars, a few successfully so (Jose Altuve) and a few not so much (Jonathan Singleton).

A former Boise Hawks player has made it in the bigs.

“He means a lot to my baseball career”, Correa said.

“I think I played with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder this year, and I think it’s good to play that way sometimes, ” Bryant said.

The Astros beat the NY Yankees in the wild-card game and took the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals to five games – even leading by four runs in the eighth inning of Game 4 on the strength of two Correa homers – before bowing out in the Division Series. I started the year in Double-A. He was impressive in improving on his release of the ball, without a hitch in his throws by season’s end.

If the entire league still wasn’t on alert regarding Correa’s status as an “elite” young player, it is now.

“There is a way to top this year”, Bryant said on a BBWAA conference call. “And really, he has an uncanny singular focus on winning today’s game when he shows up at the ballpark, and for a manager, that’s all I can ask out of our players”.