Pedroia, Braun, MLB Rookies Of The Year
Posted November 12, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Major League Baseball announced its 2007 rookies of the year Monday, and both winners earned their accolades.
Ryan Braun was handed the NL honour, while Dustin Pedroia (pictured) ran away with the AL hardware.
Braun, Milwaukee ‘s slugging third baseman, edged Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (also pictured) by two points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, an amazingly close vote considering Braun’s staggering numbers.
Called up from Triple-A in late May, Braun hit .324 with 34 home runs and 97 RBIs. His.634 slugging percentage led NL players and was the highest by a rookie in major league history and it’s a good thing, because his 26 errors tied for most in the majors with Minnesota shortstop Jason Bartlett.
“Ryan Braun came to the major leagues and had as much offensive impact as I have seen in my 12 years as a general manager,” Milwaukee ‘s Doug Melvin said. “To show you how good Ryan was, in any other year Troy Tulowitzki would have won hands down.”
Braun, who turns 24 this Saturday, became the second Brewers player to win Rookie of the Year. Pat Listach won in 1992 when Milwaukee was in the American League.
Pedroia, the little Boston second baseman with the big swing, easily topped Tampa Bay outfielder Delmon Young, even without consideration for his role in helping the Red Sox to the World Series title.
He got 24 of the 28 first-place votes and finished with 132 points. Young was next with three first-place votes and 56 points and Kansas City pitcher Brian Bannister received the other first-place vote.
Pedroia, also 24, hit .317 with eight home runs and 50 RBIs. Generously listed at 5-foot-9, he led off the World Series opener with a home run though voting was completed at the end of the regular season. He becomes the sixth Red Sox player to win the AL award and first since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997.
