Angels designated hitter and right-handed pitcher Shohei Ohtani has been named the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year. He placed ahead of second-place finisher Miguel Andujar and third-place finisher Gleyber Torres, both of the Yankees.
Ohtani, 24 and coming off his age-23 season, was an established star in Japan before signing with the Angels, but he of course entered MLB with his rookie status intact. Ohtani lost time due to elbow troubles in 2018 -- troubles that eventually necessitated Tommy John surgery -- but he still compiled enough value in 367 plate appearances and 51 2/3 inning to take the balloting. He was, in essence, two players taking up one roster spot.
Add up the value he contributed via both roles, and here's how he compares to his fellow finalists in terms of Wins Above Replacement (WAR):
| Player | 2018 WAR |
|---|---|
Andujar | 2.2 |
Ohtani | 3.9 (hitting WAR plus pitching WAR) |
Torres | 2.9 |
Ohtani spoke with MLB Network before he was announced as the winner, and he gave a positive update on his rehab.
Ohtani becomes the first Angels player to win the award since teammate Mike Trout in 2012. He also becomes the first native of Japan to win Rookie of the Year honors since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.
Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna took home RoY honors in the National League. The Rookie of the Year trophies were the first of the major MLB awards to be handed out this week. Keep up with all the hardware with our 2018 awards tracker.
As a reminder, voting for all major awards takes places after the regular season and before the postseason. These are regular season awards only. The full 2018 AL Rookie of the Year voting results can be seen at the BBWAA's site.
