NEW YORK (AP) – Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu was a unanimous winner of the AL Rookie of the Year award, culminating a season in which the Cuban defector became one of baseball’s top stars.
The 27-year-old led the major leagues with a .581 slugging percentage. He was sixth in batting at .317, tied for fourth in home runs with 36 and fifth in RBIs with 107.
Abreu received all 30 first place votes for 150 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced Monday.
“I don’t have any words to describe this moment,” Abreu said through a translator on the MLB Network telecast. “I consider myself a good hitter, and I guess I’ve proven it.”
Angels right-hander Matt Shoemaker was second with 40 points, followed by New York Yankees reliever Dellin Betances (27), Houston pitcher Collin McHugh (21) and Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (16), who was hurt for most of the season’s second half.