New York Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar is expected to win the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year Award on Monday night, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The official winner will be announced at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.
Per Nightengale, Andujar has a slim lead over Los Angeles Angels pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani as the voting is “awfully close.”
After initially not making the team out of spring training, Andujar quickly became one of the Yankees’ most valuable bats in 2018. In 149 games, he slashed .297/.328/.527 with 27 home runs and 92 RBI. His 47 doubles tied an American League record set by Fred Lynn of the Boston Red Sox in 1975.
His numbers, at the moment, seem to be just enough to edge the dual threat that is Ohtani. The Japanese product who made the jump across the Pacific was limited for parts of the season due to injury.
At the plate, he batted .285 with 22 home runs and 61 RBI in just 104 games. On the mound, he went 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA while striking out 63 batters in 51.2 innings of work. That kind of dual capability hasn’t been seen since the likes of Babe Ruth during his time with the Red Sox.
The two have developed into the favorites, casting Andujar’s Yankees teammate Gleyber Torres to the bottom of the ballotting. New York’s second baseman, who was the franchise’s top prospect last year, lived up to the hype by batting .271 with 24 home runs and 77 RBI.
Depending on if Andujar or Torres wins the award, it would be the third time since 1996 that a Yankee has won the Rookie of the Year Award. Legendary shortstop Derek Jeter took the title home 22 years ago before Aaron Judge’s monster campaign earned him the 2017 honors.
