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Correa edges out Lindor for AL-Rookie of the Year

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was a unanimous pick as NL Rookie of the Year, and Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa was voted the AL honour.

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Bryant made his debut on April 17, just after the Cubs ensured he can not be a free agent until after the 2021 season.

Correa hit. 279 with 22 doubles, 22 home runs, 68 RBI and 14 stolen bases in only 99 games for Houston.

Bryant finished first on all 30 ballots submitted by the Baseball Writers – two from each N.L. city.

The second Astros player to earn Rookie of the Year honors after Jeff Bagwell (in 1991), Correa became the 14th shortstop to win the award in the American League.

The 21-year-old certainly live up to the hype as he entered the 2015 season as Major League Baseball’s top prospect.

Of Bryant’s 26 home runs, two were grand slams, and he became the first player to hit a home run off the left field video board when he hit a game-tying home run against the Nationals on May 26. Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor finished second place in the voting, with Minnesota’s Miguel Sano placing third. Catcher Geovany Soto was the last franchise player to be named Rookie of the Year in 2008. “We kind of brought ourselves together and learned from one another, and it really made the learning curve a lot easier for us”. Bryant was the second overall pick of the 2013 draft after taking home the Golden Spikes award as best amateur player after three years at the University of San Diego. He played the final 118 games of the season, the longest consecutive games streak in the National League, and he was a finalist for the Gold Glove Award.

“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. “I certainly exceeded my expectations this year”.

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“I felt I was pulling the ball too much”, Bryant said Monday night during a conference call.

Kris Bryant