Two rookies barely in their 20s showed that there’s a new wave of talented shortstops in the American League. On Monday night, Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros won the first round with the Indians’ Francisco Lindor. Correa was named the American League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Correa beat out Lindor and Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano by garnering 17 of the 30 first-place votes and 124 points. Lindor finished with 13 first-place votes and 109 points.
“It’s not disappointing. You’re a little upset because you want to win it, but I’m not disappointed,” Lindor said Monday night. “I’m not mad. … You build memories and those stick with you for the rest of your life. You just enjoy the ride. I’m blessed to play this game. I’m honored and blessed to even be mentioned [with] the finalists.”
Lindor, 22, and Correa, 21, were in a class of their own. Correa also got the call to the big leagues a few weeks before Lindor and both immediately made an impact on their respective clubs, marking their territory as two of the game’s best young shortstops.
Lindor brought his Gold Glove-caliber defense but also surprised many with what he was able to do offensively. Hitting in the No. 2 spot between Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley, Lindor finished the season hitting .313 with an on-base percentage of .353, 12 home runs, 22 doubles, 50 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.
He became the first Indians rookie to collect at least 10 home runs, 10 steals, 20 doubles, 100 hits and a .300 average since Earl Averill did it just before the stock market crashed in 1929. Lindor led the American League in second-half batting average (.345) and was third in hits with 99.
Lindor led all AL rookies in batting average, on-base percentage and was second in total hits, doubles and multi-hit games.
Defensively, he led all AL shortstops with 10 defensive runs saved in 99 games.
“I put up good numbers, but we didn’t make it to the playoffs,” Lindor said. “I was more bummed out about that than me not winning the award.”
Correa had a stellar season as well. He fell a bit short to Lindor’s defense, but Correa brought the power. He hit .279 with a .345 on-base percentage, 22 home runs, 22 doubles and 14 stolen bases while batting third in the Astros’ order and playing a key role in their run to a wild-card playoff spot.
Correa led all AL shortstops in home runs, slugging percentage (.512) and OPS (.857).
Lindor was rated better overall, though. In terms of WAR, it was Lindor’s defense that gave him the edge, as his 4.6 (per FanGraphs) bested Correa’s 3.3. But, in the end, Correa’s power and role in the Astros’ playoff run won him Rookie of the Year.
Indians manager Terry Francona was emphatic that Lindor was the best choice for ROY just after the end of the regular season.
“I think I’m supposed to be emphatic,” Francona said. “I mean, shoot, he’s our player. I’m guessing if I was in Houston, I’d have been the same way for Correa. Correa is a special young player. And you know what? So is Lindor.
“This doesn’t change one iota of this kid’s future. It was a vote and he lost out to a really special player, but that takes away nothing about how we feel about this kid or how we view his future.”
Lindor and Correa likely will be battling for awards and bids to the All-Star Game for a long time. Monday night was just the beginning.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ