Rays' Randy Arozarena, Reds' Jonathan India Win 2021 MLB Rookie of the Year Awards
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India and Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, as expected, were named the National League and American League Rookies of the Year, respectively, on Monday.
India beat out St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson and Miami Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers. Arozarena beat out teammate Wander Franco and Houston Astros pitcher Luis Garcia.
It seemed a foregone conclusion that India, 24, would win the award in the NL. he led MLB's rookies in games (150), on-base percentage (.376), doubles (34), walks (71) and runs scored (98) while ranking second with a .835 OPS. He added 21 homers and 69 RBI.
He took home 29 of 30 first-place votes.
"I can't imagine someone being more deserving than Jonathan," Reds manager David Bell told reporters after the season. "He's done everything. He's done everything in his power to make our team better, and he has done that. He's personally had just a great season, great accomplishments, but he's just simply made us a much better team by being in our lineup every day, and I think that's what it is all about."
The 26-year-old Arozarena was already the favorite to win Rookie of the Year after an incredible 2020 postseason that saw him named the AL Championship Series MVP.
"He set the bar so high, the expectation level coming off his postseason of 2020 probably made it unfair," Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters. "Nobody in their right mind was going to say he was just going to back that up for the month he produced in the (2020) postseason. But for a 26-year-old rookie, he had a pretty special season."
Indeed he did, hitting 274 with 20 homers, 69 RBI, 94 runs, 32 doubles, 20 steals and a .815 OPS. He led all MLB rookies with a 4.1 WAR, per Baseball Reference.
Arozarena received 22 first-place votes.
It was stiff competition for both players. In the NL, the versatile Carlson—he played all three outfield positions and hit in seven different spots in St. Louis' lineup—hit .266 with 18 homers, 65 RBI, 79 runs and a .780 OPS.
Rogers, meanwhile, went 7-8 with a 2.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 157 strikeouts in 133 innings. Sixto Sanchez was the young pitcher the Marlins were expected to build around for the future, but after he was forced to miss the season, Rogers emerged as another building block in Miami.
In the AL, Franco very likely would have won this award had he played a full season. Nonetheless, he still hit .288 with seven homers, 39 RBI, 53 runs, a .810 OPS and a 3.5 WAR in 70 games.
"I think you could make the argument that he's the most impactful player on any team in baseball," Cash told reporters after the season. "Certainly for us, our team was really good; we got better when he came. He lengthened our lineup. He made our defense better. He worked really hard on his defense to make his defense better, and it made our overall defense better. He is a game-changing player. It's going to be fun to watch for a long time."
Finally, Garcia helped the Astros reach the World Series, finishing 11-8 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 28 starts during the regular season, leading AL rookie pitchers in wins (11), innings (155.1) and strikeouts (167).
