Carlos Correa Wins AL Outstanding Rookie at 2015 Players Choice Awards

For most of the second half of 2015, media members and fans alike debated whether Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa or Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor was the American League Rookie of the Year. On Monday, the rookies' fellow players backed the Astros phenom.

Correa took home the American League Outstanding Rookie award at Monday's Players Choice Awards, besting Lindor and Minnesota Twins third baseman and designated hitter Miguel Sano, the MLB announced:

Opinion had been split for most of the regular season, but Lindor had been trending as a leader among media members. Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports and Bleacher Report picked Lindor, while Sporting News went with Correa.

KPRC-TV's Adam Wexler passed along what Correa had to say about receiving the award from his peers:

Lindor, 21, hit .313/.353/.482 with 12 home runs, 51 RBI and 12 steals after being called up to the bigs in June. The switch-hitting shortstop spent most of 2015 living a bit in Correa's shadow before busting out in a big way over the season's final two months. His slash line improved to .346/.389/.548 after Aug. 1, leading some to put him over Correa in the rookie rankings.

"I'm probably shying away from [the debate] a little bit because some of the things I'm reading are starting to aggravate me," Indians manager Terry Francona said in October, per Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. "This kid is Rookie of the Year. I'm missing something somewhere and I'm afraid if I keep [paying attention], I'm going to get mad."

Correa, 21, hit .279/.345/.512 with 22 home runs, 68 RBI and 14 steals in 99 games. The 2012 top overall pick has proved he is worth every bit of the hype since his arrival, emerging as one of baseball's best offensive shortstops and playing solid enough defense for a rookie. His 3.3 wins above replacement ranked sixth among rookies, all but one of whom had more games played, per FanGraphs.

That instant success translated to the postseason, where Correa hit two home runs and drove in four runs while posting a .292/.320/.583 slash line. 

"Just his poise. This kid came into the big leagues with a great spotlight on him," Houston manager A.J. Hinch said of his young star in October, per Fred Kerber of the New York Post. "Everyone knows who Correa is, No. 1 pick, expectations through the roof. And you wouldn’t expect anyone to live up to them, let alone exceed them the way he has. So he’s handled himself with a ton of poise, a ton of charisma.”

The biggest separation between Correa and Lindor comes on defense. Whereas Correa graded as slightly below average, Lindor was actually better on the defensive side than on offense. His 4.6 WAR was significantly higher than Correa's for the simple fact he's already one of the better defensive shortstops in baseball.

Sano, meanwhile, didn't have all that much of a chance, despite a solid season. He hit .269/.385/.530 with 18 home runs and 52 RBI in 80 games, yet spent most of his time at designated hitter. Given that his offensive numbers were worse than Correa and Lindor and the Twins finished a few games out of playoff contention, it would have been hard to justify handing him the award.

Debate will likely rage on in Houston and Cleveland about whether the players made the right choice. But either way, Correa's season was deserving enough that it shouldn't come with all that much controversy.

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