MLB Rookie of the Year Winners 2011: Writers Go 1-for-2 with First Major Award

In the first of the major awards given out by the Baseball Writers Association of America, Tampa Bay's Jeremy Hellickson and Atlanta's Craig Kimbrel were named American and National League Rookie of the Year, respectively.

While this was not the best year for rookies in either league, Hellickson and Kimbrel had terrific seasons and are not bad choices. In fact, in the case of Kimbrel, I would say that the voters got it right. 

However, Hellickson was not the best choice in the American League. He did have good peripheral numbers that appealed to the traditional voter. He had a 13-10 record and a 2.95 ERA in 189 innings pitched, and he did that while pitching in the AL East. 

Those numbers are nice, but they do not tell the whole story.

Hellickson had a strikout-to-walk ratio of 117-72, and an unusually low batting average on balls in play (.223) that made him look better than he was and was worth just 1.4 wins above replacement player. That shows that a lot of what Hellickson did was because the Rays have one of the best defensive teams in all of baseball and not a direct reflection of his performance. 

If I had a vote, I would have given it to Seattle Mariners second baseman Dustin Ackley. His overall numbers were solid if unspectacular (.274/.348/.417), and his defense was better than expected. The thing that hurt him was only playing in 90 games. 

You could also have made a case for Kansas City first baseman Eric Hosmer. The top prospect in a deep system, he made his presence felt right away. He finished the season with good power numbers—19 home runs and a .465 slugging percentage—and got better as the season went along. 

Hosmer hit .317 from July 1 through the end of the season and hit 14 of his 19 home runs. He still has work to do at first base, but he showed flashes of why he was one of the best prospects in baseball before the season started. 

In the National League, the class had a little more depth, but Kimbrel was clearly the best choice. I am not a huge fan of giving relief pitchers full season awards, but when you strikeout 127 hitters in 77 innings pitched, I am willing to make an exception. 

Neither pick was terrible, there were just better options available. And for Angels fans who are crying over Mark Trumbo, I offer you this exchange from ESPN MLB analyst Keith Law and one of his readers.

If your on-base percentage is below .300—Trumbo's was .291—you can't win any award. That's not an official rule, but it should be.