Sano finishes third in AL ROY voting
Young DH holds promise for next season, says he 'learned a lot'
MINNEAPOLIS -- Miguel Sano came up short in his bid to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award, as Astros shortstop Carlos Correa narrowly won the award over Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor, the Baseball Writers' Association of America announced Monday night on MLB Network.
Sano was aiming to be Minnesota's first Rookie of the Year since Marty Cordova in 1995, but he had to settle for a third-place finish. Sano received 20 third-place votes, while his teammate Eddie Rosario received two third-place votes to finish sixth. Correa received 17 first-place votes while Lindor received 13, as Correa finished with 124 points to Lindor's 109.
Sano made his debut on July 2 and immediately became Minnesota's best hitter the rest of the way, batting .269/.385/.530 with 18 homers, 17 doubles and 52 RBIs in 80 games. His on-base percentage and slugging percentage led all AL rookies, while his 18 homers ranked second to Correa.
AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR VOTING
| Player, Club | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Correa, HOU | 17 | 13 | 124 | |
| Francisco Lindor, CLE | 13 | 14 | 2 | 109 |
| Miguel Sano, MIN | 20 | 20 | ||
| Roberto Osuna, TOR | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| Billy Burns, OAK | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| Eddie Rosario, MIN | 2 | 2 | ||
| Delino DeShields, TEX | 1 | 1 |
The 22-year-old, who primarily served as the club's designated hitter, helped the Twins to their first winning season since 2010, as the Twins weren't eliminated from postseason contention until the second-to-last day of the season.
"I learned a lot," Sano said on MLB Network before the winner was announced. "Torii Hunter taught me a lot and Joe Mauer, and even Miguel Cabrera. So it was a great moment to be in the big leagues. I was just so happy to be in the big leagues."
Sano was hurt by the fact he played in 19 fewer games than Correa and Lindor, who both played in 99 games. Correa and Lindor also played above-average defense at shortstop, while Sano started all but nine of his games at DH with Trevor Plouffe serving as the club's everyday third baseman.
Video: Miguel Sano places third in 2015 AL ROY vote
Sano, though, still had a promising rookie year and is expected to see more action in the field next season, as the Twins are experimenting with moving him to the outfield in the short term after Hunter retired and Aaron Hicks was traded to the Yankees for catcher John Ryan Murphy.