The Milwaukee Brewers’ Devin Williams and the Seattle Mariners’ Kyle Lewis were named the National League and American League Rookies of the Year, respectively, as MLB announced on Monday night.
The abbreviated season produced two starring rookies who were bright spots for their teams in what otherwise could have been described as difficult seasons for them.
Williams was arguably the best relief pitcher in all of baseball this year, as he posted a magnificent 0.33 ERA along with 53 strikeouts in 27 innings of work.
The 26-year-old player allowed only one earned run over the entire length of the season, a feat which is hard to even comprehend as his dazzling changeup threw hitters off balance all season long.
Lewis, on the other hand, was the biggest positive for the Mariners in a season in which they missed the playoffs for the nineteenth straight season.
The Georgia native, who recovered from a devastating knee injury shortly after being drafted in 2016, batted .262 with 11 home runs and 28 RBI for Seattle, showing both on-base and power acumen.
Lewis is the first Mariner to win the AL Rookie of the Year award since future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki did so in 2001.
Expect Lewis and Williams to continue doing big things in the league when it returns next spring.
