The Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India was unveiled as the National League Rookie of the Year by the MLB on Monday. India captured the award in a convincing fashion, receiving 29 out of 30 first-place votes handed out by the Baseball Writers Association of America voters. The remaining ballot had him second behind pitcher Trevor Rogers of the Miami Marlins.
India had a total of 148 points, while Rogers collected 86 points to finish number two in the voting. St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson was third with 22 points.
India became the eighth player in the franchise history to win the Rookie of the Year honors and the first since Scott Williamson did it in 1999. He is also just the seventh second baseman with the award since the National League started giving it out. The most recent was the Dodgers’ great Steve Sax in 1982.
“That was just one thing that came to my mind at spring training,” India said during a video call with the reporters. “I could have said, ‘I want to hit 40 homers, or I want to get MVP,’ but that was the one thing that stuck to me before I started the year was, ‘you know what, I am going to win Rookie of the Year this year.’ I said it on interviews. I just had a feeling that’s was what I wanted, and I was going to accomplish it.”
Jonathan India was handed his first MLB action this season, but that didn’t stop him from putting together a stellar campaign. In 150 games he played in 2021, India posted a .269 batting average while adding 21 homers and 69 RBIs. He also led all the NL rookies in runs with 98, doubles with 34, and walks with 71.
