Julio Rodríguez of the Seattle Mariners and Michael Harris II of the Atlanta Braves were announced as the 2022 MLB Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award winners in their respective leagues.
The awards, voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA), were revealed Monday night on MLB Network.
Rodríguez, a 21-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic, took home the American League honour after hitting .284 with 28 home runs, 75 RBI and 25 stolen bases.
Led by their rookie sensation, the Mariners went 90-72, claiming the second AL wild-card spot, ending the longest post-season drought in North American pro sports.
The franchise now has five AL Rookie of the Year winners. Seattle's star known as 'J-Rod' joins Kyle Lewis (2020), Ichiro Suzuki (2001), Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000) and Alvin Davis (1984) as Mariners to claim the honour.
In addition to taking home the top rookie award, Rodríguez made July's all-star game, hit the second most blasts in a single home-run derby and won a silver slugger award.
Rodríguez won the award by claiming 29 of a possible 30 first-place votes, beating out Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan.
Rutschman took one first-place vote and finished second overall with 68 total points. Kwan finished third, while Bobby Witt Jr. and World Series MVP Jeremy Peña rounded out the top five.
Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith was the only voter to put Rutschman ahead of Rodríguez on his ballot and detailed his decision-making process in a thread on Twitter.
On the National League side, Harris II hit .297 with 19 home runs, 64 RBI and 20 stolen bases on his way to the award.
The Braves won 101 games and captured the NL East crown in 2022, going an incredible 78-34 over the final 112 games.
Harris II's promotion on May 28 coincided with Atlanta's strong finish. The 21-year-old from Georgia skipped Triple-A, making the jump straight to the big leagues after 43 games with the Double-A Mississippi Braves.
The former third-round pick becomes the Braves' ninth-ever Rookie of the Year, with Ronald Acuña Jr. (2018) winning the award most recently.
The two runners-up in the NL were Harris II's teammate Spencer Strider and Brendan Donovan of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Braves centre fielder took 22 first-place votes, while Strider took the other eight.
Donovan took home 22 third-place votes, while Arizona Diamondbacks' outfielder Jake McCarthy and Cincinnatti Reds' pitcher Alexis Díaz finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Monday was the first of four straight days of MLB BBWAA awards announcements. The Manager of the Year will be awarded on Tuesday, followed by the Cy Young on Wednesday and the MVP on Thursday.
