Tampa Bay pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, who went undefeated in five consecutive starts against American League East opponents in September as the Rays earned the wild-card playoff berth, was voted the AL winner of the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award.
Hellickson, 24, was listed first on 17 of the 28 ballots submitted by two writers in each league city, second on five and third on two to amass 102 points, based on the 5-3-1 tabulation system. The righthander posted a 13-10 record and led major league rookies in ERA (2.95), innings (189), starts (29) and opponents’ batting average (.210).
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Mark Trumbo (.254, 29 HR, 87 RBI) received five first-place votes and was the runner-up with 63 points. Another first baseman, the Kansas City Royals’ Eric Hosmer (.293, 19 HR, 78 RBI) had four first-place votes and finished third with 38 points.
The other first-place votes went to New York Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova (16-4, 3.70 ERA), who placed fourth, and Seattle Mariners second baseman Dustin Ackley (.273, 6 HR, 36 RBI), who was sixth, behind Mariners pitcher Michael Pineda (9-10, 3.74 ERA).
Hellickson became the 10th starting pitcher to win the award and only the second in the past 30 elections, along with the Detroit Tigers’ Justin Verlander, the 2006 winner. It marked the second time a Tampa Bay player has won the award. The other was third baseman Evan Longoria, a unanimous choice in 2008.
The voting:
2011 AL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year
| Player, Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays | 17 | 5 | 2 | 102 |
| Mark Trumbo, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 5 | 11 | 5 | 63 |
| Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals | 4 | 4 | 6 | 38 |
| Ivan Nova, New York Yankees | 1 | 5 | 10 | 30 |
| Michael Pineda, Seattle Mariners | 3 | 2 | 11 | |
| Dustin Ackley, Seattle Mariners | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| Desmond Jennings, Tampa Bay Rays | 1 | 1 | ||
| Jordan Walden, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | 1 | 1 |