DETROIT, Mich. — Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle added another trophy to his rookie haul Wednesday, when big-league players picked him as the top first-year player in the American League.
The 22-year-old won the Players Choice Award for AL Outstanding Rookie, a ballot cast by his peers through the MLB Players Association. Cincinnati infielder Sal Stewart took the National League version. The honor is the latest in a string of rookie awards he has collected this fall.
His numbers explain the votes. McGonigle batted .278 with a .376 on-base mark, hit 18 homers, drove in 72 runs and drew 95 walks over 156 games. He reached base 266 times, a Tigers record, and his 7.1 bWAR topped every player in the league. He also earned an All-Star nod and was the AL rookie of the month in April.
Only three earlier Tigers won this players vote: Justin Verlander in 2006, Austin Jackson in 2010 and Michael Fulmer in 2016. The baseball writers announce their rookie of the year on Nov. 9, with Parker Messick of Cleveland and Munetaka Murakami of Chicago also in the conversation.
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