DETROIT -- Colt Keith was shut out in American League Rookie of the Year balloting Monday, but he still got an honor for his lowkey impressive debut season: The second baseman was named Tigers Rookie of the Year on Tuesday, as voted by members of the Detroit Sports Media Association.

Keith stood out in a wide field of Tigers rookies that included outfielders Parker Meadows, Wenceel Pérez and Justyn-Henry Malloy, as well as shortstop Trey Sweeney and pitchers Keider Montero and Brant Hurter. Keith is the first infielder to win Tigers Rookie of the Year since Willi Castro in 2020, and the first full-time second baseman since Lou Whitaker in 1978.

The 23-year-old Keith was the one member of that rookie group to spend the entire season in the Majors, holding onto his role as Detroit’s primary second baseman through the campaign. He led the team with 148 games played and matched Riley Greene with a team-high 134 hits. Keith hit .260/.309/.380 with 15 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, 61 RBIs and a 96 OPS+. He also stole seven bases in eight attempts.

Keith was just the second Tiger since 1988 to compile at least 130 hits, 30 extra-base hits and 60 RBIs in his rookie season, joining Nick Castellanos’ 2014 campaign.

Those contributions helped earn Keith a 1.1 bWAR and a 1.8 fWAR. Meadows actually rated higher in both, but Keith had a wider body of work. Meadows played 82 games for Detroit and 51 at Triple-A Toledo and missed 21 games around midseason with a right hamstring strain.

The Detroit Sports Media Association, formerly the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association, has selected the Tigers Rookie of the Year since 1969. Reliever Tyler Holton won the award last year.