From Minor League journeyman to Major League impact player, Joey Wendle spent 2018 helping propel the Rays to their surprising 90-win season. On Monday, that production netted Wendle a fourth-place finish in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani garnered 25 of 30 first-place votes to claim the award. Wendle also finished behind Yankees infielder Miguel Andujar (89 points) and Gleyber Torres (25 points) in the voting, which was conducted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and announced Monday on MLB Network.
:: AL Rookie of the Year voting totals ::
Acquired in an under-the-radar trade with Oakland last December, Wendle broke out as an everyday player for the first time this season for Tampa Bay. The 28-year-old hit .300/.354/.435 with seven home runs and 61 RBIs in 139 games while moving all over the diamond. Predominantly a second baseman throughout his professional career, Wendle saw significant time this season at second (101 games), third (20 games), shortstop (10 games) and in the outfield.
Wendle showed significant improvement at the plate after a solid first half, hitting .360 with a .573 slugging percentage in July. He hit .321/.381/.486 in the second half, stole 16 bases overall and led all Rays position players with a 3.7 fWAR.
Wendle received three second-place votes and eight third-place votes, totaling 17 points. Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough was the other Rays player to receive votes. The Rays used 20 rookies this season, 13 of whom remain on the active roster.
Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. won the National League award, beating out Nationals outfielder Juan Soto and Dodgers righty Walker Buehler. William Myers is the last Rays player to win the award, which he did in 2013.