Eloy's impact reflected in AL Rookie of Year vote
Scott Merkin
@scottmerkinCHICAGO -- White Sox left fielder Eloy Jiménez finished fourth in the 2019 American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award voting, as announced Monday on MLB Network, with Houston DH Yordan Alvarez receiving all 30 first-place votes in capturing the unanimous honor.
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America gave Jiménez four second-place votes and eight third-place votes, for 20 points. Alvarez, with 150 points, was followed by Baltimore pitcher John Means (53) and Tampa Bay infielder Brandon Lowe (27).
Jiménez, who turns 23 on Nov. 27, topped AL rookies with 31 homers and trailed only National League Rookie of the Year Pete Alonso, who hit 53 homers for the Mets. Jiménez also had 79 RBIs, leading all AL rookies, scored 69 runs and finished with an .828 OPS.
Those 31 home runs rank third in White Sox franchise history by a rookie, trailing José Abreu's 36 in 2014 and Ron Kittle’s 35 in 1983.
It was not an easy debut season for Jiménez, who had to adjust to pitchers working him like a veteran hitter from the season’s outset. He also missed from April 27-May 19 with a high right ankle sprain and then was out of action July 16-27 with a right ulnar nerve contusion, playing 122 games with 504 plate appearances.
The ankle sprain came from running into the left-field wall at Guaranteed Rate Field chasing a Greyson Greiner home run, while the ulnar contusion was the result of an on-field collision with center fielder Charlie Tilson in Kansas City.
Jiménez's defense improved in left field as the year progressed, due in part to his diligent daily work. His 25 RBIs in September led the AL, to go with his .340 average, nine home runs, eight doubles and 1.093 OPS in the season's final month. It’s safe to say a healthy Jiménez will be a consistently dangerous presence at the plate moving forward.
Alvarez became the 11th AL Player to win the AL Rookie of the Year Award unanimously, with Abreu in ‘14 being one of the honorees on that exclusive list.