Marlins' Fernandez wins TSN's NL rookie honor
Yasiel Puig's national notoriety might not translate into a Rookie of the Year award if the Sporting News' top rookie honor is an indicator.
Miami Marlins right-hander Jose Fernandez was selected the National League Rookie of the Year by the Sporting News on Monday in a poll of players. Baseball's official postseason awards are determined by media votes, and the results will not be announced until after the World Series.
Fernandez cruised to an easy win in the player balloting, receiving 64 of the 74 votes. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig was a distant second with four votes, while Atlanta Braves pitcher Julio Teheran, Braves outfielder/catcher Evan Gattis and St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Shelby Miller each received three votes.
A 21-year-old native of Cuba who grew up in Florida, Fernandez went 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA in 28 starts this year. He threw a scoreless inning in the All-Star Game at Citi Field in New York.
The Marlins shut down Fernandez for the season in mid-September after he threw 172 2/3 innings this year. He threw just 4 1/3 minor league innings in 2011 after he was a first-round draft pick (14th overall) that year, and he pitched 134 innings, all in low Class A and high Class A, in 2012.
Puig, 22, hit .319 with a .391 on-base percentage, a .534 slugging percentage, 19 homers and 42 RBIs in 104 games for the Dodgers. He made a huge splash in the first month after his June 3 debut, hitting .443/.473/.745 with eight homers and 17 RBIs in his first 27 games. In his remaining 77 games, he hit a pedestrian .272/.363/.452 with 11 homers and 25 RBIs.
