Lyou awards keep coming for Randy Arozarena. The gardener of the Tampa Bay Rays named American League Rookie of the Year thanks to his work with the team, which made him surpass his teammate Wander Franco and Luis Garcia of the Astros.
The Cuban baseball player took the vote of the writers of In baseball with 124 points, including 22 to first place, Garcia was left with 63, while Franco added 30.
His recognition places him as the third player to achieve it in his third season in MLB or more after what he achieved by Geovany Soto and Ángel Berroa, in the history of the Major Leagues.
Arozarena beat all the rookies with a 4.1 WAR, in addition to only making one mistake in 119 games played on the diamond. In addition, he hit 20 home runs and scored 20 stolen bases, becoming the third rookie since Mike Trout and Andrew Benintendi to compile a 20-20 season.
Arozarena was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in January 2020 along with first baseman José Martínez by left-hander Matthew Liberatore and receiver Edgardo Rodríguez. He was the ALCS MVP that season, hitting 11 home runs during the playoffs.