Gaby Sanchez unhappy with fourth-place finish in NL rookie voting

Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez said he is happy that San Francisco catcher Buster Posey was named National League Rookie of the Year on Monday.

But Sanchez couldn't hide his disappointment over finishing no higher than fourth.

"I was definitely was a little upset," said Sanchez, who led NL rookies with 85 RBI and 154 hits and was third with 18 home runs. He hit .273 while playing more games (151) than any of the top finishers.

Atlanta outfielder Jason Heyward finished second with 107 points, 22 behind Posey.

St. Louis pitcher Jaime Garcia finished third with 24 points followed by Sanchez with 18 in voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Texas Rangers closer Neftali Perez was named the American League's top rookie.

Posey was called up May 29 and played a key role in the Giants' run to the championship. He led NL rookies with a .305 average while hitting 18 homers in 108 games.

Heyward spent the entire year with Atlanta, which won the wild card race, but played in just 142 games because of an injury. He led rookies with a .373 on-base percentage and had 18 homers with 72 RBI while batting .277.

Garcia was fourth among all NL pitchers with a 2.70 ERA and was 13-8.

Sanchez said he thought that writers around the country made up their minds by July or August that Posey or Heyward - the glamour names in the 2010 rookie class - would win the award.

"Look at Jaime Garcia's numbers. He had an unbelievable year, and it didn't matter what he did - he wasn't going to get better than third,' said Sanchez, who received two first-place votes, one second-place vote and five votes for third place. "I feel like it's a little unfair."

Two other Marlins rookies had excellent seasons. Right fielder Mike Stanton led all rookies with 22 home runs after being called up June 8, and left fielder Logan Morrison hit .283 after a July 27 call-up. Neither received any votes.

The Marlins' Chris Coghlan, who started the season in left field but was injured, won the award in 2009.

The Rangers' Feliz was 4-3 with a 2.73 ERA and 40 saves in 43 opportunities.



(sun-sentinel.com)