The race for the American League Rookie of the Year Award has come to an end.
Last night on MLB Network, Seattle Mariners slugger Julio Rodriguez and Atlanta Braves star Michael Harris II were crowned the American League and National League Rookies of the Year.
Rodriguez finished above Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman and Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan.
Fans in Cleveland were certainly shocked by Kwan not being given the award.
The 25-year-old burst onto the scene and began his career with an impressive streak of no strikeouts, hitting .289 with six home runs, 25 doubles, 19 stolen bases, and 225 total bases.
On Twitter, one Guardians fan expressed discontent over Kwan not being named Rookie of the Year.
Steven Kwan was flat out robbed. Better numbers is just about every category. That’s what happens when you’re in Cleveland, I guess.
Hell of a season 38. #ForTheLand
— Grant Puskar (@grant_puskar_) November 15, 2022
Guardians Fan Believes Kwan Was Snubbed
In addition to his impressive offensive stats, Kwan played some solid defense out in left field, which was enough for him to take home a Gold Glove.
Kwan certainly put together a strong case for being named the AL Rookie of the Year.
Unfortunately, writers from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America did not believe it was a strong enough case to top Rodriguez in the voting.
But fans of the Guardians seem to believe Kwan was snubbed.
Kwan’s breakout performance helped guide the Guardians to a 92-win season and an AL Central division title for the first time since 2018, as the team outperformed their preseason expectations in their first year under the new name.
Kwan ultimately finished third in the voting, with Rutschman finishing second behind Rodriguez.
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