Initially thought to be a weak class, the 2010 DTBL rookies proved themselves to be a very capable group of first year players. But one player stood head and shoulders above the rest. Kings outfielder Carlos Gonzalez was unanimously voted the 2010 DTBL Rookie of the Year.
Gonzalez was probably the biggest reason why the Kings were able to rebound from a last place finish in 2009 to finish in fourth place this year, just four points behind the co-champions. Not only was he their best rookie, he was probably the best player on the team. He hit .336 with 34 home runs, 117 RBIs, 111 runs scored and 26 stolen bases. The batting average, home runs and runs scored led the Kings. He was a close second on the team in the other two categories. He easily led DTBL rookies in every category except stolen bases, making him a fairly obvious choice for this award.
Gonzalez should be a strong candidate for the league’s Most Valuable Player award as well. Those incredible numbers were also among the league leaders. His batting average ranked second behind only Josh Hamilton. His home run, RBI and run totals also placed him in the top five of the league. Obviously, the 26 stolen bases are quite impressive as well, making him one of the elite five category players in all of baseball. He will try to duplicate the feat of Ryan Howard, who in 2006 won both the DTBL Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards. The MVP winner will be announced later this week.
The Kings took a bit of a gamble on the Colorado Rockies outfielder, Gonzalez, with the first pick in the second round (11th overall) in the March draft. He was drafted to be a solid five category player with a good upside. Clearly, nobody projected him as an immediate superstar though, thus the second round draft slot. In an unusually weak draft class for outfielders, he was the second outfielder picked, behind Andrew McCuthen who also had a strong rookie season. A few other players selected ahead of him did receive ROY votes, but none had anywhere near the impact of Gonzalez.
As mentioned, Gonzalez won the award unanimously, receiving all ten first place votes for a total of 100 points. He is the first unanimous Rookie of the Year winner since Ryan Howard in 2006. He was not the only rookie to have a great season though. Mavericks closer Neftali Feliz finished second in the vote. Feliz burst onto the scene with 40 saves and a minuscule 0.88 WHIP. He received five second place votes and a total of 53 points. Finishing third was Moonshiners pitcher Jonathan Sanchez with three second place votes and 41 points. Sanchez led all rookies with 205 strike outs and 13 wins (tied with Ricky Romero). Jackalope third baseman Casey McGehee came in fourth with 27 points. McGehee’s 23 home runs and 104 RBIs were only bested by Gonzalez among the rookie class. Finally, Naturals outfielder McCutchen filled out the top five. McCutchen was another strong power and speed guy with 16 home runs and 33 steals. A couple starting pitchers received votes and would have probably finished higher if they had spent the entire season on DTBL rosters. Mat Latos and Trevor Cahill fit this description.
Click here to view the full voting results.
The 2010 DTBL Awards announcements will continue this week. The Cy Young Award winner will be named tomorrow (Wednesday) evening. Finally, the Most Valuable Player will be awarded on Thursday.