Feliz, Posey Named League's Top Rookies
New York, NY (Sports Network) - San Francsico catcher Buster Posey and Texas closer Neftali Feliz have been named the Jackie Robinson Award winners as the top rookies in the National and American League, respectively, as voted on by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Posey, San Francisco's first Rookie of the Year winner since John Montefusco in 1975, placed first on 20 of the 32 ballots cast and received a total of 129 points. He was also second on nine and third on two other ballots to finish 22 points ahead of Atlanta's Jason Heyward, who placed first on nine ballots. St. Louis' Jaime Garcia finished third and received a first- place vote. Florida first baseman Gaby Sanchez recieved the other first place vote and was fourth in the balloting.
The 23-year-old backstop burst upon the scene for the Giants in late May and batted .305 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI in 108 games for the World Series champions. He also helped guide San Francisco's starting staff to a major league-best 3.63 ERA.
Feliz, meanwhile, edged Detroit's Austin Jackson by 24 points, placing first on 20 of 28 ballots cast by two writers in each league city. He was also second on seven and third on another ballot for 122 points, based on the 5-3-1 tabulation system.
He is the second Rangers rookie to be rewarded, joining Mike Hargrove, who took home the honor in 1974.
Feliz was among the elite in major league closers this season, recording 40 saves to go along with a 2.73 earned run average. He also finished an AL-best 59 games and struck out better than a batter an inning while posting a nearly 4-to-1 ratio of strikeouts to walks.
The 22-year-old right-hander was terrific down the stretch for the AL champion Rangers, as he allowed just three hits and tossed 12 1/3 scoreless innings in the September and October of the regular season.
