García Snubbed As AL Rookie of the Year Finalist
Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis García was not named as a finalist for the Jackie Robinson BBWAA American League Rookie of the Year. The three finalists are Houston's Luis Garcia and Tampa Bay's duo of Randy Arozarena and Wander Franco.
García, 28, was called up just a couple of weeks into the 2021 campaign and immediately made a sizable impact in the Texas lineup. Through his first 44 games, García was a Rookie of the Year frontrunner, slashing .292/.330/.602/.932 with 16 home runs and 44 RBI. However, the late-bloomer had some serious ups and downs over the his remaining 105 games, slashing .222/.268/.393/.661 with 15 home runs and 49 RBI.
Even considering the growing pains he went through, García turned in a memorable season worthy of at least a spot as a finalist. García led all big league rookies in RBI, total bases, extra base hits, Defensive Runs Saved, and placed second in homers while topping all AL rookie position players in STATS Inc. WAR (3.9). He is just the eighth rookie in Major League history with at least 30 home runs, 80 RBI, and 10 stolen bases (16) in a season.
García also turned in arguably the most productive rookie season in Rangers history, setting team rookie records for home runs (31), RBI (90) and total bases (264). He became just the 14th rookie in AL history to hit at least 30 homers with 90-plus RBI in a season, the third to do so this century (Chicago's Jose Abreu in 2014 and New York's Aaron Judge in 2017).
García's memorable season won't go completely disregarded. He was already named the AL Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News in October, an award voted on by Major League players during the final two weeks of the regular season.
At the end of the day, García's offensive struggles down the stretch may have cost him the award. However, Franco's consideration is puzzling. Though he was brilliant during his rookie performance, he only played in 70 games while García played 149 games.
Even if this award was voted on a half season performance, García's first 70 games (.270/.309/.533/.842) were statistically better than Franco's (.288/.347/.463/.810).
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