Look, it brings me no pleasure to do this.

OK. That’s a lie. It brings me great pleasure to do this. Awards season elicits some of the very worst in logic, reasoning and rationality. As someone who wants to educate people on how baseball works in 2018, I’d like to examine some particularly hot takes on the American League Rookie of the Year voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. If nothing else for the sake of children who might encounter this sort of smut and not understand it.

The Los Angeles Angels’ DH/pitcher Shohei Ohtani won the award Monday night. He received 25 of 30 first-place votes, including one I cast. New York Yankees third baseman Miguel Andújar finished second, the same spot I voted for him. None of this – the results or my ballot – satisfied a particularly vocal group of Yankees fans, who contend Andújar deserved to win.

He did not. Here is why.

***

Seduced by a shiny new toy; by the novelty of Ohtani. BBWAA should be embarrassed. — Marian E (@bakerboys93) November 13, 2018





Actually, the BBWAA should be proud. Ten years ago, Andújar would’ve won in a landslide because he had a better batting average and more home runs and RBIs (.297, 27, 92). Only a handful of writers would’ve dinged him for his on-base percentage (.328). Fewer yet would’ve even considered his glove, which evaluators and defensive metrics agreed was well below-average. Traditional stats are great, so long as they’re supplemented by all-around excellence. In Andújar’s case, they were not.

The selection of Ohtani, in the meantime, offered a window into the evolution of writers’ thinking. Gone are the strawmen that have polluted past votes.

Ohtani didn’t lead rookies in any category. So? It’s not a prerequisite to winning the award or providing significant value.

Others could’ve done what Ohtani did had they been given the chance? Maybe. Maybe not. We shouldn’t penalize Ohtani simply because baseball was too closed-minded in the past to allow someone to try what he did. Just as we shouldn’t celebrate him simply for the same reason.

View photos There were a number of hot takes about Shohei Ohtani winning the AL Rookie of the Year over Miguel Andújar. (Getty Images) More

Shohei Ohtani is not the American League Rookie of the Year because what he did was historic. He is the American League Rookie of the Year because what he did. That it happens to be historic, too, is ornamental.

During his 367 plate appearances, he was one of the best hitters in baseball. It would’ve been nice if it were 400 or 500 or 600 plate appearances. It wasn’t. That does not negate what he did in those 367, which was put up an OPS+ better than everyone except Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, Christian Yelich, Max Muncy and Alex Bregman. Two of them will win MVP awards this week. The others will get copious votes.

During his 51 2/3 innings, he was a well-above-average pitcher. Think of it this way. Ohtani faced 211 batters. They hit .202/.289/.332 against him. Who is that similar to this season? Yoshihisa Hirano. Lou Trivino. Chaz Roe. Keone Kela. Solid relief pitchers. And no, that’s not what Ohtani wanted to be or could’ve been had his elbow held up. It’s simply what he was, and that’s all he deserves to be judged on.

guys like you ALWAYS find a reason to not vote for the Yankee–if Andujar had been a DH, should he have won? over 300 total bases for a 100 win team–you hate the Yankees and that's why you vote for the sideshow instead–right? last year, Judge had a slump–so no MVP–always — thomas Ridner (@vridner) November 13, 2018





I didn’t have an MVP vote last year. If I did, it would’ve gone to Aaron Judge.

(I don’t hate your team. I promise. That goes for everyone.)

Sorry Jeff, but without Andujar, Yankees don’t win 100 games and perhaps miss the playoffs. And he was the most durable and consistent. You guys got this so wrong. I really wonder who paid you all off. — Roger Moore, I Am Not (@notRogerMoore) November 13, 2018