Brewers reliever Devin Williams wins NL Rookie of the Year

Associated Press
Monday, Nov. 9, 2020 6:38 p.m. | Monday, Nov. 9, 2020 6:38 p.m.

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AP

Brewers relief pitcher Devin Williams was named NL Rookie of the Year on Monday.

Seattle Mariners center fielder Kyle Lewis is the unanimous winner of the AL Rookie of the Year award, and Milwaukee Brewers reliever Devin Williams won the NL honor Monday night.

The 25-year-old Lewis was one of baseball’s breakout stars during the pandemic-shortened season, batting .262 with 11 homers and 28 RBIs in 58 games. He led big league rookies with 37 runs, 90 total bases and a .364 on-base percentage.

Lewis also made a couple of memorable plays in center, robbing Oakland’s Ramon Laureano of a grand slam Sept. 14. He is the first player to win the award for Seattle since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.

Featuring a devastating changeup and a four-seam fastball that gets into the upper 90s, Williams was practically unhittable during the pandemic-shortened season. The 26-year-old right-hander went 4-1 with a microscopic 0.33 ERA, striking out 53 in just 27 innings.

Williams is the first player to win the award for Milwaukee since Ryan Braun in 2007. He is the first reliever to take home the honor in either league since Craig Kimbrel for Atlanta in 2011.

San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth and Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm finished tied for second in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The Managers of the Year will be announced by the BBWAA on Tuesday night, followed by the Cy Young Awards on Wednesday and the MVPs on Thursday.

Williams, a St. Louis native, was selected by Milwaukee in the second round of the 2013 draft.

Williams teamed with closer Josh Hader to form a shutdown tandem at the back end of the Brewers’ bullpen. He allowed one earned run in 22 appearances — a home run by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Colin Moran on July 27.

Williams broke into the majors last year, finishing with no record and a 3.95 ERA in 13 relief appearances. He struck out 14 in 13²/₃ innings.

Cronenworth hit .285 in 54 games for San Diego, helping the Padres reach the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Bohm, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft, batted .338 with four homers and 23 RBIs in 44 games for the Phillies.