Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Harris II was named National League Rookie of the Year on Monday.
Harris received 22 of 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America to best his teammate Spencer Strider, who finished in second after receiving the other eight first-place votes. They're the fifth set of teammates to finish 1-2 in Rookie of the Year voting since divisional play began in 1969, and the first since two other Braves - Craig Kimbrel and Freddie Freeman - did it in 2011.
St. Louis Cardinals utility player Brendan Donovan rounded out the top three. Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy, Cincinnati Reds pitchers Alexis Diaz and Nick Lodolo, and Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz also received votes.
| PLAYER | TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | Braves | 22 | 8 | 134 | |
| Strider | Braves | 8 | 21 | 103 | |
| Donovan | Cardinals | 22 | 22 | ||
| McCarthy | D-Backs | 4 | 4 | ||
| Diaz | Reds | 1 | 3 | ||
| Lodolo | Reds | 2 | 2 | ||
| Cruz | Pirates | 2 | 2 |
"Not even thinking I'll be up in the league this year, and then to be honored for an award this special. ... Having guys like David Justice, Rafael Furcal, (Ronald) Acuna (Jr.), and Kimbrel win this same award, and me being in the same bracket with them, it's kind of crazy," Harris, who grew up a Braves fan in the Atlanta area, told MLB Network moments after receiving the honor.
Harris got a late start to his award-winning season. He made his major-league debut May 28 but took off once he got the call, stabilizing center field for the NL East champion Braves. He hit .297/.339/.514 with 19 homers, 64 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases in just 114 games and played stellar defense, tallying seven outs above average and eight defensive runs saved.
Michael Harris II is the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year!
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 15, 2022
Despite not making his MLB debut until May 28, Harris posted the third-highest bWAR of any rookie age 21 or younger in the past 40 seasons, behind only Mike Trout and Julio Rodríguez. pic.twitter.com/F1OVcEKyhw
The 21-year-old is the ninth Braves player to win Rookie of the Year, moving the franchise into a tie with the New York Yankees for second most in the award's history.
Harris signed an eight-year, $72-million extension with the Braves in August.
