Milwaukee Brewers finish fifth in NL Rookie of the Year balloting – MLB News
The start was neither shaky nor slow. It was consistent enough to merit attention as the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Norichika Aoki on Monday, November 12, finished fifth in the National League Rookie balloting.
The award went to Washington Nationals’ outfielder Bryce Harper, an ultra-bright young talent who unleashed his offensive and defensive skills this year.
Arizona Diamondbacks’ pitcher Wade Miley followed Harper, Cincinnati Reds’ Todd Frazier finished third and Colorado Rockies' Wilin Rosario was fourth.
But finishing fifth for Aoki was more of a ceremonial end. The very fact that he had made it to the Top 5 nominees was an acknowledgment of the talent he possessed.
"That was a tough situation, especially from coming from starting every day in Japan," Aoki said. "Looking back at it now, I'm kind of surprised at myself I chose this route. .... But I've always wanted to play over here, so I'm glad I made that choice."
The Japanese player appeared in 151 games this past season and maintained a consistent .288 batting average. The Brewers’ offence was somewhat unpredictable and inconsistent in the first half of the season, but Aoki’s performance was marked by consistency.
He tied San Diego Padres’ Yonder Alonso for the National League rookie lead in hits, which were 150. When it came to runs, he finished second with 81. He had 37 doubles, 225 total bases and on-base percentage of .355, all of which remained second.
Since 1974 when Cards’ Bake McBride had four hitting streaks of at least 10 games in a season, Aoki was the first rookie to do so this year.
Before Aoki and the Rangers’ Yu Darvish, the last Japanese player who finished among league’s top 10 was Kosuke Fukudome who represented the Cubs as a rookie in 2008.
For Aoki, it was a moment of joy and those to be thanked first and foremost were the team-mates and coaching staff of the Brewers.
"I was blessed to have all these great teammates, the coaching staff as well," Aoki said. "As the only Japanese guy on the team, they opened up to me with open arms. It was fun."
Aoki will be looking forward to Spring Training so he can get himself ready for the 2013 regular season.
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