The voting results are in, and the 22-year-old Texas Rangers closer Neftali Feliz has been named the 2010 American League Rookie of the Year.
Feliz received 20 of 28 first-place votes, finishing first ahead of Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Jackson. In so doing, he became the fifth AL closer to win the award, joining Andrew Bailey (2009), Huston Street (2005), Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000), and Gregg Olson (1989).
Feliz also became the first Ranger to win the Rookie of the Year since Mike Hargrove in 1974.
The strong season turned in by Neftali Feliz is highlighted by his 40 saves and 2.73 ERA. He also struck out 71 hitters in 69.1 innings, leaning heavily on a high-90s fastball that makes him so difficult to hit. The former top starting prospect made a controversial move to the bullpen, but the change has gone swimmingly, as the Rangers are happy to have one of the more dominant relievers in the league.
Jackson received the other eight first-place votes. Here is the full table, courtesy of the BBWAA:
1st | 2nd | 3rd | Points | |
Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers | 20 | 7 | 1 | 122 |
Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers | 8 | 19 | 1 | 98 |
Danny Valencia, Minnesota Twins | 1 | 9 | 12 | |
Wade Davis, Tampa Bay Rays | 11 | 11 | ||
John Jaso, Tampa Bay Rays | 1 | 3 | ||
Brennan Boesch, Detroit Tigers | 3 | 3 | ||
Brian Matusz, Baltimore Orioles | 3 | 3 |