It was announced Monday afternoon that Tampa Bay Rays' right hander Jeremy Hellickson was the American League Rookie of the Year. Hellickson beat out the Los Angeles Angels' Mark Trumbo by a 39 point margin. The Rays' righty expressed his excitement hearing of the honor bestowed upon him by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Via Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times:
"I was very, very excited. It's something that I really wanted to win, and there were three, four other guys that I felt were just as deserving. So it's definitely very exciting...There was no wrong choice."
Hellickson is the first pitcher to win the award since Justin Verlander in 2006. Despite the honor, he discussed a motivation to continue to improve. Rays' vice president Andrew Friedman agreed, noting that this could just be the beginning of a wonderful career.
"The funny thing is, as good as he was in 2011, I think the arrow is pointing up, and I'm excited about what he brings to us in future years."
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