• Submitted by: Camila
• Sports
• 10 / 22 / 2014

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Cuban baseball player José Dariel Abreu, playing with the Chicago White Sox, was selected Rookie of the Year in the American League for the prestigious magazine The Sporting News after receiving 149 votes.

Thus Abreu, 27, beat Matt Shoemaker, pitcher from Angeles Angels, Dellin Betances, Masahiro Tanaka and Marcus Semien, the three of them from New York Yankees.

The Cuban batted .317 (from 556-176) with 35 doubles, 36 homers, 107 RBIs, slugging percentage of .581 and on-base percentage of .383 in 145 games he played last season.

Abreu became the first rookie in major league history to finish in the top five in the league in each of the Triple Crown categories of batting.

In addition, his 36 home runs set a record for the franchise for a rookie, breaking the mark of 35 imposed by Ron Kittle in 1983, and are the sixth best record by a rookie in MLB history.

Abreu was Player of the Month for the American League in April and July and Rookie of the Month for the American League in April, June and July. He said his goal for the 2015 season is to become the franchise player of White Sox and fight to be in the competition for the final phase of the American League.

Source: Diario de Cuba