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Examiner.com MLB Awards: National League Rookie of the Year - J.A. Happ
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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher J.A. Happ is the choice as National League
Rookie of the Year among baseball writers for Examiner.com. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
If the Examiner.com voting for National League Rookie of the Year is indicative of real life, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher J.A. Happ will go from winning a World Series ring in 2008 to winning the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2009. For those of you wondering how this is possible, the answer is – a baseball technicality. While Happ appeared in games during the 2007 and 2008 seasons, he only logged a total of 35.2 innings pitched entering 2009, thus maintaining his rookie status.
Some thought Happ would be (and should have been) in the Phillies rotation to open the 2009 season. However, he was beaten out by veteran Chan Ho Park and spent the early part of the season in the bullpen. He handled the role decently, but really took off when he was added to the rotation in May. As a starting pitcher Happ posted a 10-4 record with a 2.99 ERA, proving that he belonged as a member of the Phillies’ rotation. On top of leading all rookies in wins, Happ logged a league leading 2 shutouts and 3 complete games.
Among those who fell behind Happ in the voting include Florida’s Chris Coghlan, Atlanta’s Tommy Hanson, and Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen. Each would have been deserving of the award in any other year, but in 2009 J.A. Happ proved that a rookie can make big contributions to a winning team.
| Rank | Player | Position - Team | Points |
| 1. | J.A. Happ (6) | P - Philadelphia Phillies | 23 |
| 2. | Chris Coghlan (2) | LF - Florida Marlins | 16 |
| 3. | Tommy Hanson (2) | P- Atlanta Braves | 11 |
| 4. | Andrew McCutchen (1) | OF - Pittsburgh Pirates | 10 |
| 5. | Randy Wells | P - Chicago Cubs | 3 |
| 6. | Casey McGehee | 3B - Milwaukee Brewers | 2 |
| 7. | Dexter Fowler | CF - Colorado Rockies | 1 |
Voting Panel
Robert Quinn (Tampa Bay Rays)
Theo Fightmaster (San Francisco Giants)
Greg Filice (Toronto Blue Jays)
Brian Pietrzak (Minnesota Twins)
John Stankevitz (Chicago White Sox)
Rand Huguely (Texas Rangers)
Josh Hood (Kansas City Royals)
Sam McPherson (Oakland A's)
Travis Lay (Colorado Rockies)
Randall Castro (Detroit Tigers)
Claire Reclosado (SF Baseball)
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