Photo by: Seattle Mariners
Kyle Lewis Named Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year
10/15/2020 3:11:00 PM | Baseball
Kyle Lewis takes home his first honor of the 2020 season
MACON, Ga. – Former Mercer standout Kyle Lewis has claimed his first honor following the 2020 season. Lewis was named the Sporting News' AL Rookie of the Year, the publication announced Thursday.
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Sporting News' annual surveys of players, managers and executives is used to determine the end-of-season superlatives that have been handed out since 1936. Polling was conducted in September to pick the MLB Player of the Year, as well as each league's top rookie, comeback player and manager.
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"We are extremely proud and happy for Kyle," remarked Head Coach Craig Gibson. "His contributions were a pivotal part of the Mariners success this season, and it has been a joy to watch. Kyle is an outstanding baseball player and even a better person. He is a great representative of Mercer, and I am glad to see him having success in the MLB. He is just starting to scratch the surface of his potential."
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The Seattle Mariners outfielder was the easy winner in the survey of 92 AL Players for Sporting News' Rookie of the Year. Lewis, who led the Mariners in hits (54), homers (11), walks (34), on-base percentage (.364), and total bases (90), was named on 55 ballets. He is the first Mariners player to win the Sporting News rookie award since Rafael Soriano in 2003 when Sporting News gave awards to both a rookie pitcher and a position player in each league.
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In his first at-bat of the 2020 campaign, Lewis, the 2016 winner of the Golden Spikes Award, hit a home run off Justin Verlander. The next night, Lewis followed with an opposite-field home run. Late in the season, Lewis took a grand slam away from Ramon Laureano of the Oakland Athletics in a robbery that reminded Mariners fans of Ken Griffey Jr.
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Lewis is the most decorated student-athlete in Mercer history. In June 2016, Lewis won the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. He also became the highest pick in Mercer and Southern Conference history, being selected 11th overall by the Mariners in the MLB Draft.
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In his final year at Mercer, the Snellville native led the Bears to their second-consecutive SoCon regular season title and a seventh-straight season with at least 35 wins. In addition to his 20 homers and 72 RBI, he ranked in the top-five nationally in walks (66), on-base percentage (.535) and runs (70) and in the top-15 nationally in batting average (.395). These numbers earned him recognition as a consensus All-America first-team selection, Baseball America National Player of the Year, American Baseball Coaches Association Player of the Year and Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist. He was also named the SoCon Player of the Year for the second straight season.
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Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Baseball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBaseball (Twitter), /MercerBaseball (Facebook) and @Mercer.Baseball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Sporting News' annual surveys of players, managers and executives is used to determine the end-of-season superlatives that have been handed out since 1936. Polling was conducted in September to pick the MLB Player of the Year, as well as each league's top rookie, comeback player and manager.
Â
"We are extremely proud and happy for Kyle," remarked Head Coach Craig Gibson. "His contributions were a pivotal part of the Mariners success this season, and it has been a joy to watch. Kyle is an outstanding baseball player and even a better person. He is a great representative of Mercer, and I am glad to see him having success in the MLB. He is just starting to scratch the surface of his potential."
Â
The Seattle Mariners outfielder was the easy winner in the survey of 92 AL Players for Sporting News' Rookie of the Year. Lewis, who led the Mariners in hits (54), homers (11), walks (34), on-base percentage (.364), and total bases (90), was named on 55 ballets. He is the first Mariners player to win the Sporting News rookie award since Rafael Soriano in 2003 when Sporting News gave awards to both a rookie pitcher and a position player in each league.
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In his first at-bat of the 2020 campaign, Lewis, the 2016 winner of the Golden Spikes Award, hit a home run off Justin Verlander. The next night, Lewis followed with an opposite-field home run. Late in the season, Lewis took a grand slam away from Ramon Laureano of the Oakland Athletics in a robbery that reminded Mariners fans of Ken Griffey Jr.
Â
Lewis is the most decorated student-athlete in Mercer history. In June 2016, Lewis won the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. He also became the highest pick in Mercer and Southern Conference history, being selected 11th overall by the Mariners in the MLB Draft.
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In his final year at Mercer, the Snellville native led the Bears to their second-consecutive SoCon regular season title and a seventh-straight season with at least 35 wins. In addition to his 20 homers and 72 RBI, he ranked in the top-five nationally in walks (66), on-base percentage (.535) and runs (70) and in the top-15 nationally in batting average (.395). These numbers earned him recognition as a consensus All-America first-team selection, Baseball America National Player of the Year, American Baseball Coaches Association Player of the Year and Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist. He was also named the SoCon Player of the Year for the second straight season.
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Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Baseball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBaseball (Twitter), /MercerBaseball (Facebook) and @Mercer.Baseball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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