YosemiteSam
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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers closer Neftali Feliz was named the 2010 American League Rookie of the Year Award winner on Monday, becoming only the team's second player to win the honor given annually by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Feliz, 22, received 20 out of 28 first-place votes, 7 second-place votes, and one third-place vote for a total 122 points on a 5-3-1 scoring system. He joined Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Jackson -- a Denton Ryan High School product -- as the only players named on all 28 ballots.
First baseman Mike Hargrove had been the Rangers' only rookie recipient, winning the award in 1974. Feliz began the 2010 season as a late-inning setup man for closer Frank Francisco. But after a rough first week of the season for Francisco, the Rangers flipped roles, moving Feliz into the closer's role. He flourished, finishing with a rookie-record 40 saves, bettering the record of 37 set by Seattle's Kazuhiro Sasaki in 2000. He had the seventh-lowest WHIP (0.880) among pitchers with at least 50 innings and was third among AL relievers with a .176 opponent batting average. Feliz, who finished with a 4.73 ERA in 70 appearances, also led the AL by closing out 59 games.
Feliz lit up radar guns throughout the majors, regularly hitting triple-digits with his fastball. As the season progressed, he became more effective as his secondary pitches improved. He had a 1.42 ERA in the second half of the season and a .148 opponent batting average, tops among AL pitchers after the All-Star break. He didn't allow a run in his final 16 regular-season games after Aug. 22.
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Feliz, 22, received 20 out of 28 first-place votes, 7 second-place votes, and one third-place vote for a total 122 points on a 5-3-1 scoring system. He joined Detroit Tigers outfielder Austin Jackson -- a Denton Ryan High School product -- as the only players named on all 28 ballots.
First baseman Mike Hargrove had been the Rangers' only rookie recipient, winning the award in 1974. Feliz began the 2010 season as a late-inning setup man for closer Frank Francisco. But after a rough first week of the season for Francisco, the Rangers flipped roles, moving Feliz into the closer's role. He flourished, finishing with a rookie-record 40 saves, bettering the record of 37 set by Seattle's Kazuhiro Sasaki in 2000. He had the seventh-lowest WHIP (0.880) among pitchers with at least 50 innings and was third among AL relievers with a .176 opponent batting average. Feliz, who finished with a 4.73 ERA in 70 appearances, also led the AL by closing out 59 games.
Feliz lit up radar guns throughout the majors, regularly hitting triple-digits with his fastball. As the season progressed, he became more effective as his secondary pitches improved. He had a 1.42 ERA in the second half of the season and a .148 opponent batting average, tops among AL pitchers after the All-Star break. He didn't allow a run in his final 16 regular-season games after Aug. 22.
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