Slam Voters Pick Koch
(SLAM! Sports) -- While the Kansas City Royals center-fielder Carlos Beltran was the overwhelming choice for the American League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, Toronto Blue Jays closer Billy Koch was the clear cut winner among SLAM! voters.
The hurler, who saved an AL rookie-record 31 games and topped 100 m.p.h. on the radar gun, was chosen by 48 per cent of SLAM! voters as the best rookie in the AL in 1999. Beltran was a distant second with just 19 per cent of the vote. Kelowna, BC reliever Jeff Zimmerman, of the Texas Rangers, was a close third at 16 per cent.
In baseball's official tally Beltran out-pointed runner-up Freddy Garcia, of the Seattle Mariners, by a 133-45 margin. In the SLAM! poll, Koch received 90 votes compared to Beltran's 36. Zimmerman was third in both the BWAA and SLAM! votes.
Boston Red Sox's first baseman Brian Daubach, Garcia, Oakland A's starter Tim Hudson, and a pair of Chicago White Sox outfielders - Chris Singleton and Carlos Lee - rounded out the voting in the SLAM! poll.
http://www.canoe.ca/BaseballAwards/nov9_koch.html
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