Judge is AL rookie of the year, Bellinger takes NL honours

New York (AP) —Aaron Judge has won American League Rookie of the Year honours, becoming the first New York Yankees player to receive the award since Derek Jeter in 1996.

Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers was named National League Rookie of the Year.

Judge won the award unanimously in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, announced Monday on MLB Network. The 6-foot-7 slugger’s victory was a foregone conclusion after he led the American League with 52 home runs and helped the Yankees reach the postseason as a wild card. Judge is also a finalist for the MVP award.

Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 and Fred Lynn in 1975 are the only players to win the AL MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. Boston outfielder Andrew Benintendi finished second to Judge in the Rookie of the Year race, followed by Baltimore slugger Trey Mancini. Judge’s Al-leading home run total also broke the rookie record of 49 set by Oakland’s Mark Mcgwire in 1987.