Lewis, Williams top rookies

Seattle Mariners center fielder Kyle Lewis is the unanimous winner of the AL Rookie of the Year award, and Milwaukee Brewers reliever Devin Williams won the NL honor on Monday night.

The 25-year-old Lewis was one of baseball’s breakout stars during the pandemic-shortened season, batting .262 with 11 homers and 28 RBIs in 58 games. He led big league rookies with 37 runs, 90 total bases and a .364 on-base percentage.

Lewis also made a couple of memorable plays in center, robbing Oakland’s Ramon Laureano of a grand slam on Sept. 14. He is the first player to win the award for Seattle since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.

Featuring a devastating changeup and a four-seam fastball that gets into the upper 90s, Williams was practically unhittable this year. The 26-year-old righthander went 4-1 with a microscopic 0.33 ERA, striking out 53 in just 27 innings.

Williams became the first player to win the award without recording a save or making a start, reflecting the increased importance of the bullpen in today’s game. He is the first Rookie of the Year for Milwaukee since Ryan Braun in 2007.

The last reliever to take home the honor in either league since Craig Kimbrel for Atlanta in 2011.

The Managers of the Year will be announced by the BBWAA on Tuesday night, followed by the Cy Young Awards on Wednesday and the MVPs on Thursday.

Lewis was selected by Seattle with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2016 amateur draft out of Mercer University. He broke into the majors last year, appearing in 18 September games with the Mariners.

Williams, a St. Louis native, was selected by Milwaukee in the second round of the 2013 draft.

Williams broke into the majors last year, finishing with no record and a 3.95 ERA in 13 relief appearances. He struck out 14 in 13 innings.