Both the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers should be happy about their top picks in the last MLB draft because both players have been named 2020 Rookies of the Year.
Another thing that the two have in common is that they both suffered serious injuries that they had to overcome in their rookie seasons.
Mariners center fielder Kyle Lewis was the unanimous pick in the American League, despite missing a good part of the season with a serious knee injury.
The National League winner, Brewers pitcher Devin Williams, faced a serious elbow injury that forced him to change from being a starting pitcher to a reliever.
Known for his devastating change-up, the so-called “Airbender,” Williams was also named the NL Reliever of the Year. Relievers don’t usually win ROY honors, so Williams wasn’t a unanimous pick for the NL, but he did beat out Philadelphia Phillie’s third baseman Alec Bohm with a total of 14 first-place votes compared to Bohm’s nine.
Lewis became the first player since Mark McGwire in 1987 to lead his team in batting average, home runs, runs, and walks as a rookie. He was just as dynamic in the field, adding some incredible homer run robberies to his rookie season highlight reel.
