It was a rare instance in 2016, but Washington Nationals center field Trea Turner had little chance Monday night.
Turner finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting, a process that had to take place despite Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager being the clear favorite to win the award. Win he did, receiving all 30 first-place votes. Turner was second with 42 points. Seager’s teammate, right-handed pitcher Kenta Maeda, finished third with 37 total points.
Turner’s first full season in the majors was a starburst. He played just 73 games, but hit .342 with 13 home runs, 33 stolen bases and a .937 OPS during that time. Turner even switched positions during the season, quickly learning how to play center field with Triple-A Syracuse before making his first start for the Nationals in center field on July 26. Before Turner moved into the middle of the team’s outfield, Nationals center fielders hit .216 with a .606 OPS because of struggles from Michael A. Taylor and Ben Revere. Turner hit .351 with a .960 OPS from his first start in center until the end of the regular season.
The question for him next season is where he plays. Starting shortstop Danny Espinosa is one of the league’s better defenders, which is why he kept his spot in the lineup and the Nationals found a different way to put Turner on the field last season. However, Espinosa is a poor contact hitter with occasional power, and had a terrible National League Division Series at the plate. Espinosa hit .143 and struck out eight times in 14 at-bats.
Seager became one of two rookie shortstops to hit 25 home runs and score 100 runs in a season. The other was Nomar Garciaparra. Seager hit .308 with 26 home runs and scored 105 runs. He is also a finalist for the National League MVP award, which will be announced Thursday night.
Maeda is a rookie only by MLB service time measures. The 28 year old right-handed starter put together a 3.48 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He also struck out 179 in 175 ⅔ innings, helping the Dodgers handle the absences of Clayton Kershaw for a portion of the season.
Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story finished fourth. St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Aledmys Diaz was fifth. Both Story and Diaz started the season at staggering rates before declining as the year went along. Story hit 21 home runs before the All-Star break, including seven in the season’s first six days.
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