Chisox73
11-07-2005, 11:55 PM
Street named AL Rookie of Year
Closer becomes second straight A's player to win the award
By John Schlegel / MLB.com
http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051107&content_id=1265232&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak
Huston Street's efforts in helping save the season for the A's were rewarded again Monday when he was named the 2005 American League Rookie of the Year.
Street, a 22-year-old closer, becomes the seventh A's player to win the award and the second in a row, following shortstop Bobby Crosby's honor in 2004.
He might be young, but Street has been around enough to know he couldn't have won this award as a ninth-inning hero without help.
"To me, it says a lot about my team and my teammates," Street said. "As a closer, you have to recognize the fact that it takes eight innings of winning baseball to get you into the position to get your job done."
The right-hander also knows he couldn't have done it without his family. The news hit home in a big way back in Texas, where his father, James -- undefeated quarterback for the University of Texas back in 1968-69 and a star pitcher himself back in the day -- and his mother, Janie, were beyond proud.
"It made my mom cry this morning," Street said. "It's obviously a big deal if my mom's crying about it."
Street finished the 2005 season with a 5-1 record, recording 23 saves in 27 opportunities. He posted a 1.72 ERA -- second only to the Yankees' Mariano Rivera (1.38) among AL closers -- and registered 72 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings, while allowing opponents a meager .194 average against him.
The Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award is presented each year based on balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Street was listed first on 15 of 28 ballots submitted by two writers from each American League city, along with six votes for second and four for third to total 97 points, based on the 5-3-1 tabulation system.
Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano finished second in the voting, earning 57 points with four first-place votes and 10 second-place votes. Devil Rays outfielder Jonny Gomes was third with 39 points, including two first-place votes, and White Sox second baseman Tadahito Iguchi received five first-place votes, second only to Street, but was named on only three other ballots and ranked fourth.
The other two first-place votes went to Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Gustavo Chacin, who finished fifth overall.
Two of Street's teammates -- right fielder Nick Swisher and right-handed starter Joe Blanton -- tied for sixth in the voting with six points apiece. Swisher earned two second-place votes, while Blanton garnered one second-place vote and three third-place votes.
Other past A's winners were Philadelphia's Harry Byrd (1952) and Oakland's Jose Canseco ('86), Mark McGwire ('87), Walt Weiss ('88) and Ben Grieve ('98). Street is the third closer to win the award, joining Kaz Sasaki of the Seattle Mariners in 2000 and Gregg Olson of the Baltimore Orioles in 1989.
Street, also the recipient of the Players Choice Award as the American League's Outstanding Rookie of 2005 and The Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year, matches Crosby's sweep of the AL's three major rookie awards in 2004.
He says having Crosby as a roommate certainly didn't hurt his chances to follow in his footsteps.
"Just being around him and seeing how he carried himself, how he went about his business, I'm sure that rubbed off on me," Street said.
Drafted out of the University of Texas in June 2004, Street had a spectacular showing in the Arizona Fall League a year ago and made the big league club this spring.
"Coming into the season, my goal was just to stay [in the big leagues] one day at a time," Street said. "Coming out of Spring Training, it didn't even look like I had a chance to make the team."
After replacing injured Octavio Dotel as the A's closer in May, Street helped Oakland climb from 15 games under .500 to playoff contention. Street converted all 18 of his save opportunities after the All-Star break, the longest such streak by an A's closer since Dennis Eckersley went for 40 in a row in 1991-92.
As for his competition, Cano, who turned 23 in October, batted .297 with 34 doubles, 14 homers and 62 RBIs while solidifying second base for the AL East champion Yankees. Gomes, meanwhile, went on a power surge during the 2005 season, collecting 21 homers in 348 at-bats while batting .282 with 54 RBIs.
Iguchi, 30, played eight years in Japan for Fukuoka before batting .278 with 15 homers, 71 RBIs and 15 steals for the World Series champion White Sox this season. Chacin went 13-9 with 3.72 ERA for the Blue Jays.
But they all took a back seat to Street.
"It's something that I'll remember my whole life," Street said. "It's something that's pretty cool, because you only get one chance to get it done."
John Schlegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Closer becomes second straight A's player to win the award
By John Schlegel / MLB.com
http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051107&content_id=1265232&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak
Huston Street's efforts in helping save the season for the A's were rewarded again Monday when he was named the 2005 American League Rookie of the Year.
Street, a 22-year-old closer, becomes the seventh A's player to win the award and the second in a row, following shortstop Bobby Crosby's honor in 2004.
He might be young, but Street has been around enough to know he couldn't have won this award as a ninth-inning hero without help.
"To me, it says a lot about my team and my teammates," Street said. "As a closer, you have to recognize the fact that it takes eight innings of winning baseball to get you into the position to get your job done."
The right-hander also knows he couldn't have done it without his family. The news hit home in a big way back in Texas, where his father, James -- undefeated quarterback for the University of Texas back in 1968-69 and a star pitcher himself back in the day -- and his mother, Janie, were beyond proud.
"It made my mom cry this morning," Street said. "It's obviously a big deal if my mom's crying about it."
Street finished the 2005 season with a 5-1 record, recording 23 saves in 27 opportunities. He posted a 1.72 ERA -- second only to the Yankees' Mariano Rivera (1.38) among AL closers -- and registered 72 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings, while allowing opponents a meager .194 average against him.
The Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award is presented each year based on balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Street was listed first on 15 of 28 ballots submitted by two writers from each American League city, along with six votes for second and four for third to total 97 points, based on the 5-3-1 tabulation system.
Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano finished second in the voting, earning 57 points with four first-place votes and 10 second-place votes. Devil Rays outfielder Jonny Gomes was third with 39 points, including two first-place votes, and White Sox second baseman Tadahito Iguchi received five first-place votes, second only to Street, but was named on only three other ballots and ranked fourth.
The other two first-place votes went to Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Gustavo Chacin, who finished fifth overall.
Two of Street's teammates -- right fielder Nick Swisher and right-handed starter Joe Blanton -- tied for sixth in the voting with six points apiece. Swisher earned two second-place votes, while Blanton garnered one second-place vote and three third-place votes.
Other past A's winners were Philadelphia's Harry Byrd (1952) and Oakland's Jose Canseco ('86), Mark McGwire ('87), Walt Weiss ('88) and Ben Grieve ('98). Street is the third closer to win the award, joining Kaz Sasaki of the Seattle Mariners in 2000 and Gregg Olson of the Baltimore Orioles in 1989.
Street, also the recipient of the Players Choice Award as the American League's Outstanding Rookie of 2005 and The Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year, matches Crosby's sweep of the AL's three major rookie awards in 2004.
He says having Crosby as a roommate certainly didn't hurt his chances to follow in his footsteps.
"Just being around him and seeing how he carried himself, how he went about his business, I'm sure that rubbed off on me," Street said.
Drafted out of the University of Texas in June 2004, Street had a spectacular showing in the Arizona Fall League a year ago and made the big league club this spring.
"Coming into the season, my goal was just to stay [in the big leagues] one day at a time," Street said. "Coming out of Spring Training, it didn't even look like I had a chance to make the team."
After replacing injured Octavio Dotel as the A's closer in May, Street helped Oakland climb from 15 games under .500 to playoff contention. Street converted all 18 of his save opportunities after the All-Star break, the longest such streak by an A's closer since Dennis Eckersley went for 40 in a row in 1991-92.
As for his competition, Cano, who turned 23 in October, batted .297 with 34 doubles, 14 homers and 62 RBIs while solidifying second base for the AL East champion Yankees. Gomes, meanwhile, went on a power surge during the 2005 season, collecting 21 homers in 348 at-bats while batting .282 with 54 RBIs.
Iguchi, 30, played eight years in Japan for Fukuoka before batting .278 with 15 homers, 71 RBIs and 15 steals for the World Series champion White Sox this season. Chacin went 13-9 with 3.72 ERA for the Blue Jays.
But they all took a back seat to Street.
"It's something that I'll remember my whole life," Street said. "It's something that's pretty cool, because you only get one chance to get it done."
John Schlegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.