The announcement was not surprising.  After the seasons Mike Trout and Bryce Harper had this year, there was little drama with who would be selected the American League and National League Rookies of the Year.  The two are both going to be cornerstones for their teams for years to come.

Trout was the unanimous pick in the American League, and rightly so.  He hit .326/.399/.564 with 30 home runs.  He literally helped Angels compete in the American League West.  Prior to being called up, the Angels were mired in the type of slump that would have left them battling not for first place, but to avoid last place.  After he was called up, the team came alive.  Trout helped them to an 89-73 record.  It was only good enough for third place in the division, but at least they were in contention.


Harper did not quite dominate the voting like Trout did.  He received 16 of the 32 first place votes.  It was enough though - and he was enough.  Harper hit .270/.340/.477 with 22 home runs.  His Washington Nationals took the National League East by storm.  They were knocked out of the postseason in devastating fashion, but they may not have been there without Harper.  According to Baseball Reference, he was worth five wins above replacement.

These two superstars made the 2012 season one of the more memorable ones.  Much like the now-tainted home run race of 1998 between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, people were turning on their televisions and opening the newspaper everyday to see how Harper and Trout did.  Hopefully this past season and these awards are indicative of big things to come.
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