NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani was rewarded for a Ruthian season at the plate — and on the mound.Baseball's best two-way player since the Babe at the dawn of the live-ball era a century ago, Ohtani was an overwhelming pick for American League Rookie of the Year on Monday despite an elbow injury that stymied his switch from Japan to the major leagues and likely will prevent him from pitching next year."I was just kind of disappointed I wasn't able to play a full season," he said through a translator. "I feel like every player should be able to play a full year and help out the team. So that's something I need to work on, and that's going to be one of my goals, to stay healthy for a long full season and be able to the team win from day one."Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was a runaway choice for the NL honor over Washington outfielder Juan Soto in a contest between 20-year-olds.A singular sensation who earned a chorus of praise for his dual success, Ohtani became the first player... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani was rewarded for a Ruthian season at the plate — and on the mound.Baseball's best two-way player since the Babe at the dawn of the live-ball era a century ago, Ohtani was an overwhelming pick for American League Rookie of the Year on Monday despite an elbow injury that stymied his switch from Japan to the major leagues and likely will prevent him from pitching next year."I was just kind of disappointed I wasn't able to play a full season," he said through a translator. "I feel like every player should be able to play a full year and help out the team. So that's something I need to work on, and that's going to be one of my goals, to stay healthy for a long full season and be able to the team win from day one."Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was a runaway choice for the NL honor over Washington outfielder Juan Soto in a contest between 20-year-olds.A singular sensation who earned a chorus of praise for his dual success, Ohtani became the first player... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani was a singular sensation in voting for AL Rookie of the Year.A standout on the mound and at the plate for the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani was an overwhelming pick for American League Rookie of the Year after becoming the first player since Babe Ruth a century ago with 10 homers and four pitching wins in the same season.Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was a runaway pick for the NL honor over Washington outfielder Juan Soto in a contest between 20-year-olds.A 24-year-old right-hander who joined the Angels last winter after five seasons with Japan's Nippon Ham Fighters, Ohtani received 25 first-place votes and four seconds for 137 points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in balloting announced Monday.A pair of New York Yankees infielders followed. Miguel Andujar was second with five firsts and 89 points, and Gleyber Torres was next with 25 points.Ohtani was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 51 2/3 innings in 10 starts,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Two-way star Shohei Ohtani was a singular sensation in voting for AL Rookie of the Year.A standout on the mound and at the plate for the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani was an overwhelming pick for American League Rookie of the Year after becoming the first player since Babe Ruth a century ago with 10 homers and four pitching wins in the same season.Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was a runaway pick for the NL honor over Washington outfielder Juan Soto in a contest between 20-year-olds.A 24-year-old right-hander who joined the Angels last winter after five seasons with Japan's Nippon Ham Fighters, Ohtani received 25 first-place votes and four seconds for 137 points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in balloting announced Monday.A pair of New York Yankees infielders followed. Miguel Andujar was second with five firsts and 89 points, and Gleyber Torres was next with 25 points.Ohtani was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 51 2/3 innings in 10 starts,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani has been voted American League Rookie of the Year after becoming the first player since Babe Ruth with 10 homers and four pitching wins in the same season.Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. was an overwhelming pick for the National League honor, easily beating Washington outfielder Juan Soto.Ohtani, a 24-year-old right-hander who joined the Angels last winter after five seasons with Japan's Nippon Ham Fighters, received 25 first-place votes and four seconds for 137 points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in balloting announced Monday.A pair of New York Yankees infielders followed. Miguel Andujar was second with five firsts and 89 points, and Gleyber Torres was next with 25 points.Ohtani was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 51 2/3 innings in 10 starts, limited by a torn elbow ligament that required surgery on Oct. 1 and likely will prevent him from pitching next year. As a designated hitter,... [More]

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — Agent John Boggs stood in the lobby at the hotel hosting the general managers' meetings and talked about last winter, when dozens of free agents remained unsigned after spring training began, causing prices to plummet as opening day approached."It's the greatest thing for the owners because they've got a lot of players that are wanting to play and have a lot of game left in them, and all of a sudden are just sitting there dying to get an opportunity again, and so it's a gigantic Macy's basement sale," he said. "I hope it is an aberration because I think there's a lot of good players that are being deprived of getting an opportunity to continue their careers."As the offseason starts, teams and agents aren't sure whether the market will revert to its previous pace or whether clubs will try to wait out players again.Miami's efforts to trade Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani's decision to leave Japan for the major leagues created roadblocks after the 2017 season."I... [More]

CARLSBAD, Calif. (AP) — Agent John Boggs stood in the lobby at the hotel hosting the general managers' meetings and talked about last winter, when dozens of free agents remained unsigned after spring training began, causing prices to plummet as opening day approached."It's the greatest thing for the owners because they've got a lot of players that are wanting to play and have a lot of game left in them, and all of a sudden are just sitting there dying to get an opportunity again, and so it's a gigantic Macy's basement sale," he said. "I hope it is an aberration because I think there's a lot of good players that are being deprived of getting an opportunity to continue their careers."As the offseason starts, teams and agents aren't sure whether the market will revert to its previous pace or whether clubs will try to wait out players again.Miami's efforts to trade Giancarlo Stanton and Shohei Ohtani's decision to leave Japan for the major leagues created roadblocks after the 2017 season."I... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is a finalist for the AL Rookie of the Year award along with two New York Yankees infielders.The Baseball Writers' Association of America revealed the finalists for its major awards Monday night. The winners will be announced next week.Ohtani figures to be in a tight race with Yankees infielders Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres after a historic first season with the Los Angeles Angels. The two-way Japanese sensation was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA as a starting pitcher before an elbow injury forced him off the mound. He finished out the season exclusively as a designated hitter, hitting .285 with 22 home runs and 61 RBIs.Ohtani is the first player ever to hit 15 home runs and strike out 50 batters in a season, and he joined Babe Ruth as the only players ever to hit 15 homers and pitch 50 innings. He had Tommy John surgery after the season and is not expected to pitch in 2019.Andujar hit 47 doubles, tied for the second-most by a rookie in major league history, while... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is a finalist for the AL Rookie of the Year award along with two New York Yankees infielders.The Baseball Writers' Association of America revealed the finalists for its major awards Monday night. The winners will be announced next week.Ohtani figures to be in a tight race with Yankees infielders Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres after a historic first season with the Los Angeles Angels. The two-way Japanese sensation was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA as a starting pitcher before an elbow injury forced him off the mound. He finished out the season exclusively as a designated hitter, hitting .285 with 22 home runs and 61 RBIs.Ohtani is the first player ever to hit 15 home runs and strike out 50 batters in a season, and he joined Babe Ruth as the only players ever to hit 15 homers and pitch 50 innings. He had Tommy John surgery after the season and is not expected to pitch in 2019.Andujar hit 47 doubles, tied for the second-most by a rookie in major league history, while... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is a finalist for the AL Rookie of the Year award along with two New York Yankees infielders.The Baseball Writers' Association of America revealed the finalists for its major awards Monday night. The winners will be announced next week.Ohtani figures to be in a tight race with Yankees infielders Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres after a historic first season with the Los Angeles Angels. The two-way Japanese sensation is the first player ever to hit 15 home runs and strike out 50 batters in a season, and he joined Babe Ruth as the only players ever to hit 15 homers and pitch 50 innings.The World Series champion Boston Red Sox might be in line for more hardware. Mookie Betts is a finalist for AL MVP, and Alex Cora is in the final three for AL Manager of the Year in his first season. Los Angeles' Mike Trout and Cleveland's Jose Ramirez are also finalists for AL MVP.Milwaukee's Christian Yelich is the favorite for NL MVP, and Colorado's Nolan Arenado and Chicago's Javier Baez were also revealed as top vote-getters.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — During 18 major league seasons as a catcher and four more as a manager, Brad Ausmus developed a strong gut instinct about nearly everything that happens on a baseball field.While spending the past year out of a dugout, Ausmus developed a deeper understanding of how traditional beliefs aren't always correct.With a sturdy baseball foundation and a willingness to adopt new analytical knowledge, Ausmus was the Los Angeles Angels' ideal choice to take charge as their first new manager of the 21st century.General manager Billy Eppler and owner Arte Moreno introduced Ausmus on a sunny Monday at Angel Stadium, formally opening the Orange County club's next chapter after Mike Scioscia's 19-year dugout tenure ended three weeks ago."I'm very excited to have an opportunity to lead a club like this with so many great players," Ausmus said after trying on his new No. 12 Halos jersey.Ausmus was dropped by the Detroit Tigers last fall after four intermittently successful seasons... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — During 18 major league seasons as a catcher and four more as a manager, Brad Ausmus developed a strong gut instinct about nearly everything that happens on a baseball field.While spending the past year out of a dugout, Ausmus developed a deeper understanding of how traditional beliefs aren't always correct.With a sturdy baseball foundation and a willingness to adopt new analytical knowledge, Ausmus was the Los Angeles Angels' ideal choice to take charge as their first new manager of the 21st century.General manager Billy Eppler and owner Arte Moreno introduced Ausmus on a sunny Monday at Angel Stadium, formally opening the Orange County club's next chapter after Mike Scioscia's 19-year dugout tenure ended three weeks ago."I'm very excited to have an opportunity to lead a club like this with so many great players," Ausmus said after trying on his new No. 12 Halos jersey.Ausmus was dropped by the Detroit Tigers last fall after four intermittently successful seasons... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Brad Ausmus was named the Los Angeles Angels' manager on Sunday, moving from the front office to the dugout to replace longtime skipper Mike Scioscia.General manager Billy Eppler announced the hiring of Ausmus, who served as Eppler's special assistant last season after four years as the Detroit Tigers' manager.Ausmus got a three-year contract with the Angels. He will be introduced at Angel Stadium on Monday.Scioscia had held the job since the 2000 season, winning the Angels' only World Series title and becoming the winningest manager in franchise history. He left the club earlier this month after 19 seasons and 1,650 victories.But after finishing 80-82 for the second consecutive year, the Angels are coming off three straight losing seasons overall for the first time since 1992-94. Los Angeles has played only three postseason games in the past nine seasons, losing them all in 2014 after winning the AL West.While both men had lengthy careers as big league catchers,... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Brad Ausmus was named the Los Angeles Angels' manager on Sunday, moving from the front office to the dugout to replace longtime skipper Mike Scioscia.General manager Billy Eppler announced the hiring of Ausmus, who served as his special assistant last season. Contract terms were not released. Ausmus will be introduced at Angel Stadium on Monday.Scioscia had held the job since the 2000 season, winning the Angels' only World Series title and becoming the winningest manager in franchise history. He left the club earlier this month after 19 seasons and 1,650 victories.After finishing 80-82 for the second consecutive year, the Angels are coming off three straight losing seasons for the first time since 1992-94. Los Angeles has played only three postseason games in the past nine seasons, losing them all to Kansas City in 2014 after winning the AL West.While both men had lengthy careers as big league catchers, the 49-year-old Ausmus likely represents a philosophical shift... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Brad Ausmus was named the Los Angeles Angels' manager on Sunday, moving from the front office to the dugout to replace longtime skipper Mike Scioscia.General manager Billy Eppler announced the hiring of Ausmus, who served as his special assistant last season. Contract terms were not released. Ausmus will be introduced at Angel Stadium on Monday.Scioscia had held the job since the 2000 season, winning the Angels' only World Series title and becoming the winningest manager in franchise history. He left the club earlier this month after 19 seasons and 1,650 victories.After finishing 80-82 for the second consecutive year, the Angels are coming off three straight losing seasons for the first time since 1992-94. Los Angeles has played only three postseason games in the past nine seasons, losing them all to Kansas City in 2014 after winning the AL West.While both men had lengthy careers as big league catchers, the 49-year-old Ausmus likely represents a philosophical shift... [More]

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Brad Ausmus was named the Los Angeles Angels' manager on Sunday, moving from the front office to the dugout to replace longtime skipper Mike Scioscia.General manager Billy Eppler announced the hiring of Ausmus, who served as his special assistant last season. Contract terms were not released.Scioscia had held the job since the 2000 season, winning the Angels' only World Series title and becoming the winningest manager in franchise history. He left the club earlier this month after 19 seasons and 1,650 victories.The 49-year-old Ausmus likely represents a philosophical shift from Scioscia, who was widely perceived as an old-school manager despite his public embrace of new baseball mentalities. After Scioscia's departure three weeks ago, Eppler said he wanted the Angels' new manager to be well-versed in analytics and probability-based decision-making."Ultimately, Brad's balance of connectivity, communication and leadership skills as well as his understanding of evolving... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Now that the regular season is finally in the books, time to bestow baseball's biggest individual prizes. It took one extra day to sort out the playoff bracket, but these debates have been underway for weeks.Christian Yelich seems a cinch for NL MVP, but is it Mookie Betts or Boston teammate J.D. Martinez in the American League?Jacob deGrom or Max Scherzer for the NL Cy Young Award?Shohei Ohtani or Miguel Andujar for AL Rookie of the Year?Martinez has been a monster at the plate in his first season with the Red Sox after signing a $110 million, five-year contract. He launched 43 home runs and led the majors with 130 RBIs. He compiled a 1.031 OPS and hit .330, finishing second to Betts (.346) in the batting race.All big reasons why Boston had the best record in baseball at 108-54.Hitting at the top of the order, Betts had 32 homers, 80 RBIs, 129 runs and a whopping 1.078 OPS.But on defense and the bases, it's no comparison. Martinez started 57 games in the outfield but 93... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:WILD TIMESThe Rockies head to Wrigley Field for a wild-card showdown with the Cubs after both teams lost tiebreaking games Monday with division crowns on the line. Colorado missed out on a first NL West title in a 5-2 loss at the Dodgers, then quickly scooted off for Chicago. The Cubs await them there after falling to Milwaukee 3-1 with the NL Central on the line.Both teams are calling on ace left-handers — Chicago will start Jon Lester and may follow with Cole Hamels, while Colorado gives the ball to Kyle Freeland.Lester will become the first pitcher to start two wild-card games, though his first ranks among his worst postseason performances. The Royals scored six runs off Lester during a dramatic rally for a 9-8, 12-inning win over Oakland in 2014.Freeland set a franchise record with a 2.85 ERA — including a 2.40 mark at Coors Field. He gave up just six home runs in 108 2/3 innings on the road this season, making him an ideal arm on a... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Tuesday:WILD TIMESThe Rockies head to Wrigley Field for a wild-card showdown with the Cubs after both teams lost tiebreaking games Monday with division crowns on the line. Colorado missed out on a first NL West title in a 5-2 loss at the Dodgers, then quickly scooted off for Chicago. The Cubs await them there after falling to Milwaukee 3-1 with the NL Central on the line.Both teams are calling on ace left-handers — Chicago will start Jon Lester and may follow with Cole Hamels, while Colorado gives the ball to Kyle Freeland.Lester will become the first pitcher to start two wild-card games, though his first ranks among his worst postseason performances. The Royals scored six runs off Lester during a dramatic rally for a 9-8, 12-inning win over Oakland in 2014.Freeland set a franchise record with a 2.85 ERA — including a 2.40 mark at Coors Field. He gave up just six home runs in 108 2/3 innings on the road this season, making him an ideal arm on... [More]

The Latest on the Major League Baseball's final day heading into the postseason (all times Eastern):7:30 p.m.Rookie Walker Buehler tossed one-hit ball into the seventh inning, Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy slugged two-run homers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Colorado Rockies 5-2 to earn a record sixth consecutive NL West title in a tiebreaker game.That sets up a wild-card showdown Tuesday night between the Rockies and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Jon Lester will start for Chicago. Colorado has not yet named a starter, but Antonio Senzatela may get the call.The Dodgers are the first major league team to win six straight division titles since the Yankees captured nine AL East titles in a row from 1998-2006.Los Angeles hosts Atlanta in the NL Division Series beginning Thursday.___7:15 p.m.Ichiro Suzuki will go to spring training next season with the Seattle Mariners as a player.Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto says Suzuki will be in spring training with the Mariners in 2019... [More]