Jackson selected as TSN AL Rookie of the Year

Jackson selected as TSN AL Rookie of the Year
Tigers first baseman Cabrera earns spot on AL All-Star team
By Jason Beck / MLB.com | 10/20/10 2:21 PM ET

DETROIT -- While Miguel Cabrera lost out to Josh Hamilton for Player of the Year honors by The Sporting News, as voted on by Major League players, the publication recognized Austin Jackson as its American League Rookie of the Year.

The Sporting News used balloting conducted in September among 326 players to determine its results.

With a relatively limited crop, the AL Rookie of the Year race has long been expected to be a two-way battle between Jackson and Texas closer Neftali Feliz, who set a rookie record with 40 saves. At least among Major League players, Jackson won the vote.

It's a nice recognition of what Jackson meant to the Tigers, offensively and defensively, after coming over from the Yankees -- and given the tall task of replacing fan favorite Curtis Granderson. The 23-year-old Jackson came to Spring Training early, established a strong work ethic from the outset, and then settled in as Detroit's center fielder and leadoff hitter.

Jackson became just the fourth Major League rookie since 1901 to post 180 hits, 100 runs, 30 doubles, 10 triples and 25 stolen bases in the same season. The others formed a pretty distinguished club: Hanley Ramirez in 2006, Juan Samuel in 1984 and Shoeless Joe Jackson in '11. In the outfield, Jackson's combination of athleticism and instincts earned him a slew of highlight catches and a potential Gold Glove resume.

Cabrera, on the other hand, is part of a cluttered AL MVP race that stretches from Hamilton to Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, and from AL home run champion Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays to White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko.

The Sporting News chooses one Player of the Year, rather than separating it by league, but Hamilton won the players' vote. He beat out Cabrera and others for the AL batting title with a .359 average while also leading the league with a .633 slugging percentage and 1.044 OPS to go along with 30 home runs, 40 doubles and 100 RBIs. The fact that Hamilton missed most of September with a rib fracture was expected to work against him in awards balloting.

Cabrera did win the first-base spot on The Sporting News AL All-Star team, as voted on by a panel of 24 Major League general managers.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.