BOSTON — Troy Tulowitzki would rather poke his eye with a broken bat than lose at anything. As such, it might be a frustrating offseason. Despite steering the Rockies to the playoffs, Tulowitzki was edged out for the Most Outstanding National League Rookie in the Players Choice awards by Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun.
All Tulowitzki did was post the greatest season ever by an NL rookie shortstop, hitting .291 with 24 home runs and 99 RBIs. He also committed just 11 errors, becoming a legitimate candidate for the Gold Glove. No rookie shortstop has ever won that honor.
In the end, the players were more impressed with Braun’s brawn than Tulowitzki’s overall résumé. Braun, 23, led all rookies with 34 home runs and a .324 average, despite getting just 451 at-bats.
Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia won the AL rookie award. Tulowitzki remains in the running for NL Rookie of the Year honors as voted on by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. That will be revealed next month.
