Rodriguez Wins Landslide Vote For A.L. Player Of The Year Award

FROM REPLAY (Saturday, November 2, 1996): Correction Seattle Mariners shortstop Alex Rodriguez was named The Associated Press major league player of the year Thursday, not the American League player of the year.

Alex Rodriguez, who began the season batting ninth for Seattle and became the top hitter in the majors at age 21, was voted The Associated Press major league player of the year Thursday.

Rodriguez hit .358 with 36 home runs and 123 RBIs in his first full year in the big leagues. He set modern-day marks for shortstops in hits (215), extra-base hits (91) and runs scored (141).

“It was a very humbling year,” he said. “All they asked me to do was hit .240, hit 10 home runs and drive in 40. But I still need to improve.”

Rodriguez received 103 votes from a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters. San Diego third baseman Ken Caminiti was second with 12 votes, and Atlanta pitcher John Smoltz third with nine.

The overall No. 1 pick in the 1993 draft, Rodriguez made his major league debut the next year at 18. During the 1995 season, he was sent down to the minors four times by the Mariners, hit .232 in 48 games and backed up Luis Sojo in the playoffs.

“I came to spring training this year and had to win a job,” Rodriguez said.

He earned it, and M’s manager Lou Piniella said he would stay in the lineup as long as he made the routine plays.

On March 31, in the earliest major league opener, Rodriguez was 0-for-5 before hitting a game-winning single in the bottom of the 12th inning against Chicago at the Kingdome.

He soon blossomed into a leading candidate for the A.L. MVP award, which will be announced Nov. 14.

ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo