Gordon Beckham failed to win the Triple Crown rookie award this year. That’s because Andrew Bailey won the official AL rookie award.
Bailey made the Oakland A’s roster in 2009 as a long shot. Bailey was named the A’s lone representative at the All-Star Game in St. Louis this summer. Bailey would post an Oakland rookie-record with 26 saves in 30 chances. He also posted a 6-3 record with a 1.84 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP and 91 strikeouts against 24 walks in 83 1/3 innings over 68 appearances. Bailey said he didn’t expect to win this award. Most people felt that Elvin Andrus was considered the frontrunner for AL ROY. For the 2009 AL ROY voting, Andrew Bailey had 13 first place votes and would finish with 88 points. Elvin Andrus would be the runner-up with 8 first place votes and have a total of 65 points. Rick Porcello was a close 3rd with 64 points. Jeff Niemann finished with 21 points. Gordon Beckham, who needed the AL ROY to win the Triple Crown Rookie award finished 5th with only 10 points. Beckham had previously won the Sporting News’ 2009 AL rookie of the year award and the AL Rookie of the Year by the MLBPA.
The Oakland A’s have a history of players winning rookie of the year. Jose Canseco became the first A’s player to win the rookie of the year. The next year in 1987, Mark McGwire won it and Walt Weiss won it in 1988. 10 years later, Ben Grieve would win it. Then the A’s would win the rookie of the year award in back-to-back years in 2004 and 2005 with Bobby Crosby and Huston Street. Bailey becomes the 7th A’s player to win rookie of the year.
Let’s hope that Bailey, Andrus and Beckham don’t suffer from the sophomore jinx next year.

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