Baylor Alum Jennings Voted Rookie Of the Year
11/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov 4, 2002
By RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - Baylor alum and current Colorado pitcher Jason Jennings was named the National League Rookie of the Year, Major League Baseball announced Monday.
The 24-year-old Jennings went 16-8 with a 4.52 ERA and became the first Colorado player to win the award. He got 27 first place votes and five seconds for 150 points in voting by a panel of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
The award came as no surprise to Baylor fans, who Jennings named consensus National Collegiate Player of the Year after compiling a 13-2 record, 2.58 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 146.2 innings as a junior in 1999. Jennings also served as the Bears' DH, hitting .386 with 17 home runs and 68 RBI that season. Following his outstanding year, Jennings was drafted in the first round (16th overall pick) by the Rockies.
A three-year starter, Jennings holds Baylor records for wins in a season (13), innings pitched in a season (146.2) and strikeouts in a season (172) and in a career (377). He is second in career wins (27) and career saves (13), third in career home runs (39) and fourth in career batting average (.344).
Montreal outfielder Brad Wilkerson, who batted .266 with 20 homers and 59 RBIs, was second with two firsts and 57 points. Cincinnati outfielder Austin Kearns also got two firsts and had 40 points after hitting .315 with 13 homers and 56 RBIs.
Los Angeles left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii got the other first-place vote and had 14 points. He went 14-10 with a 4.27 ERA in his first season since leaving the Japanese leagues.
 Jason Jennings holds school records for strikeouts in a season and career.  | |
Jennings went from Double-A in 2001 to the Rockies in the final weeks of the season. He began 2002 as Colorado's fifth starter but was more consistent than more heralded pitchers on the staff, including Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle. Despite a 5.65 ERA in 17 starts at hitter-friendly Coors Field, he went 9-4 there.
Toronto third baseman Eric Hinske was named AL Rookie of the Year award. Hinske got 19 of 28 first-place votes and nine seconds to finish with 122 points. He hit .279 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs.
Baltimore right-hander Rodrigo Lopez, who went 15-9 with a 3.57 ERA, was second with nine firsts, 17 seconds and one third for 97 points. Orioles reliever Jorge Julio was third with 14 points after going 5-6 with a 1.99 ERA and 25 saves.
The 25-year-old Hinske is Toronto's first player to win the award outright. Alfredo Griffin tied Minnesota's John Castino in the 1979 rookie voting.
Hinske, a member of the major league all-star team that will tour Japan this month, had the most homers by an AL rookie since Boston's Nomar Garciaparra hit 30 in 1997. Hinske's first career hit and RBIs came on a two-run single off Red Sox star Pedro Martinez on opening day.
After making 16 errors during the first half of the season, Hinske had just four in the second half.
