Rocco third in rookie voting

K.C.'s Berroa takes AL honor; Marlins' Willis wins in NL.

ST. PETERSBURG - Rays centerfielder Rocco Baldelli was pretty sure he wasn't going to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award. So sure that he planned a hunting trip for Monday, the day the award was announced.

So it's no surprise he didn't win, but it is a mild surprise who did. In the closest voting in 24 years, Kansas City shortstop Angel Berroa beat out Yankees leftfielder Hideki Matsui. And Baldelli, a season removed from Class A ball, finished a distant third.

In the National League, Florida pitcher Dontrelle Willis finished well ahead of Milwaukee outfielder Scott Podsednik.

For Baldelli, the voting - at least the part that had him finishing third - went as he thought it would.

"I wasn't surprised at all," Baldelli said. "I wasn't anticipating anything or had any expectations as far as rookie of the year. I know that this was a pretty talented group of people that came into the league this year. The two guys, Matsui and Berroa, those guys are two great players."

The voters, 28 of them from the Baseball Writers' Association of America, thought so much of the two that the difference in the voting came down to four points. Berroa, 25, received 12 first-place votes, seven seconds and seven thirds for 88 points. Matsui got 10 firsts, nine seconds and seven thirds for 84 points. Each player was left off two ballots.

Meantime, Baldelli received five first-place votes, five seconds and 11 thirds for 51 points. He wasn't named on seven ballots. For Baldelli, though, just to finish third meant something.

"I think if you asked me in April I'd say my goal was to stay up the whole year and to perform well enough to do that and contribute any way that I could," he said. "If you said that I had any hopes of rookie of the year, I'd be pretty surprised if you told me that."

Baldelli, though, earned serious consideration and attention most of the season. Though he hit a couple of expected batting slumps, Baldelli hit .289 with 11 home runs and 78 RBIs. He set the major-league record for hits by a rookie through April and was named AL rookie of the month for April and May.

"When I first came in I had no idea what to expect," said Baldelli, who turned 21 during the season. "From the fields I've been playing on, to traveling, to media, to any part of the game, I had no idea what was going on. It came on me pretty quick. I had to adapt and deal with it."

His only major struggle came in the field as he adjusted to playing indoors for the first time in his life. As the season progressed, Baldelli became more comfortable and ended up leading AL rookies in outfield assists with 14, while committing five errors.

It appeared Baldelli's biggest competition for the award would be Matsui and a debate started as to whether Matsui, who is 29 and won three MVP awards while playing professionally in Japan, should be considered a rookie.

Baldelli avoided the topic most of the season, but he addressed it Monday.

"These guys are professionals when they come over, they're seasoned, they know how to play the game, they're really experienced," Baldelli said. "As of right now, the rules are it's their first year over here playing so there's no other way to look at it than them being considered rookies."

In the end, though, Berroa, also named top AL rookie in a vote of players, won the award.

Berroa hit .287 with 17 homers, 73 RBIs, 21 steals and 92 runs while playing a difficult position. Matsui batted .287 with 16 homers, 106 RBIs, two steals and 82 runs.

"I guess I just looked too old for a rookie," Matsui said in a statement in which he congratulated Berroa. "I think he deserves to win."

In the NL, Willis received 17 first-place votes and 118 points, while Podsednik got eight firsts and 81 points. Willis, 21, went 14-6 with a 3.30 ERA to help the Marlins secure a wild-card spot that turned into a World Series title.

"I never thought I would make it to the big leagues so soon, let alone have success," Willis, who signed out of high school in 2000, said in a conference call.