Players Name Happ Best Rookie

The Postseason is still going (beat New York!) but some of baseball’s lesser known postseason awards were already handed out Monday and one Phillie stood alone.

Pitcher J.A. Happ was named the Major League Baseball Players Association’s Outstanding Rookie in the National League -- an announcement made on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in Morning show. He beat out Florida's Chris Coughlan and Atlanta's Tommy Hanson for the award.

The recognition for Happ was nice considering that he was voted best rookie by his own peers. The 27-year-old lefty was deserving of some Player's Choice praise after tying for a Phillies team-high 12 wins. Overall he was 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 166 innings for the Phightins.

Winning the lesser-recognized MLBPA version of the Rookie Year palls in comparison to winning the Baseball Writers Association of America’s award named for Jackie Robinson and simply known the ROY. But, Happ should still rejoice in the recognition of fellow players.

Of course Happ would almost certainly trade any award for another World Series ring. Let’s hope he earns that ring by shutting down the Yankees.

If history has anything to do with it then Happ should be OK pitching under the bright lights of the Bronx. He made his first start of the season in Yankees Stadium back in May. He earned no decision but pitched well giving up two runs on four hits while walking none and striking out four over six innings.

Maybe that earlier performance could be something for Manager Charlie Manuel to chew on as he uses Happ out of the pen in the first couple games of the series.