Greg Holland, Wil Myers Win Awards

Sep 22, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Wil Myers (9) doubles during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

When Wil Myers was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for James Shields, it was seemingly inevitable that he would blossom into the player that the Royals had hoped he would become. Naturally, upon being called up by the Rays, Myers, along with Alex Colome and a healthy David Price, turned around the Rays season, helping to catapult Tampa Bay into the playoffs.

Those efforts were recognized yesterday, as Myers was named the American League Rookie of the Year by the BBWAA. Myers, despite playing just over half the season, put together a .293/.354/.478 batting line with 13 home runs. He received 23 of 30 first place votes, easily defeating Jose Iglesias and teammate Chris Archer for the award.

That BBWAA award was not the only one handed out last night. The IBWAA, or the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, announced their awards for Rookie of the Year and Reliever of the Year as well. The Rookie of the Year Award mirrored the BBWAA selection, as Myers won the award handily.

Yet, there is a victory that Royals fans can cheer for on their own team. The winner of the American League Relief Pitcher of the Year, named after Rollie Fingers, was Greg Holland. Holland beat out Koji Uehara and Joe Nathan to win the award. In his first full season as a closer, Holland had 47 saves and a 1.21 ERA, striking out 103 batters in 67 innings. As good as Uehara was this past season, Holland was just as dominant, using his howitzer of a right arm to mow down the opposition.

Wil Myers winning the Rookie of the Year Award may garner the most attention, but he was not the only worthy player honored by the media yesterday. Even though it may not generate as much attention at this point, Greg Holland earned some well deserved recognition for his season as well.