Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, who captured the attention of the baseball world by hitting nine homers in 14 spring training games, was the runaway winner of the National League rookie of the year award Monday.The vote: Bryant received every first-place vote in a ballot conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America, garnering 150 points to easily beat out San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Duffy and Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang. He becomes the 28th rookie to be a unanimous choice. 
Duffy finished second with 70 points and Kang in third with 28.Why Bryant won: Bryant, 23, led all major league rookies with 99 RBI, 31 doubles and 87 runs scored. He batted .275 with 26 homers, tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson for tops among first-year players, and registered an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .858, the highest among qualifying rookies.“He’s lived up to the hype and even in some ways exceeded the hype," said Dan Plesac, MLB Network analyst. "He has a chance to be a really terrific player, a perennial All-Star. He’s that good.’’Besides handling third base better than some observers expected – his 6.9 defensive runs saved ranked fifth in the league – Bryant showed his versatility by playing all three outfield positions, including 10 starts. He also stole 13 bases.Duffy earned runner-up honors by leading all rookies with 169 hits and compiling a .295 batting average with 12 homers, 77 RBI and a .762 OPS. A natural shortstop, Duffy began the season as a backup infielder but won the starting job at third base in May and wound up a finalist for the Gold Glove. His 12.6 defensive runs saved and 10.6 Defensive Zone Rating were both tops in the NL.Kang made a smooth transition to American ball in becoming the first position player from the Korean Baseball Organization to reach the majors. He played 77 games at third base and 60 at shortstop, batting .287 with 15 homers, 58 RBI and an .816 OPS.History says: Bryant is the first Cub to win rookie honors since catcher Geovany Soto in 2008. While Soto has gone on to become a journeyman, much more is expected of Bryant, a high-pedigree prospect before being chosen with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 draft out of the University of San Diego. Bryant set Cubs rookie records for home runs, RBI, extra-base hits (62) and total bases (273). His 99 RBI represent the highest output for an NL rookie since Ryan Zimmerman drove in 110 runs for the Washington Nationals in 2006.Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports
Duffy finished second with 70 points and Kang in third with 28.Why Bryant won: Bryant, 23, led all major league rookies with 99 RBI, 31 doubles and 87 runs scored. He batted .275 with 26 homers, tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson for tops among first-year players, and registered an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .858, the highest among qualifying rookies.“He’s lived up to the hype and even in some ways exceeded the hype," said Dan Plesac, MLB Network analyst. "He has a chance to be a really terrific player, a perennial All-Star. He’s that good.’’Besides handling third base better than some observers expected – his 6.9 defensive runs saved ranked fifth in the league – Bryant showed his versatility by playing all three outfield positions, including 10 starts. He also stole 13 bases.Duffy earned runner-up honors by leading all rookies with 169 hits and compiling a .295 batting average with 12 homers, 77 RBI and a .762 OPS. A natural shortstop, Duffy began the season as a backup infielder but won the starting job at third base in May and wound up a finalist for the Gold Glove. His 12.6 defensive runs saved and 10.6 Defensive Zone Rating were both tops in the NL.Kang made a smooth transition to American ball in becoming the first position player from the Korean Baseball Organization to reach the majors. He played 77 games at third base and 60 at shortstop, batting .287 with 15 homers, 58 RBI and an .816 OPS.History says: Bryant is the first Cub to win rookie honors since catcher Geovany Soto in 2008. While Soto has gone on to become a journeyman, much more is expected of Bryant, a high-pedigree prospect before being chosen with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 draft out of the University of San Diego. Bryant set Cubs rookie records for home runs, RBI, extra-base hits (62) and total bases (273). His 99 RBI represent the highest output for an NL rookie since Ryan Zimmerman drove in 110 runs for the Washington Nationals in 2006.Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports
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