NEW YORK | Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria won the American League Rookie of the Year award Monday by unanimous vote, and the Cubs' Geovany Soto ran away with the NL honor.
Soto, the steady catcher who helped the Cubs win the NL Central title, got 31 of 32 first-place votes. The other went to Cincinnati's Joey Votto.
Following a season of breakthroughs for the AL champion Rays, Longoria became the first Tampa Bay player to win a national award from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. The power-hitting third baseman received all 28 first-place votes, becoming the AL's first unanimous rookie winner since Nomar Garciaparra in 1997.
Soto hit .285 with 23 homers, 35 doubles and 86 RBIs. He became the first catcher to win Rookie of the Year in either league since Mike Piazza of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1993.
The previous winner from the Cubs was pitcher Kerry Wood 10 years ago.
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