Trout wins AL ROY

NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Trout and Bryce Harper were teammates on the Scottsdale Scorpions last fall. The outfielders arrived in the major leagues on the same April day this year, both played in the All-Star game and they won Rookie of the Year awards a half-hour apart Monday, the vanguard of baseball’s next generation.

The 21-year-old Trout was a unanimous pick as the youngest AL rookie winner, and the 20-year-old Harper edged Arizona pitcher Wade Miley 112 points to 105 to become the second-youngest winner of the NL honor.

“It’s pretty neat,” said Trout, the son of former Minnesota minor leaguer Jeff Trout.

For the first time, players learned the voting results when they were announced on television.

“My heart was beating a little bit,” Harper said.

Trout, who turned 21 on Aug. 7, received all 28 first-place votes from the AL panel of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The Los Angeles Angels center fielder was the eighth unanimous AL pick and the first since Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria in 2008.

There could be more to come, too. Trout is among five finalists for AL MVP and is considered the chief challenger to Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera for that award, which will be announced Thursday.

“It would just top it off,” Trout said.

Trout hit .326, second-best in the league to Cabrera’s .330, with 30 homers and 83 RBIs, and he led the majors with 129 runs and 49 steals. He joined Ted Williams, Mel Ott and Alex Rodriguez as the only players to hit .320 or higher with 30 or more homers in seasons they started as a 20-year-old.

Trout received the maximum 140 points. Oakland outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was second with 63, followed by Texas pitcher Yu Darvish (46), who joined Trout as the only players listed on every ballot.

Harper got 16 of 32 first-place votes from the NL panel. Miley was second with 12 first-place votes, followed by Cincinnati slugger Todd Frazier with three firsts and 45 points.

Izturis agrees to $10M contract with Blue Jays

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Infielder Maicer Izturis became the first major league free agent this offseason to join a new team, agreeing to a $10 million, three-year contract with Toronto.

The Blue Jays said the deal was for $3 million annually. The team has a $3 million option for 2016 with a $1 million buyout.

The 32-year-old hit .256 with 17 steals in 19 tries, two homers and 20 RBIs this year for the Los Angeles Angels. After reaching the big leagues with the Montreal Expos in 2004, Izturis spent eight years with the Angels. He has a .273 career average with 81 steals.

“He’s someone that’s going to come in and compete for the job at second base,” said Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos at the GM meetings in California. “He’s not guaranteed the job, but the fact that he can play all over the infield, he’s just a valuable guy to have. He can do a lot of little things. He’s a winning player. He can draw a walk. He can put the ball in play — a pretty good contact rate. He can run a little bit and steal some bags. He plays very good defensively, as well, and is a good teammate, good in the clubhouse.”

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