Ron Madden
10-22-2021, 01:40 PM
Jonathan India Is Baseball America's 2021 MLB Rookie Of The Year
The results were immediate when Jonathan India moved to the leadoff spot for the first time on June 5. He drew a walk in his first plate appearance, hit a solo home run in his next and followed with a double.
It was the first time India hit higher than sixth in the Reds’ lineup, and there was no mistaking his impact. Cincinnati vaulted into the playoff race. India leaped into the Rookie of the Year conversations. The guys hitting behind him raved about how much he helped the offense.
As the Reds’ leadoff hitter, India hit .275/.383/.482 with 31 doubles, 17 home runs, 46 RBIs and 82 runs in 103 games.
India is the Baseball America Rookie of the Year. To understand how he became a leader for the Reds and the league’s most productive rookie, it’s important to know how hard he worked when nobody kept stats.
When he arrived at the Reds’ alternate training site at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio, last year, the organization wanted him to learn second base to increase his versatility. India had played shortstop in high school and third base in college, from where the Reds drafted him fifth overall out of Florida in 2018.
India was often the first player on the field with Luis Bolivar, Cincinnati’s academies coordinator, for one-on-one instruction. They worked a lot on India’s footwork now that he was on the opposite side of the infield.
“He took the opportunity as a challenge,” Bolivar said. “He’s out there, like, ‘Hey, let’s do it,’ every day. It was awesome to see.
Prasco was a blessing in my life,” India said. “We didn’t have games, we couldn’t compete against anyone, but we did have live ABs, scrimmages. I took everything really serious. Every guy did there, but for me, it was just different. I was there every day early working at second base. I took thousands of swings. Honestly, I would go back. I would go back and work out there for an offseason. That’s how much I loved it.”GREAT Article! A Lot Of Interesting Stuff In There.
Full Story Here:
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/jonathan-india-is-baseball-americas-2021-mlb-rookie-of-the-year/
The results were immediate when Jonathan India moved to the leadoff spot for the first time on June 5. He drew a walk in his first plate appearance, hit a solo home run in his next and followed with a double.
It was the first time India hit higher than sixth in the Reds’ lineup, and there was no mistaking his impact. Cincinnati vaulted into the playoff race. India leaped into the Rookie of the Year conversations. The guys hitting behind him raved about how much he helped the offense.
As the Reds’ leadoff hitter, India hit .275/.383/.482 with 31 doubles, 17 home runs, 46 RBIs and 82 runs in 103 games.
India is the Baseball America Rookie of the Year. To understand how he became a leader for the Reds and the league’s most productive rookie, it’s important to know how hard he worked when nobody kept stats.
When he arrived at the Reds’ alternate training site at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio, last year, the organization wanted him to learn second base to increase his versatility. India had played shortstop in high school and third base in college, from where the Reds drafted him fifth overall out of Florida in 2018.
India was often the first player on the field with Luis Bolivar, Cincinnati’s academies coordinator, for one-on-one instruction. They worked a lot on India’s footwork now that he was on the opposite side of the infield.
“He took the opportunity as a challenge,” Bolivar said. “He’s out there, like, ‘Hey, let’s do it,’ every day. It was awesome to see.
Prasco was a blessing in my life,” India said. “We didn’t have games, we couldn’t compete against anyone, but we did have live ABs, scrimmages. I took everything really serious. Every guy did there, but for me, it was just different. I was there every day early working at second base. I took thousands of swings. Honestly, I would go back. I would go back and work out there for an offseason. That’s how much I loved it.”GREAT Article! A Lot Of Interesting Stuff In There.
Full Story Here:
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/jonathan-india-is-baseball-americas-2021-mlb-rookie-of-the-year/