From Hellboy to ROY

There is no doubt that Jeremy Hellickson has an impressive rookie season. He pitched two complete games, pitched 7 innings or more a total of 14 times and he is one of three rookies in the past 35 years to beat the Red Sox on their turf.  Pretty impressive right? Clearly the fans weren't the only ones impressed. 17 out of the 28 ballots received from the Baseball Writer's Association of America indicated Hellickson as the top choice. Teammate and fellow pitcher James Shields stated, "To be as consistent as he has been all year long is pretty impressive. He's gone through some adversity as far as not pitching and being held back for 14 days or whatever it was, and sometimes that can weigh on your mind a little bit, but he's taking it pretty well." (Quote courtesy of Roger Mooney's piece at TBO.com). Hellickson, or Hellboy as he has become lovingly known, didn't let the stretches in between times at the plate get him down or affect his ability.  Hellboy claims that he felt that the stretches of time actually helped him to remain healthier. Whatever works right? Despite his 13-10 record Hellickson still grabbed attention with his 2.95 ERA, 189 innings pitched, 29 starts and .210 opponents batting average. Things are looking up for the 24 year old. Andrew Friedman, executive VP quoted to Joe Smith of tampabay.com, "Jeremy was a big part of our success in 2011, he was able to make adjustments on the fly which is extremely difficult for someone in their first year. The funny thing is, as good as he was in 2011, I think the arrow is pointing up, and I am excited about what he brings to us in future years." So are we Friedman... so are we!! 

Congratulations Jeremy Hellickson, AL Rookie of the Year!