Slugger Jorge Soler leads Royals’ annual award winners
Kansas City Royals hulking designated hitter/outfielder Jorge Soler’s breakout 2019 season earned him the club’s Les Milgram Player of the Year award.
The Royals announced three annual team awards on Tuesday, all of which were voted on by the Kansas City Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Right-handed pitcher Ian Kennedy garnered the Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year, while infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield won the Joe Burke Special Achievement Award.
Soler, who signed a one-year, $7.3 million contract earlier this month to avoid salary arbitration, hit .265 with a franchise-record 48 homers, 10 more than Mike Moustakas’ previous single-season club record.
Soler, 27, also set a new high-water mark for homers in a season by a Cuban-born player, having eclipsed Rafael Palmeiro’s record from 1999 and 2001.
Along with his American League-leading 48 home runs — the third-highest total in MLB last season — Soler also set career highs in games played (162), RBIs (117), walks (73), runs scored (95), doubles (33) and on-base percentage (.354).
Kennedy made a successful transition to the bullpen after having spent his career as a starting pitcher. Despite not moving into the closer’s role full-time until May, he registered 30 saves, fourth-most in the AL, including 28 of them between May 30 and the end of the season.
He led the team in appearances (63 and 63 1/3 innings), posted a 3-2 record with a 3.41 ERA and 10.37 strikeouts per nine innings.
Kennedy, 35, became the fourth pitcher since saves became an official stat in 1969 to record a 20-win season (2011) and a 30-save season in his career. He joined an exclusive group that also consists of Dennis Eckersley, John Smoltz and Derek Lowe.
Last season, Merrifield, 30, topped the majors with 206 hits and became the first hitter to lead the majors in hits in back-to-back seasons since Ichiro Suzuki in 2006-10.
Merrifield, the 2018 Royals player of the year, also became the first right-handed batter to lead the majors in hits for consecutive years since Kirby Puckett in 1988-89.
The team’s offensive catalyst and leadoff hitter, Merrifield also scored 105 runs, racked up 67 extra-base hits and registered a .463 slugging percentage along with an .811 OPS. He also tied for the AL lead with 10 triples. He played in all 162 games for the first time in his career, and he made his first All-Star Game selection.
FanFest and tickets
The Royals’ annual FanFest will take place on Friday and Saturday at Bartle Hall. FanFest hours are 2-9 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday. Season ticket members will get early access both days, starting at noon on Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Single-game tickets for the Royals’ 2020 season also go on sale at royals.com and the MLB Ballpark App at 10 a.m. Friday.
Those who attend FanFest will be able to purchase single-game tickets at the ticket booth in Bartle Hall.
