NEW YORK — Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acunã Jr. was a runaway choice for the NL rookie of the year honor over Washington outfielder Juan Soto in a contest between 20-year-olds.
Acunã received 27 first-place votes and three seconds for 144 points. Soto got two firsts and 89 points, and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler was next with one first and 28 points.
Acunã, in Japan with a major league All-Star team, declined to participate in a morning conference call about the vote, BBWAA secretary-treasurer Jack O'Connell said.
Acunã started the season at Triple-A and made his debut on April 25, the youngest player in the majors at 20 years, 128 days. The Venezuelan hit .293 with 26 homers, 64 RBIs and 16 steals with a .917 OPS. He set a Braves record with eight leadoff homers this season and tied a franchise mark by homering in five straight games from Aug. 11-14.
The AL and NL Manager of the Year will be announced Tuesday. Boston's Alex Cora, Tampa Bay's Kevin Cash and Oakland's Bob Melvin are the finalists for the AL honor and Atlanta's Brian Snitker, Milwaukee's Craig Counsell and Colorado's Bud Black are the finalists for the NL award.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
