Major League Baseball announced the finalists for their year-end awards on Monday night. First baseman Josh Bell was named as one of three finalists for the NL Rookie of the Year award. The Dodgers Cody Bellinger and the Cardinals Paul DeJong are the other two finalists. Bellinger is expected to win the award.
Bell hit .255/.334/.466 in 159 games for the Pirates, with 26 doubles, six triples, 26 homers, 66 walks, 75 runs scored and 90 RBIs. Jason Bay in 2004 is the only Pittsburgh Pirate to win the Rookie of the Year award. The winner will be announced next Monday.
Last week, David Freese was named as a finalist for the Gold Glove award at third base. Nolan Arenado and Anthony Rendon are also finalists. Arenado has won the award in each of his first four seasons in the majors and he posted his best fielding percentage this season. The winners will be announced tomorrow night at 9 PM EST.
The Silver Slugger award winners will be announced on Thursday night at 6 PM EST on MLB Network.
Two former Pirates were named as finalists today for a major honor. Both Dave Parker and Luis Tiant are among ten names on the Hall of Fame ballot for the Modern Era vote, which will take place on December 10th. Parker played for the Pirate from 1973 until 1983, while Tiant was his teammate on the 1981 Pirates.
Parker has a .290 career batting average, with 339 homers, 1,493 RBIs, 1,272 runs scored, 2,712 hits and 526 doubles. He was the 1978 NL MVP, a seven-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and he won three Silver Slugger awards.
Tiant went 229-172, 3.30 in 3,486.1 innings, with 2,416 strikeouts. He was a four-time 20-game winner and twice led the league in ERA. He threw 49 shutouts during his career, leading the league three times.
