Longoria, Soto are MLB rookies of the year

NEW YORK, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria and Chicago catcher Geovany Soto were voted the American and National League rookies of the year, officials said Monday.

Longoria was a unanimous top choice of a panel of 28 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Soto was listed first on 31 of the 32 BBWAA ballots from National League writers. He was second on the other.

Longoria is the first Tampa Bay player to win the rookie of the year award and is the first to win all the first-place votes since Boston's Nomar Garciaparra in 1997. Longoria hit .272 with 27 home runs and 85 runs batted in over 122 games in 2008 in helping the Rays reach the World Series.

Soto hit. 285 with 23 home runs and 86 RBI over 141 games as the Cubs won the National League Central title with a league-best 97-64 record. He is the first Cubs player since Kerry Woods in 1998 to be selected NL rookie of the year.