OMNISPORT

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger kicked off a week of MLB awards by being named the Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year in their respective leagues on Monday.

All-Star Judge took home the American League honour after leading the American League in homers (52), runs (128) and walks (127) and slashing .284/.422/.627 for the Yankees in 2017.

His 52 homers and 127 walks set a new rookie record in MLB, surpassing Mark McGwire and Ted Williams, respectively. 

Judge garnered all 30 first-place votes from The Baseball Writers' Association of America, topping the runner-up, Boston Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi by 75 points.

In a truly spectacular rookie campaign, Judge became the ninth Yankee to win the Rookie of the Year Award, and the first since Derek Jeter in 1996. He is also a finalist for the AL MVP Award announced on Thursday. 

Bellinger was a surprise breakout performer for World Series finalists the Dodgers this year after taking over for the injured Adrian Gonzalez at first base. 

He broke the National League rookie record with 39 home runs this season. The previous record of 38 had been held by Frank Robinson, who earned the 1956 NL Rookie of the Year Award, and Wally Berger.

Bellinger, who batted .267/.352/.581 during the season with 97 RBIs, also captured all 30 first-place votes.

The St Louis Cardinals' Paul DeJong finished second with 56 points. 

Following in Corey Seager's footsteps last year, the Dodgers are the first team to have back to back Rookie of the Year award winners since the Oakland Athletics in 2005 and 2006 (Bobby Crosby and Huston Street).