Jonathan India was surrounded by family at a convention center ballroom in South Florida when Johnny Bench made the announcement India waited all year to hear.
India was the Jackie Robinson National League Rookie of the Year, a runaway winner over finalists Trevor Rogers (Miami) and Dylan Carlson (St. Louis) with 29 of the 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America. He became the Cincinnati Reds’ first Rookie of the Year since Scott Williamson in 1999 and the franchise’s first position player to win the award since Chris Sabo in 1988.
When Bench donned a Reds cap during his announcement, India broke into a laugh as his family cheered behind him.