India set a goal for winning rookie of the year, and now he’s a finalist

“It means a lot,” India told reporters on Monday night during a Zoom call. “because I told everyone in the beginning of the year, that was my goal. That was my only goal as a personal goal. So it’s pretty cool to be in a position where I envisioned myself.”

The other finalists are St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson and Miami Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers. Here’s how the numbers of the three rookies compare:

• India: He led NL rookies with 69 RBIs, ranked second in home runs and hit .269 with a .376 on-base percentage.

• Carlson: He ranked third in home runs (18), second in RBIs (65) and hit .266 with a .343 on-base percentage.

• Rogers: He led NL rookies with a 2.64 ERA and ranked third in strikeouts (157). He was 7-8 in 25 starts.

The Reds haven’t won a Rookie of the Year award since 1999 when reliever Scott Williamson, who had a 2.41 ERA in 62 appearances, captured the honor. The last position player to win the award was third baseman Chris Sabo in 1988. The last Reds second baseman to win was Pete Rose in 1963.

India should end those droughts after a rookie season that saw him win the job in spring training and make his big-league debut on Opening Day as the youngest player on the Reds roster at 24.

“I learned a lot,” India said. “I learned a lot from the old guys. I learned a lot just from watching myself this offseason, watching games and looking at my actions on the field and my at-bats. There are definitely things I want to improve on. I know I’m going to get better at this game as I grow older, so I’m excited for the coming years as I mature more in this game. I really enjoyed my rookie year. I really enjoyed how I did. I’m happy with how I did. It was fun.”

In Reds history, eight players have won the award. In addition to Williamson, Sabo and Rose, the other winners are: Frank Robinson (1956); Tommy Helms (1966); Johnny Bench (1968); and Pat Zachry (1976).

India has already been named the NL rookie of the year by The Sporting News, and Baseball American named him the Major League Baseball rookie of the year.

India ranked fifth in the league in on-base percentage. He was trying to become only the third rookie in big-league history to lead his league in that category. It hasn’t been done since 1926.

Indian led the Reds in games played (150), runs scored (98)_ and stolen bases (12) and was hit by a pitch 21 times, leading all of baseball in that category.

India didn’t have any specific goals as far as stats when the season began.

“I just play the game I know how to play,” he said.

The rookie award was a specific goal, however.

“It’s such a cool thing to have on your resume honestly,” he said, “and it’s just such an amazing accomplishment for players at a young age to win that award. Not many guys do it. There’s one a year. There’s nothing stat-wise I really care about., I just want to be rookie of the year, and that was it. That just came to my mind.”