NL rookie voting misses mark

In the interest of full disclosure, I rooted hard for Ryan Braun for the last half of the Major League Baseball sesaon.

I had to. I had him on my fantasy team. But I don't think he was the best rookie in the National League.

Nope. Maybe the best power-hitting rookie, but not the best overall rookie.

That honor should have gone to Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado's precociously upbeat shortstop.

It's easy to look at Braun's numbers and, if you're a home run lover, feel your heart flitter. Then you watch his defense and, regardless of who you are, your stomach turns.

Not so with Tulowitzki. The player who changed the Colorado culture wasn't Matt Holliday. It wasn't Todd Helton. It was Tulowitzki.

He's the guy who all year said, "I've never played on a losing team and I don't plan to start now."

After a slow start, "Tulo" turned into a clutch hitter, which, combined with his nearly flawless glove work and rocket arm, made him a total player and, oh yeah, the most complete rookie in the NL.

It's just a shame the people in the Baseball Writers Association of America missed it.