Real Salt Lake forward Corey Baird was named MLS Rookie of the Year for 2018, the league announced on Monday.
Baird, 22, beat the Philadelphia Union's Mark McKenzie and Orlando City SC's Chris Mueller to the prize. He is the first Salt Lake player to ever win the award.
"Unbelievable honor. I owe it to my teammates, the coaching staff, and @realsaltlake as a whole for welcoming me to the club and making it feel like a second home. Finally, thank you to the fans for their support and love throughout the season. I appreciate the moment of recognition, but we still have a lot to play for back in KC," Baird, speaking of the award, said on social media.
The former Stanford standout scored eight goals and provided five assists in 31 appearances for the club this season. The goals total was third-most on the team.
Baird received 43 percent of the overall vote, trailed by Mueller (18 percent), McKenzie (15 percent), LA Galaxy's Joao Moutinho (5 percent) and Seattle Sounders' Alex Roldan (3 percent).