Baseball’s Rookie of the Year Winners: No Guarantee of Stardom
Baseball’s first Rookie of the Year was none other than Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in 1947. The Dodger first baseman (he played all his games at first that season before moving to second the next) hit .297 with 12 homers and 48 RBI, but more than likely won the Rookie of the Year because of what he had to endure in the name of integrating baseball. The New York Giant’s Larry Jansen was the real loser in this vote, as he came in second to Robinson in the Rookie of the Year balloting despite posting an incredible 21-5 record with a 3.16 ERA! Cleveland’s Alvin Dark garnered the Rookie of the Year hardware in 1948, the last time only one was named at season’s end.
The decade of the Fifties saw some remarkable players named Rookie of the Year, several that would go on to Cooperstown. In the National League alone, Willie Mays in 1951, Frank Robinson in 1956, Orlando Cepeda in 1958, and Willie McCovey in 1959 were all chosen as the Rookie of the Year in the senior circuit. The lone American League Rookie of the Year during this period that went on to the Hall of Fame was the White Sox shortstop, Luis Aparicio. The American League roster of Rookie of the Year winners for this era included Moosup, Connecticut’s Walt Dropo. The “Moosup Moose” had what could only be described as one hell of a coming out party. He hit .322 with 34 home runs and 144 runs batted in for the Red Sox in 1950, but Walt would never again come close to the lofty numbers of his Rookie of the Year campaign. Talk about setting the bar too high; he would never hit .300, or have a single 100 RBI season, again.
Herb Score won the AL Rookie of the Year in 1955 with a 16-10 record and more than a strikeout an inning. He was even better the next year, going 20-9 for the Indians with 263 strikeouts. But on May 7th, 1957, Herb Score was struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees’ Gil McDougald, who ironically had been the Rookie of the Year in 1951. Score never fully overcame the horrible injury, and retired in 1962 with a lifetime 55-46 mark after beginning his career at 36-19.
A Rookie of the Year winner from the Fifties that did not exactly go on to greater things was the Philadelphia Athletics’ Harry Byrd. Harry went 15-15 in 1952, good enough to get the Rookie of the Year honors in the AL. However, if baseball could have taken it back from Harry, they might have in 1953, when he won 11 games but lost 20! The A’s sent Harry packing the next year, and he won only 20 games for the remainder of his career. This particular Rookie of the Year was out of baseball by 1958.
The Rookie of the Year players of the Sixties in the National League would have to be given an edge over the American League winners. The NL boasted sluggers like Frank Howard in 1960, Billy Williams in 1961, Dick Allen in 1964, and Johnny Bench in 1968; they also had Pete Rose in 1963 and Tom Seaver in 1967. The American League gave the Rookie of the Year during the tumultuous decade to such greats as Tony Oliva in 1964, Rod Carew in 1967, and “Sweet”Lou Piniella in 1968. Another Rookie of the Year from this time frame was unfortunately also involved in a tragedy. Ken Hubbs won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1962. The first rookie to win a Gold Glove, Hubbs played for Chicago and was called “Hubbs of the Cubs”. The second baseman won his Rookie of the Year on the strength of handling 418 consecutive chances without an error and batting a solid .260. Hubbs was killed in February of 1964 while piloting a private plane in Provo, Utah.
If the American League and National League Rookie of the Year winners of the 1970s got together for a game, the NL would have the pitching and speed edge, but the AL would have some dangerous line drive hitters. The National League gave its Rookie of the Year to such notable hurlers as Jon Matlack in 1972, John “the Count” Montefusco in 1975, and Rick Sutcliffe in 1979. In addition, NL Rookie of the Year honors went to speedy Bake McBride in 1974 and five tool superstar Andre Dawson in 1977. The AL would have had the hitting talents of Thurman Munson (1970), Chris Chambliss (1971), Mike Hargrove (1974), Fred Lynn (1975), and Hall of Famer Eddie Murray (1977). Carlton Fisk (1972) could catch for Mark “the Bird” Fidrych” (1976). What a game that would be between those Rookie of the Year players! Ironically, the Yankees’ Munson, similar to Hubbs, was also killed in the crash of his private jet in August of 1979.
Three players who ran into trouble with drugs and the law stand out when you look over the Rookie of the Year honorees through the Eighties. The Mets’ Darryl Strawberry in ’83 and Dwight Gooden in ’84, along with 1981 NL Rookie of the Year Steve Howe, all ran afoul of cocaine, keeping all three from attaining what they should have in the game. No such problems for 1982 AL Rookie of the Year Cal Ripken Jr, a surefire Hall entrant next season, but a pair of Oakland A’s, Jose Canseco (1986) and Mark McGuire (1987) are Rookie of the Year selections that were later linked to steroids and performance enhancing substances. The real bust of the Rookie of the Year men from the 80s was “Super” Joe Charboneau, who was super in 1980 for the Indians, but fizzled due to injuries and a questionable work ethic and was gone from the game by 1982. Steve Howe continued the terrible trend of something bad happening to a Rookie of the Year from each decade when he died earlier this year in a truck accident.
A Dodger won the NL Rookie of the Year five straight times from 1992-1996, with the best of the group being Mike Piazza in 1993; he is a Hall of Fame catcher, no doubt. Shortstops Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra copped AL Rookie of the Year kudos in ’96 and ’97, easily the best of the choices in the league for the Nineties. The Brewers’ Pat Listach was the 1992 AL Rookie of the Year, hitting .290 with a home run and 47 RBI; his career total of 5 home runs is the lowest among non-pitcher Rookie of the Year players. Although no tragedy has befallen a member of this group, Chuck Knoblauch (1991) woke up one day unable to throw the ball accurately from second base to first, and Kerry Wood (1998) of the Cubs has never won more than 14 games due to various ailments, despite his unhittable stuff.
The National League has it all over the American this decade, with only Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners, the 2001 AL Rookie of the Year, able to put his numbers up against any of the NL rookies. The NL boasts Albert Pujols (2001), Jason Bay (2004), and Ryan Howard (2005) all fearsome sluggers, and Dontrelle Willis of the Marlins (2003), an accomplished pitcher. Eric Hinske, Angel Berroa, and Bobby Crosby may all fondly remember their Rookie of the Year season as their best in baseball from the looks of where the trio is headed now. Let’s just hope they can all stay safe and healthy.
