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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

American League Rookie Of The Year
In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The award was established in 1940 by the Chicago chapter of the BBWAA, which selected an annual winner from 1940 through 1946. The award became national in 1947; Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers' second baseman, won the inaugural award. One award was presented for all of MLB in 1947 and 1948; since 1949, the honor has been given to one player each in the NL and AL. Originally, the award was known as the J. Louis Comiskey Memorial Award, named after the Chicago White Sox owner of the 1930s. The award was renamed the Jackie Robinson Award in July 1987, 40 years after Robinson broke the baseball color line.

Nineteen players have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame—Robinson, seven AL players, and eleven others from the NL. The award has been shared twice: once by Butch Metzger and Pat Zachry of the NL in 1976; and once by John Castino and Alfredo Griffin of the AL in 1979. Members of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers have won the most awards of any franchise (with 18), twice the total of the New York Yankees, and members of the Philadelphia and Oakland Athletics (eight), who have produced the most in the AL. Fred Lynn and Ichiro Suzuki are the only two players who have been named Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same year, and Fernando Valenzuela is the only player to have won Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award in the same year. Sam Jethroe is the oldest player to have won the award, at age 32, 33 days older than 2000 winner Kazuhiro Sasaki (also 32). Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles and Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks are the most recent winners.

Qualifications and voting

A man stretches his arms behind his head while wearing a baseball glove and a white baseball uniform with green sleeves and cap.
Hideo Nomo won in 1995, the first of several players to win with past professional baseball experience in Nippon Professional Baseball.

From 1947 through 1956, each BBWAA voter used discretion as to who qualified as a rookie. In 1957, the term was first defined as someone with fewer than 75 at-bats or 45 innings pitched in any previous Major League season. This guideline was later amended to 90 at-bats, 45 innings pitched, or 45 days on a Major League roster before September 1 of the previous year. The current standard of 130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched, or 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club (excluding time in military service or on the injury list) before September 1 was adopted in 1971.

Since 1980, each voter names three rookies: a first-place choice is given five points, a second-place choice three points, and a third-place choice one point. The award goes to the player who receives the most overall points. Edinson Vólquez received three second-place votes in 2008 balloting despite no longer being a rookie under the award's definition.

The award has drawn criticism in recent years because several players with experience in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) have won the award, such as Hideo Nomo in 1995, Kazuhiro Sasaki in 2000, Ichiro Suzuki in 2001, and Shohei Ohtani in 2018. The current definition of rookie status for the award is based only on Major League experience, but some feel that past NPB players are not true rookies because of their past professional experience. Others, however, believe it should make no difference since the first recipient and the award's namesake played for the Negro leagues before his MLB career and thus could also not be considered a "true rookie". This issue arose in 2003 when Hideki Matsui narrowly lost the AL award to Ángel Berroa. Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune said he did not see Matsui as a rookie in 2003 because "it would be an insult to the Japanese league to pretend that experience didn't count." The Japan Times ran a story in 2007 on the labeling of Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kei Igawa, and Hideki Okajima as rookies, saying "[t]hese guys aren't rookies." Past winners such as Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, and Sam Jethroe had professional experience in the Negro leagues.

Winners

Key

A man in a black jersey and batting gloves prepares to swing the baseball bat that he is holding.
Cal Ripken Jr. won in 1982, and is one of 16 Hall of Famers to win Rookie of the Year honors.
Year Links to the article about the corresponding Major League Baseball season
† Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
^ Denotes player who is still active
* Denotes year in which the award was shared
§ Unanimous selection
+ Denotes lead Major Leagues in that category

Major Leagues combined (1947–48)

Year Player Team Position Selected statistics Ref
1947 Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers 1B
1948 Alvin Dark Boston Braves SS

American League winners (1949–present)

Gunnar Henderson, 2023 AL winner
Year Player Team Position Selected statistics Ref
1949 Roy Sievers St. Louis Browns OF
1950 Walt Dropo Boston Red Sox 1B
1951 Gil McDougald New York Yankees 3B
1952 Harry Byrd Philadelphia Athletics P
1953 Harvey Kuenn Detroit Tigers SS
1954 Bob Grim New York Yankees P
1955 Herb Score Cleveland Indians P
  • 2.85 earned run average
  • 227+1⁄3 innings pitched
  • 16–10 record in 32 games started
1956 Luis Aparicio Chicago White Sox SS
1957 Tony Kubek New York Yankees SS
1958 Albie Pearson Washington Senators OF
1959 Bob Allison Washington Senators OF
1960 Ron Hansen Baltimore Orioles SS
1961 Don Schwall Boston Red Sox P
1962 Tom Tresh New York Yankees SS
1963 Gary Peters Chicago White Sox P
1964 Tony Oliva Minnesota Twins OF
1965 Curt Blefary Baltimore Orioles OF
1966 Tommie Agee Chicago White Sox OF
1967 Rod Carew Minnesota Twins 2B
1968 Stan Bahnsen New York Yankees P
1969 Lou Piniella Kansas City Royals OF
1970 Thurman Munson New York Yankees C
1971 Chris Chambliss Cleveland Indians 1B
1972 Carlton Fisk Boston Red Sox C
1973 Al Bumbry Baltimore Orioles OF
1974 Mike Hargrove Texas Rangers 1B
1975 Fred Lynn Boston Red Sox OF
1976 Mark Fidrych Detroit Tigers P
1977 Eddie Murray Baltimore Orioles DH
1978 Lou Whitaker Detroit Tigers 2B
1979* John Castino Minnesota Twins 3B
Alfredo Griffin Toronto Blue Jays SS
1980 Joe Charboneau Cleveland Indians OF
1981 Dave Righetti New York Yankees P
1982 Cal Ripken Jr. Baltimore Orioles SS
1983 Ron Kittle Chicago White Sox OF
1984 Alvin Davis Seattle Mariners 1B
1985 Ozzie Guillén Chicago White Sox SS
1986 Jose Canseco Oakland Athletics OF
1987 Mark McGwire Oakland Athletics 1B
1988 Walt Weiss Oakland Athletics SS
1989 Gregg Olson Baltimore Orioles P
1990 Sandy Alomar Jr. Cleveland Indians C
1991 Chuck Knoblauch Minnesota Twins 2B
1992 Pat Listach Milwaukee Brewers SS
1993 Tim Salmon California Angels OF
1994 Bob Hamelin Kansas City Royals DH
1995 Marty Cordova Minnesota Twins OF
1996 Derek Jeter New York Yankees SS
1997 Nomar Garciaparra Boston Red Sox SS
1998 Ben Grieve Oakland Athletics OF
1999 Carlos Beltrán Kansas City Royals OF
2000 Kazuhiro Sasaki Seattle Mariners P
2001 Ichiro Suzuki Seattle Mariners OF
2002 Eric Hinske Toronto Blue Jays 3B
2003 Ángel Berroa Kansas City Royals SS
2004 Bobby Crosby Oakland Athletics SS
2005 Huston Street Oakland Athletics P
2006 Justin Verlander Detroit Tigers P
2007 Dustin Pedroia Boston Red Sox 2B
2008 Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays 3B
2009 Andrew Bailey Oakland Athletics P
2010 Neftalí Feliz Texas Rangers P
2011 Jeremy Hellickson Tampa Bay Rays P
2012 Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels OF
2013 Wil Myers Tampa Bay Rays OF
2014 José Abreu Chicago White Sox 1B
2015 Carlos Correa Houston Astros SS
2016 Michael Fulmer Detroit Tigers P
2017 Aaron Judge New York Yankees OF
2018 Shohei Ohtani Los Angeles Angels P/DH
2019 Yordan Álvarez Houston Astros DH/OF
2020 Kyle Lewis Seattle Mariners OF
2021 Randy Arozarena Tampa Bay Rays OF
2022 Julio Rodríguez Seattle Mariners OF
2023 Gunnar Henderson§ Baltimore Orioles SS/3B

National League winners (1949–present)

Corbin Carroll, 2023 NL winner
Year Player Team Position Selected statistics Ref
1949 Don Newcombe Brooklyn Dodgers P
1950 Sam Jethroe Boston Braves OF
1951 Willie Mays New York Giants OF
1952 Joe Black Brooklyn Dodgers P
1953 Jim Gilliam Brooklyn Dodgers 2B
1954 Wally Moon St. Louis Cardinals OF
1955 Bill Virdon St. Louis Cardinals OF
1956 Frank Robinson Cincinnati Reds OF
1957 Jack Sanford Philadelphia Phillies P
1958 Orlando Cepeda San Francisco Giants 1B
1959 Willie McCovey San Francisco Giants 1B
1960 Frank Howard Los Angeles Dodgers OF
1961 Billy Williams Chicago Cubs OF
1962 Ken Hubbs Chicago Cubs 2B
1963 Pete Rose Cincinnati Reds 2B
1964 Dick Allen Philadelphia Phillies 3B
1965 Jim Lefebvre Los Angeles Dodgers 2B
1966 Tommy Helms Cincinnati Reds 2B
1967 Tom Seaver New York Mets P
1968 Johnny Bench Cincinnati Reds C
1969 Ted Sizemore Los Angeles Dodgers 2B
1970 Carl Morton Montreal Expos P
1971 Earl Williams Atlanta Braves C
1972 Jon Matlack New York Mets P
1973 Gary Matthews San Francisco Giants OF
1974 Bake McBride St. Louis Cardinals OF
1975 John Montefusco San Francisco Giants P
1976* Butch Metzger San Diego Padres P
Pat Zachry Cincinnati Reds P
1977 Andre Dawson Montreal Expos OF
1978 Bob Horner Atlanta Braves 3B
1979 Rick Sutcliffe Los Angeles Dodgers P
1980 Steve Howe Los Angeles Dodgers P
1981 Fernando Valenzuela Los Angeles Dodgers P
1982 Steve Sax Los Angeles Dodgers 2B
1983 Darryl Strawberry New York Mets OF
1984 Dwight Gooden New York Mets P
1985 Vince Coleman St. Louis Cardinals OF
1986 Todd Worrell St. Louis Cardinals P
1987 Benito Santiago San Diego Padres C
1988 Chris Sabo Cincinnati Reds 3B
1989 Jerome Walton Chicago Cubs OF
1990 David Justice Atlanta Braves OF
1991 Jeff Bagwell Houston Astros 1B
1992 Eric Karros Los Angeles Dodgers 1B
1993 Mike Piazza Los Angeles Dodgers C
1994 Raúl Mondesí Los Angeles Dodgers OF
1995 Hideo Nomo Los Angeles Dodgers P
1996 Todd Hollandsworth Los Angeles Dodgers OF
1997 Scott Rolen Philadelphia Phillies 3B
1998 Kerry Wood Chicago Cubs P
1999 Scott Williamson Cincinnati Reds P
2000 Rafael Furcal Atlanta Braves SS
2001 Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals 3B
2002 Jason Jennings Colorado Rockies P
2003 Dontrelle Willis Florida Marlins P
2004 Jason Bay Pittsburgh Pirates OF
2005 Ryan Howard Philadelphia Phillies 1B
2006 Hanley Ramírez Florida Marlins SS
2007 Ryan Braun Milwaukee Brewers 3B
2008 Geovany Soto Chicago Cubs C
2009 Chris Coghlan Florida Marlins OF
2010 Buster Posey San Francisco Giants C
2011 Craig Kimbrel Atlanta Braves P
2012 Bryce Harper Washington Nationals OF
2013 José Fernández Miami Marlins P
2014 Jacob deGrom New York Mets P
2015 Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs 3B
2016 Corey Seager Los Angeles Dodgers SS
2017 Cody Bellinger Los Angeles Dodgers 1B
2018 Ronald Acuña Jr. Atlanta Braves OF
2019 Pete Alonso New York Mets 1B
2020 Devin Williams Milwaukee Brewers P
2021 Jonathan India Cincinnati Reds 2B
2022 Michael Harris II Atlanta Braves OF
2023 Corbin Carroll § Arizona Diamondbacks OF

Wins by team

Every MLB franchise has had a Rookie of the Year. The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have won more than any other team with 18.

Teams Awards Years
Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers 18 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1960, 1965, 1969, 1979–1982, 1992–1996, 2016, 2017
New York Yankees 9 1951, 1954, 1957, 1962, 1968, 1970, 1981, 1996, 2017
Boston/Atlanta Braves 1948, 1950, 1971, 1978, 1990, 2000, 2011, 2018, 2022
Philadelphia/Oakland Athletics 8 1952, 1986–1988, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2009
St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles 1949, 1960, 1965, 1973, 1977, 1982, 1989, 2023
Cincinnati Reds 1956, 1963, 1966, 1968, 1976, 1988, 1999, 2021
Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins 7 1958, 1959, 1964, 1967, 1979, 1991, 1995
St. Louis Cardinals 6 1954, 1955, 1974, 1985, 1986, 2001
Boston Red Sox 1950, 1961, 1972, 1975, 1997, 2007
New York/San Francisco Giants 1951, 1958, 1959, 1973, 1975, 2010
Chicago White Sox 1956, 1963, 1966, 1983, 1985, 2014
Chicago Cubs 1961, 1962, 1989, 1998, 2008, 2015
New York Mets 1967, 1972, 1983, 1984, 2014, 2019
Detroit Tigers 5 1953, 1976, 1978, 2006, 2016
Seattle Mariners 1984, 2000, 2001, 2020, 2022
Cleveland Guardians 4 1955, 1971, 1980, 1990
Kansas City Royals 1969, 1994, 1999, 2003
Philadelphia Phillies 1957, 1964, 1997, 2005
Miami Marlins 2003, 2006, 2009, 2013
Tampa Bay Rays 2008, 2011, 2013, 2021
Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals 3 1970, 1977, 2012
Los Angeles Angels 1993, 2012, 2018
Houston Astros 1991, 2015, 2019
Milwaukee Brewers 1992, 2007, 2020
San Diego Padres 2 1976, 1987
Toronto Blue Jays 1979, 2002
Texas Rangers 1974, 2010
Arizona Diamondbacks 1 2023
Colorado Rockies 2002
Pittsburgh Pirates 2004

See also