Post by Sha-Le Unique on Dec 10, 2015 3:57:44 GMT -5
With HOFFBL's 15th season coming to a close very shortly, that means end of season awards are on the way. Those awards of course include the AL and NL Rookie of the Year Award. With that being said, let's see which ROY position player had the best season of them all in this rank!
18. 2B Rod Carew (MIN; 1965)
530 AB, .247 AVG, 7 HR, 44 RBI, 71 R, 131 Hits, .663 OPS
Rod Carew starts us off and had arguably the least impressive for a Rookie of the Year to this point. The only stat of his that season that even stood out were his 25 stolen bases, which were 10th in the AL.
Carew didn't really break out until the following season in 1966, when he hit .311, scored 111 runs and stole 66 bases. The future is bright for Carew and he will be a big part of the Twins' future.
17. LF Bill D. Wilson (CHW; 1955)
525 AB, .261 AVG, 14 HR, 91 RBI, 72 R, 137 Hits, .742 OPS
Bill Wilson had a decent rookie season in 1955, but none of his stats stood out among the league leaders. He would end up improving his average in each of the next 2 seasons, but his run production never improved and he remained a role player for the rest of his career. He retired in 1962.
16. 1B Karl Kuehl (KCA; 1962)
608 AB, .280 AVG, 16 HR, 78 RBI, 86 R, 170 Hits, .755 OPS
Next up is Karl Kuehl who had a decent rookie season for the A's in 1962. He was 10th in the AL in hits that year, but no other stats particularly stood out for him that season.
For the most part, Kuehl has been a regular in the A's lineup over the years, but not in this past season, as evidenced by his 279 at-bats. At 30, Kuehl's best days might be behind him.
15. LF Don Demeter (LAD; 1961)
477 AB, .239 AVG, 25 HR, 86 RBI, 70 R, 114 Hits, .746 OPS
Don Demeter showed a good amount of power that would only get better with time, but because of the low average, he wasn't going to be placed too high here.
Demeter's power kept developing and he has become one of the big forces for the Dodgers, whom he helped lead to a pair of championships in 1961 and 1964.
14. 3B John Orsino (LAD; 1963)
614 AB, .280 AVG, 26 HR, 101 RBI, 61 R, 172 Hits, .765 OPS
John Orsino became the 2nd Dodger in 3 years to win the NL ROY Award in 1963. His 31 doubles that year ranked 10th in the NL. However, Orsino's rookie season thus far has been his best career season. His home run totals have dropped in each season and his average hasn't been close to where it was a rookie. Could Orsino be a 1-hit wonder? Time will tell.
13. LF Jim King (CHW; 1958)
513 AB, .292 AVG, 15 HR, 88 RBI, 86 R, 150 Hits, .805 OPS
Another White Sox player to win the AL ROY Award was Jim King in 1958. King's rookie season was decent, with a .292 average, 88 RBI and an .805 OPS. He broke out though in 1959, with a career high .329 average and .867 OPS, as well as 15 home runs and 81 RBI.
Since 1959, King was a solid role player with the White Sox until he was traded recently to the Orioles. At 35, King is past his prime, but could still be a semi-useful hitter for another couple seasons.
12. 3B Ken Boyer (STL; 1954)
527 AB, .300 AVG, 15 HR, 86 RBI, 69 R, 158 Hits, .812 OPS
Ken Boyer was the 1st ever NL position player to become a ROY in league history. And with a solid season that included a .300 average and an .812 OPS, it was certainly deserving.
Boyer turned into a mainstay at third base for the Cardinals until his trade to the Red Sox in 1960. He would put together 6 total seasons (5 of which were pretty good) with the Red Sox before going back to the Cardinals in 1966. At 36, Boyer probably has just a couple seasons left and may not be starter material anymore. But there is no doubt that he has been one of the better third basemen in league history thus far.
11. RF Tony Oliva (CLE; 1964)
573 AB, .281 AVG, 20 HR, 85 RBI, 90 R, 161 Hits, .838 OPS
Tony Oliva, a former #1 overall draft pick had a pretty good rookie season in 1964. He finished 10th in slugging percentage, 10th in hits, 7th in doubles, 4th in triples, 9th in runs and 4th in stolen bases as a rookie. 30 doubles, 20 home runs and 50 stolen bases in any season is quite an accomplishment in itself and Oliva did just that in his rookie season.
Oliva has since become a cornerstone for the Indians. He was slowed by injuries in 1966, but has shown a ton of potential otherwise in his first 4 seasons in the major leagues. The sky is the limit for Oliva.
10. RF Orlando Cepeda (CIN; 1958)
569 AB, .272 AVG, 30 HR, 111 RBI, 90 R, 155 Hits, .821 OPS
Orlando Cepeda starts off the top 10, with an impressive rookie season of his own. Cepeda finished 7th in the NL in slugging percentage, 6th in home runs and 5th in RBI as a rookie.
Since then, Cepeda has emerged as one of the more feared sluggers around. He spent 6 seasons with the Reds, then signed a 3-year deal in free agency with the Twins in 1964. In 1967, he signed a 4-year free agency deal with the Mets and posted his highest OPS this past season since his career year in 1959.
9. C Tim McCarver (DET; 1966)
508 AB, .321 AVG, 16 HR, 72 RBI, 75 R, 163 Hits, .828 OPS
Tim McCarver certainly had one of the top rookie seasons ever for a catcher in 1966. His .321 average ranked 5th in the AL that year. McCarver's 2nd season this year was not as impressive, but he has a lot of potential and should only get better with time.
8. C Katsuya Nomura (CHC; 1960)
510 AB, .275 AVG, 30 HR, 91 RBI, 83 R, 140 Hits, .859 OPS
Any season in which a catcher hits 30 home runs is impressive. Any season in which a rookie catcher hits 30 home runs is that much more impressive. Nomura's 30 home runs ranked 6th in the NL in his rookie season. He was also 7th in both slugging percentage and OPS, plus 10th in RBI. His ROY Award was definitely well deserved.
Nomura's career since his rookie season has not been as consistent, but he did reach new career highs of 33 home runs and 94 RBI in 1962. He later got traded to the Cardinals in 1965, whom he still plays for today. At 32, Nomura is in the latter stage of his prime and we'll see if he has another great season or 2 left in him.
7. RF Roberto Clemente (BRO; 1955)
599 AB, .329 AVG, 13 HR, 103 RBI, 93 R, 197 Hits, .861 OPS
Next is Roberto Clemente, whose rookie season showed what would be a shell of the future NL MVP. Clemente finished 8th in batting as a rookie, 9th in OBP and 6th in hits.
It wasn't until the 1960s though that Clemente emerged as one of the best hitters in the league. He would go on to hit 40+ home runs in 6 consecutive seasons from 1961-1966 and is currently trying to lead the Dodgers to their 4th championship. He was a big part of the first 3 Dodgers titles.
6. RF Lou Brock (STL; 1964)
506 AB, .334 AVG, 4 HR, 61 RBI, 81 R, 169 Hits, .835 OPS
To win the ROY Award is one thing, but to win the batting title in one's rookie season is remarkable! As a rookie, Lou Brock led the NL with a .334 average and also led the NL with 82 stolen bases. He also finished 2nd in OBP and 7th in walks that year.
Brock has since become one of the NL's premier contact hitters and base stealers. He has already stolen 289 bases in 4 seasons, so becoming the career leader one day could certainly become a reality. Brock is the perfect leader that every team could use and the Cardinals obviously have quite a luxury for years to come.
5. 2B Pete Rose (DET; 1963)
681 AB, .342 AVG, 7 HR, 57 RBI, 110 R, 233 Hits, .807 OPS
If Lou Brock's rookie season of leading the NL in both batting and stolen bases was impressive, try Pete Rose's 1963 rookie season. He may not be the same kind of speed demon as Brock, but a .342 average and 233 hits as a rookie? Are you kidding me? That is remarkable. There's really no other words to describe such an amazing accomplishment. The crazy thing is that Rose did not even win the AL batting title as a rookie. His teammate Al Kaline hit .349. Regardless, Rose has quickly established himself as a hitter that is going to consistently rack up at least close to 200 hits per season. The sky is the limit.
4. 1B Ed Bouchee (DET; 1956)
550 AB, .335 AVG, 16 HR, 120 RBI, 77 R, 184 Hits, .874 OPS
Another Tigers hitter to win an AL ROY Award was Ed Bouchee in 1956. Like Brock, Bouchee also won a batting title in his rookie season and finished 7th in slugging percentage, 7th in OPS, 2nd in hits and 2nd in runs.
Bouchee has never hit the same since his rookie season, but has still been a productive hitter throughout his career for the Tigers and Cardinals. He helped the Tigers win their 2 championships in 1960 and 1963.
3. RF Al Smith (CLE; 1953)
503 AB, .326 AVG, 24 HR, 90 RBI, 101 R, 164 Hits, .967 OPS
The 1st ever AL ROY was Al Smith, who burst onto the scene in HOFFBL's inaugural season. Smith finished 2nd in the AL that year in batting, 2nd in OBP, 3rd in slugging, 2nd in OPS, 5th in hits, 9th in doubles, 6th in home runs, 9th in RBI and 4th in runs. Smith's season was as complete as just about any rookie's has ever been and he had the highest OPS of any rookie so far.
The rest of Smith's career since his rookie year was good, but not always consistent. He retired in 1964 after an 11-year career spent entirely with the Indians.
2. 3B Dan Dobbek (DET; 1960)
546 AB, .317 AVG, 26 HR, 123 RBI, 84 R, 173 Hits, .895 OPS
The Tigers had the first 2 AL ROY's in the 1960s and the 1st of the 2 was Dan Dobbek. Dobbek's rookie numbers were possibly even more complete than that of Al Smith, which says a lot about the season Dobbek had. He made the All-Star team as a rookie and finished 7th in slugging percentage, 10th in OPS, 7th in home runs and 3rd in RBI.
1960 was just the start of what has been a great career thus far for Dobbek. 1962 would make him a legitimate MVP contender, as he set career highs with a .347 average (which won him the AL batting title) and 207 hits. Dobbek over the years has been very consistent with his run production and is a big reason why the Tigers have been so successful for so many years. But the next player is yet another reason why they have won so much.
1. 2B Jerry Kindall (DET; 1961)
578 AB, .324 AVG, 31 HR, 94 RBI, 110 R, 187 Hits, .903 OPS
The Tigers have had so many good hitters, not to mention the most hitter friendly stadium by far. But among all those great hitters, Jerry Kindall might be the best of the bunch. As far as position players that have won the ROY Award, Kindall has been the best of the bunch. When putting together the batting average, power, run production and getting on base, no rookie's season has been better than that of Kindall. In his rookie season, he finished 6th in batting, 5th in slugging percentage, 4th in OPS, 4th in hits, 4th in home runs, 10th in RBI and 6th in runs.
Kindall battled injuries in 1963, but in all his other seasons thus far in his career, he has been of the most feared hitters in the AL. He's already hit 30+ home runs 5 times in 6 full seasons and has hit over .300 in every full season. At 32, Kindall is still in his prime, but how much longer that prime lasts remains to be seen.
All in all, the fact that the Tigers have had 5 different hitters win the ROY Award is nuts. Great talent and a great stadium can go a long way!
