We just began a series that examines how the Rookies of the Year from each decade panned out. Naturally, after going from 2000-09 in the National League, we’ll stay in that decade and turn our attention to the AL…
2000 – Kazuhiro Sasaki, RP, Mariners:
- Sasaki was a star in his homeland of Japan before immigrating to the majors and signing with Seattle, where he continued to keep runs off the board at an impressive rate. The right-hander put up 62 2/3 innings of 3.16 ERA ball with 37 saves as a rookie. While Sasaki only played through 2003, he enjoyed a nice major league career in which he posted a 3.14 ERA with 9.75 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 129 saves and two All-Star appearances over 223 1/3 frames.
2001 – Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Mariners:
- Back-to-back Mariners, both from Japan. Ichiro, who beat out then-Indian C.C. Sabathia for ROY honors, was among the driving forces on an incredible M’s team that won 116 regular-season games. Not only was he the top rookie in his first season, but the exhilarating Ichiro took home the MVP, won his first of two batting titles and made his first of 10 All-Star teams with a .350/.381/.457 line, 56 stolen bases and 6.0 fWAR. Ichiro didn’t spend his entire career in Seattle – he also was a Yankee and Marlin – but things came full-circle when he wrapped up his playing days as a Mariner in 2019. He should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the time comes.
2002 – Eric Hinske, 3B, Blue Jays:
- Hinske peaked in Year 1 with a .279/.365/.481 showing, 24 homers and 4.8 fWAR. He did play through 2013 with a few other teams, but he didn’t register especially valuable production after his first season. However, Hinske did end up as a .249/.332/.430 hitter with 137 HRs and 11.2 fWAR, so he had a better MLB career than most.
2003 – Angel Berroa, SS, Royals:
- Hideki Matsui, Rocco Baldelli and Mark Teixeira were also among the AL’s top rookies that year, but they all lost out to Berroa. Those three ultimately had far better overall careers than Berroa, though. While Berroa was a .287/.338/.451 batter who totaled 17 HRs, 21 steals and 2.7 fWAR in his rookie season, he never came close to matching that output again. Berroa, also a Dodger, Met and Yankee through 2009, was a minus-0.1 fWAR player for the rest of his career, and he said goodbye as a .258/.303/.374/ hitter.
2004 – Bobby Crosby, SS, Athletics:
- Another sign that ROY voting isn’t an indicator of long-term success: Zack Greinke finished fourth in that year’s balloting. Crosby was productive that season and the next, during which he combined for 6.4 fWAR, but was nowhere near as valuable thereafter. He posted a combined 0.1 fWAR with the A’s, Pirates and Diamondbacks into 2010, the last season he appeared in the majors.
2005 – Huston Street, RP, Athletics:
- The second consecutive winner for Oakland, Street beat out runner-up Robinson Cano by logging a sterling 1.72 ERA and converting 23 of 27 save opportunities. It was the beginning of a strong career for Street, who managed a 2.95 ERA with 324 saves from 2005-17 as an Athletic, Rockie, Padre and Angel. Notably, Street was part of the 2008 blockbuster that saw him, Carlos Gonzalez and Greg Smith go to Colorado in exchange for Matt Holliday.
2006 – Justin Verlander, SP, Tigers:
- Future Hall of Famer No. 2 on this list. The fireballing Verlander pitched to a 3.63 ERA across 186 innings in 2006, when the Tigers lost to the Cardinals in the World Series, yet his production has trended way upward since then. Now a member of the Astros, with whom he has won two pennants and a World Series, the 37-year-old is the owner of a 3.33 ERA with 9.07 K/9 and 2.57 BB/9 in 453 starts and just under 3,000 innings. Verlander’s an eight-time All-Star, someone who has pitched three no-hitters, won two AL Cy Youngs (including last season) and taken home an MVP. He’s also 27th all-time in pitcher fWAR (72.0).
2007 – Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox:
- Pedroia may also have a Hall of Fame case, though injuries have ruined a tremendous career over the past few seasons and could prevent the 36-year-old from making his way back to a major league diamond. Nevertheless, Pedroia will go down as one of the most accomplished Red Sox players ever. It all began in Year 1 with a .317/.380/.442 line and 3.7 fWAR. Pedroia was on his first of three World Series-winnings teams then. He’s also now a four-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glover and a one-time MVP who has slashed .299/.365./439 with 140 homers, 138 steals and 46.6 fWAR in the bigs.
2008 – Evan Longoria, 3B, Rays:
- We’re on a good run now. Longoria batted .272/.343/.531 with 27 homers and 5.6 fWAR as a rookie to help the Rays to their only AL pennant. He’s now a franchise icon who largely thrived in Tampa Bay through 2017, though the team traded him to San Francisco after that. Longoria’s production has dropped off lately, but there’s no denying he has had a wonderful career. The 34-year-old is a three-time All-Star and a three-time Gold Glove winner who has batted .267/.335/.474 with 297 HRs and 51.1 fWAR.
2009 – Andrew Bailey, RP, Athletics:
- The decade concluded with three A’s winning this award. Bailey earned it with 83 1/3 innings of 1.84 ERA ball and 26 saves, and he continued to hold his own over the next couple years. However, injuries took their toll after that, and Oakland traded Bailey to Boston in 2011 in a deal that delivered Josh Reddick to the A’s. That worked out for the A’s, but Bailey wasn’t often healthy or effective as part of the Red Sox from 2012-13. He went on to pitch for Yankees, Angels and Phillies from 2015-17, though he also couldn’t revisit his A’s form with any of those teams. That said, Bailey had a more-than-respectable career, in which he logged a 3.12 ERA with 9.05, 2.99 BB/9 and 95 saves, and earned two All-Star nods.
Ichiro and Verlander….
Not Angel Berroa & Bobby Crosby?
Longo has had a really good career. I’d be interested in seeing if he stays around another 6 seasons and what he can do.
Hinske made (not won) 3 World Series in a row (Red Sox, Rays, Yankees) on 3 different teams.
So did Don Baylor (Red Sox, Twins, Athletics).
Anyone else do this ?
btw… Matsui totally jobbed in 2003 and it wasn’t close…
It was incredibly close, actually. Not every rookie can play for the Yankees.
I guess I shouldn’t be one to talk, I stand by Daniel Murphy getting robbed by Kris Bryant for 2016 NL MVP and that seems to be a hot take.
Murphy had an incredible season, but there was no way Bryant wasn’t going to win it. He had a worthy season with the added benefit of being not only being on the media darling Cubs, but being the face of the successful rebuild of the loveable losers.
I should say, I certainly didn’t find it egregious and absolutely knew that KB was gonna take it home. Murph also provided very little outside of the batter’s box that year. Still, tough to get past what he did with the stick.
Sorry but I still believe those who played and established themselves as stars in Japan were not “rookies”.
Voters decided to make it’s own rules only two years after Ichiro won the ROY. An unwritten rule made up by baseball writers to ensure Matsui would not win an award he deserved based on MLB rules. Another reason why the BBWAA should not have any voting rights, ranging from awards to the Hall of Fame.
Berroa had more home runs, better average, slugging and OPS than Matsui. Played a much more difficult defensive position. Matsui was a bad defensive outfielder. Hit in a lefthanded hitters ballpark.
Matsui had the worst WAR of anyone getting a ROY vote.
Maybe true for Matsui, but how do you explain Jose Abreu? Not really any different, no?
Or Ohtani, Cespedes in a lot of years.
A .789 to Matsui’s .788. Holy smokes Melchez, what a difference!!!
Matsui had over 30 more runs batted in (a stat that still matters, sorry Keith Law), more than double the walks, more hits, played in more meaningful games. The point I made, which you and others missed, was the BBWAA colluding together to penalize Matsui for playing in Japan using an unwritten rule to justify their vote. THAT was the problem, and they didn’t even try to hide that fact to the general public.
Matsui should have won AL ROY in 2003.
As a Yankee fan, I agree, but only because Ichiro won just 2 years prior. Ridiculous they changed the unwritten rules almost immediately, and robbed him. Different if Matsui entered the league a decade later, but this was nearly back to back.
Though my own opinion is that neither qualified as true rookies.
Yeah, there were quite a few Yankees that were on all three winners from 1998-2000. There are probably quite a few examples in oher three-peats like the 1972-74 Athletics and the other times the Yankees pulled it off (as part of a four-peat and even a five-peat at different points)..
I remember when a bunch of voters refused to consider Matsui because he was a professional in another league after both Ichiro and Sasaki won in previous years. Typical anti-yankee bias when it comes to major awards…
Jeter’s gold gloves say hi.
Not a anti-Yankee bias with those who didn’t vote for Ichiro.
That’s also why Ichiro didn’t quite win unanimously.
The players you mentioned both struggled to get ROY. The problem is not an anti-Yankee bias. It’s your inability to see outside your own world.
I think Verlander lost his guarantee to the HOF with the 2017 Astros, Ichiro will be first ballot with the largest crowd ever. I remember his rookie year with around 20 buses per game full of his Japanese following. He is God to them
I dislike the Astros as much as anyone but thats flat out wrong. He was traded to them with 1 month left in the season and is a pitcher. He had nothing to do with it.
He may have been a lock before, but they also didn’t stop in 2017. So when he was on the bench watching these guys bang a can or whistle to signal their pitch, he didn’t have anything to do with it? Being attached to the biggest black eye in baseball is going to cause some to vote differently. He could still make it, but I’m not sure a lock
Where is your proof it didn’t stop?
MLB couldn’t find any. The players that left the Astros have all said it stopped, and have no reason to lie now. So where is your proof?
At least two teams gave the Nationals a heads up on the Astros sign stealing, just prior to last season’s World Series. According to reports at the time. No proof the Astros cheated after Beltran left because baseball didn’t investigate. Only an investigation could turn up proof.
Some people will continue to defend the astros as long as all there is is circumstantial evidence, and that doesn’t matter. Anyone who can put together all of the facts would see that there is reason to believe that it didn’t stop, and that is the logical conclusion. Same can be said of the Red Sox. I find it highly unlikely that Cora would just stop his cheating after going to Boston UNLESS Houston’s front office and ownership were heavily involved with enabling this behavior and the Astros organization is just that much more dysfunctional than all others (which, granted, we basically know was the case with Jeff Luhnow involved).
The MLB did specifically say they found no proof of further cheating implying they did investigate. But players warning the Nationals, which I’m familiar with, isn’t proof they cheated. It’s proof that some players may have continued being suspicious.
Yeah. No. What happened in his age 34 and 35 seasons doesn’t wipe out his age 23-33 seasons.
Between 2006-2017 Verlander was one of the best pitchers in baseball, if not THE best.
Led pitchers in many important categories when you look at HOF resumes such as-
1st in Games started,
1st in Wins
1st in Innings pitched
1st in WAR at 58.9, Greinke is 2nd at 51.6
4th in era behind Hamels, Hernandez, Greinke
3rd in FIP behind Greinke and Hernandez
No one doubts Verlander is great, but being attached to a cheating team, and acting like it was no big deal, should have a price. Just like Clemens was great, but his cheating might keep him out of the hall.
Little bit different circumstances.
Clemens was named in 1998, 2000, 2001.
Clemens was also a very rough personality and disliked by many even before cheating. I don’t remember reports of verlander being given or even expecting preferential treatment.
You also add on a grand jury deciding Clemens lied to the feds about his steroids use….
It’s just a little bit different than Verlander. When you get busted nobody knows exactly how long you’ve been taking them, but consensus is well before you got busted. Verlander nor Detroit were accused of cheating anytime he was there.
I agree, however I’m wondering if Verlander’s self-serving comments about the cheating, “it didn’t matter” etc. will be remembered. That’s all. The uproar over the Astros seems different than the steroids disapproval.
With steroids every fan knew without a doubt that someone on their team was cheating. So fans couldn’t take the holy than thou route.
With the Astros cheating, there are so many teams tanking that those fans know their team wasn’t doing it. Then the fans of the Yankees and Dodgers feel effected, so they are loud and in an uproar.
And despite 12-13 other teams being mentioned as cheating as well, the Astros and Red Sox are the only teams proven to have been cheating, so it’s easy for fans to take the holier than thou route.
Clemens was named what in 1998, 2000, and 2001? If you’re saying his cy young awards came when he was on steroids, he already had a handful of them by that point. If you’re saying he was called out for cheating in those years… that’s his age 35, 37, 38 seasons. So that would contradict your saying “you can’t erase ages 23-33” because you’re erasing ages 21-34 for Clemens?
Either way doesn’t make a ton of sense
bad comparison
The Mitchell report cited Clemens taking steroids in 1998, 2000, 2001.
The problem with steroids is players can claim they only took them once or twice, but (a) nobody believes that cause that’s not how steroids work, you don’t take them once or a few times because the effects wear off and (b) majority of people believe they were taking them long before they were busted.
Nobody knows how long Clemens had actually been using steroids. So you can erase 23-33 cause nobody knows when he first started using steroids.
Everybody knows Justin Verlander and the Tigers were never accused of cheating in any ways, shape, or form. So you can’t erase 23-33 because what he did with the Astros had 0 to do with his years pitching with the Tigers.
Steroid use is different than sign stealing and impacts careers very differently.
If being attached to a cheating team disqualifies the player, you wouldn’t see any Yankees in the Hall.
I’d take Halladay over Verlander during that same stretch. Compare the numbers.
Maybe even CC
Baseball Reference would disagree with you on both counts.
Hall of Fame Statistics
Halladay Monitor 126 Standard 45
JV Monitor 204 Standard 51
CC Monitor 128 Standard 48
Verlander didn’t steal any signs, goober.
His team benefited tremendously, and his comments have been tone deaf. Either own it and apologize or just shut up, instead Verlander has taken a Trumpian path, it didn’t happen, and if it did happen, it didn’t matter. It’s not like he’s in scumbag-Altuve territory, but he should know better.
Hitters have had benefits for over 25 years now. Juiced balls, better (sometimes corked) bats, hitter-friendly ballparks, umps handing early warnings for hit batters, robocop-style body armor, PED use and now sign stealing. I don’t have a problem with Verlander’s response. Being a pitcher is a health hazard in today’s game.
The Astros pitchers have clearly been doing something further than simply grip enhancements for the purposes of improving spin rates, as evidenced by the spin rate changes for pitchers entering/ leaving the organization and the fact that the values themselves cannot be achieved mechanically.
The Astros thing will not even put a dent on Verlander…..Jeter just got put in the hall of fame unanimously after playing in an era when (a lot?) of people, including his teammate A-rod were cheating….that did not affect him in any way.
By the time verlander is eligible, let alone Springer, Correra and those guys are eligible, nobody will remember the trash can deal.
Given that no players were suspended, and his pitching didn’t benefit from the sign stealing, I don’t see this affecting Verlander unless more info comes to light that directly implicates him as a major part of the scandal.
There’s no way he’ll be kept out of the HoF – probably first ballot, but we’ll see. He’s not implicated in the scandal directly, and while he certainly should’ve told someone about it, that won’t be held against him.
Bonds and Clemens etc. are kept out not because of the misbehavior *per se*, but because it affected their individual performance – they were better players because they cheated.
I don’t think the hitters will be kept out either, unless they’re right on the border; if Springer for example turns out to be a HOFer, stats-wise (I don’t think he will, but go with me here), I think he’ll still make it – both because of the time difference (it’ll be 20 years later) and because it was such a short period of time (at _most_ 2 years, and maybe only one) that his performance over 10-12 other years will have to be HOF material to get him in.
Bonds et al were juicing for decades, and _all_ of their performance was impacted by it.
I think Pedroia could be a borderline HOF-er once his career wraps up. He’s gotta be borderline.
That would make three HOFers on this list
Dude doesn’t even have 2000 hits and is a walking injury waiting to happen. Laughable that you even think he has a semblance of a chance at the hall lol
He has no chance for the Hall
Veteran’s Committee is Pedroia’s best shot. I won’t easily dismiss his chances because we’ve seen stranger things happen.
Pedrioia put up the exact same WAR from 2007 to 2013 alone than Harold Baines had in his entire 22-year career. So anything is possible.
Pedroia is Hall of Very good, not Hall of Fame.
Unless the “Today’s Game” committee votes him in one day I don’t see him getting in without a ticket
He had a chance a few years ago. It was an outside chance, but Machado more or less derailed his career permanently.
He’s a good bit off of HoF stats in every category, unfortunately. He’s a good guy, and I’d have him in my (more inclusive) hall of fame, but he won’t make Cooperstown.
I see him as a better Paul Konerko (being a white sox fan). I love Paulie, he’s certainly a massive part of White Sox lore, and he was the best player on our best teams and perhaps the most important player in our championship run; but he’s not making Cooperstown. Pedroia is no doubt better, due to his fielding, but he’s in that same boat – fan favorite and great player who’s overrated in his home town.
You know what would be a fun series.
Each teams best position since it’s inception. Which position has each team received the most war from and from who.
MLB.com did a similar series a few weeks ago, and each team beat writer produced a top-5 list at each position, it was really interesting. I especially enjoyed seeing some of the older teams that had all these great players in their history, have total blackholes at some positions.
Where’s the * after “and a World Series” in the Verlander part?
When discussing the “incredible” 2001 Mariners, let’s not forget they were roided-up and got thoroughly whipped in the playoffs. Not so incredible after all.
Other than maybe Bret Boone I don’t think anyone was anymore roided up than other teams and they lost because of 9/11.. they interviewed them and when they visited ground zero it took it out of them.
Edgar. That body wasn’t natural.
Edgar was a 175 lb singles hitter who struggled for years to make it out of the minor leagues.
So you agree then? Because Edgar sure as hell wasn’t 175 from 1995 onward. If you believe he was then I’ll just validate that Santa is real to spare your feelings.
Can’t tell if brucenewton believes Edgar took steroids to boost his power and free himself from the minors, but the “singles hitter who struggled for years” isn’t accurate.
First full minor league season, 21 years old, 303/414/490, 904 OPS, 49 XBH. That’s the Midwest League, usually a tough place to hit.
They jumped him to AA the next year and it wasn’t great, and it only a little better in 1968 when he repeated the level. Still, it was the Southern League, another hard place to hit.
1987, 24 years old, torches AAA with 329/434/473, He hit even better in 13 games with the big club, but it didn’t earn him a job.
1988, 25, not at all old for the league, destroys AAA again. Slugged 517,
Edgar Martinez “struggled” to get out of the minors because Seattle management was obtuse. Yeah, he was never a good fielder at 3b, but in 1988 the Mariners put Jim Presley and his 74 OPS+ out there for 150 games. Presley was also not a good fielder and the team finished in 7th place. Maybe, just maybe, you give the kid who tore the cover off the ball in Calgary an extended shot from the jump,
No team in history had as many players using ‘roids than that team, period. But there is always denial as it seems to work better than telling the truth.
I’m a hard-core Padres fan.
The 96-06 Padres teams would give the Soviet athletic program a run for its money in terms of steroid use. Starting position players, starting pitchers, relievers, utility players, it was rampant.
Oddly, Bret Boone seems to be one of the few who did NOT partake as a Padre. It seems as if his trouble finding a job after 2000 may have led him to the needle.
Revisionist history
That ALCS was a good series.
Mariners didn’t exactly get whipped.
A lot of clutch hits. That series could have went either way.
Regarding steroid/PED users
Done think they had more than the Yankees in 2001.
Verlander lost nothing. If he did, we need to do a full investigation on the Yankees because that is where Beltran came up with the idea. The Commish is a big Yankee fan so that will never happen. Love the fake outrage of Yankee fans. Such hypocrites.
Beltran’s job title in 2018 and 19 for the yanks was ‘video reviewer’. Cora gets investigated in 18 because he allowed Beltran to do his thing in 17. But the man responsible for it all gets a pass in ‘18. He suddenly grew a conscience? Complete joke is Manfred.
Really one of the most useless awards given in the sport. When guys like Angel Berroa, Andrew Bailey, Geovany Soto, and Chris Coghlan win the award, you know it doesn’t hold much merit in the long run. Amazing to think Coghlan beat out McCutchen for that award.
Why would you want it to predict future success? It works as a celebration of those players who immediately had a great year upon reaching MLB. That’s something worth acknowledging even for those players who were never that great ever again, but at least they had their season of fame.
Lol the last one to win is the pitching coach for the giants. Andrew Bailey
A’s with 3 and could have had double that. They had traded both Hinske and Berroa away before they made majors. Terrance Long should have won in 2000.
It is indeed fun to go back in MLB history and see the HoF RotY winners. One year stands out for myself with that being 1967 as Tom Seaver for the NL Mets and Rod Carew for the AL Twins were both Rookie of the Year and later voted into the MLB HoF. Two great players and better gentlemen can not be found.
Ichiro and Verlander are no doubt Hall of Famers (don’t even start with the cheating scandal crap with Verlander, it may affect Astros hitters when their time comes but it absolutely won’t affect pitchers). But Longoria has a case in his own right if he finishes his career strong. Right now, he’s not in, but he’s close enough that a couple more good seasons could push him over the edge.
Verlander should still be 1st ballot. you radical anti-Astros can pout all you want but it’s still true.
That is a good point. Sign stealing didn’t help pitchers and he’s always been good. Was better than Merritt Cole by 1 war.
Helped their individual win totals.
That is a good point. Sign stealing didn’t help pitchers and he’s always been good. Was better than Merritt Cole by 1 war.
,
Gerrit Cole. Typo
To me the blatant out in the open(in the dugout for god sakes)cheating they did is as bad as it comes. Steroids were terrible and definitely improved your stats, but they weren’t bending over the bench taking shots in between at bats. I’m not saying he is a terrible pitcher, I think he is one of the best especially after reviving his career as a Astro. But people with feels and opinions vote you in, and that can hurt him now.
I am extremely here for Bobby Crosby, who I always get confused with Khalil Greene.