Dodgers’ Diaper Dandies: A History of Rookie Success

BuzzinTheTower
Aug 24, 2017 · 6 min read
(picture courtesy of usatoday.com)

In 2017, Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger has had a meteoric rise into Major League prominence, as he has dominated from the day he got called up. Bellinger’s assault on National League pitching is certainly nothing new for Dodgers fans. Since the inception of the Rookie of the Year Award, no team has had more success with rookies than the Los Angeles/Brooklyn Dodgers. The Rookie of the Year Award was first introduced in 1947, and since its creation, the Dodgers have had 17 winners of the award, 9 more than the closest team (Yankees). Bellinger appears to be well on his way to making that 18, but does his season rank among the top five Dodgers Rookie of the Year performances?

ROOKIES ON REPEAT

(picture courtesy of sportsecyclopedia.com)

Not only have the Dodgers managed to attain the most Rookie of the Year awards, they have seemed to do it bunches. Jackie Robinson won the inaugural award in 1947, and Don Newcombe quickly followed that up by winning it in 1949. Joe Black and Jim Gilliam went back-to-back in 1952 and 1953. They had three recipients in the 1960s, with Frank Howard winning in 1960, Jim Lefebvre winning in 1965, and Ted Sizemore winning in 1969. Starting in 1979, the Dodgers would win four Rookies of the Year in a row, with Rick Sutcliffe (1979), Steve Howe (1980), Fernando Valenzuela (1981), and Steve Sax (1982) taking home the hardware. The 1981 season is of note, as that was the season of the famed “Fernandomania,” in which Valenzuela took the baseball world and Los Angeles by storm with his record-setting start and flair for the dramatic.

Their previous success proved to be a small indicator of the future, as the Dodgers all but swept the Rookie of the Year award in the 1990s. Eric Karros started the festivities in 1992 by winning the award against a relatively modest field of competition. Mike Piazza, a former 62nd-round pick (they only have 40 rounds now), followed that up by having a legendary rookie season in 1993 on his way to Cooperstown. In the strike-shortened 1994, Raul Mondesi made it three in a row by taking home the award against another modest field. In 1995, Japanese import Hideo Nomo used his side-winding delivery and uncanny deception to dominate the National League and win the Rookie of the Year award, the fourth in row for the Dodgers. For good measure, outfielder Todd Hollandsworth won the award in 1996, giving the Dodgers five consecutive winners. The Dodgers would seemingly have a Rookie of the Year drought following Hollandsworth, as their next winner was 20 years later in the form of shortstop phenom Corey Seager in 2016. In typical Dodgers fashion, Cody Bellinger seems well on his way to repeating what Seager did in 2017, but which Dodgers Rookie of the Year did it best?

RANKING THE ROOKS

(picture courtesy of dodgerblue.com)

It’s nearly impossible to decide which Rookie of the Year season is better than the other, as some of the seasons have not only been dominant on-field performances, but have transcended baseball to make a bigger impact off the field. Despite the difficulty in comparing the different eras, here’s my best estimation of the top five:

5. Corey Seager, 2016

The Numbers: .308 AVG/.365 OBP/.512 SLG, 134 OPS+, 26 HR, 6.1 WAR

After a wildly successful 27-game cameo in 2015, Seager established himself as one of the best shortstops in the MLB in 2016, cruising his way to the Rookie of the Year and finishing third in the National League MVP voting. Seager’s WAR of 6.1 was the third-best total among Dodgers rookie batters, trailing only Mike Piazza (7.0) in 1993 and Billy Grabarkewitz (6.5) in 1970. Seager did this in merely his age-22 season, and his WAR total was the best among Dodgers hitters age 22 or younger since Pete Reiser in 1941.

4. Hideo Nomo, 1995

The Numbers: 13–6, 2.54 ERA, 3 shutouts, 191.1 IP, 236 SO, 1.056 WHIP

Nomo became a cultural phenomenon upon entering the MLB at age 26 after a professional career in Japan. His unusual delivery baffled MLB hitters, as he led the league in strikeouts, hits per 9 innings, and strikeouts per 9 innings. Nomo also started the All Star Game for the National League and finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting. His adjusted ERA (ERA+) of 149 is the best ever among qualified Dodgers rookie hurlers.

3. Mike Piazza, 1993

The Numbers: .318 AVG/.370 OBP/.561 SLG, 153 OPS+, 35 HR, 112 RBI, 7.0 WAR

In terms of pure on-the-field production, Piazza’s rookie season likely ranks as the best ever among Dodgers Rookie of the Year winners, and is among the best of rookie catchers of all time. As mentioned above, Piazza’s WAR of 7.0 is the best mark of Dodgers rookie batters ever. Also, this season likely ranks as the second-best season of his Hall-of-Fame career, trailing only his legendary 1997 season. Piazza’s WAR of 7.0 is the second-best mark among rookie catchers in MLB history, trailing only Carlton Fisk’s 1972 season.

2. Fernando Valenzuela, 1981

The Numbers: 13–7, 2.48 ERA, 11 complete games, 8 shutouts, 192.1 IP, 180 SO, 1.045 WHIP

In 1981, the only thing that could cool off “Fernandomania” was a players’ strike in the middle of the season. Valenzuela was a transcedent phenomenon, completely dominating hitters in his first full season in the big leagues at age 20. Fernando came out of the gates at a record pace, as in his first 8 starts of the season, he completed 7 of those games, including posting 5 shutouts and a 0.50 ERA. Valenzuela would become must-see pitching, as he not only won the Rookie of the Year, but would win the National League Cy Young and would lead the Dodgers to a World Series. His impact on the field was prodigious, but his impact in terms hysteria and hype lives on to this day. At the end of 1981, Valenzuela led the league in starts, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, and strikeouts.

  1. Jackie Robinson, 1947

The Numbers: .297 AVG/.383 OBP/.427 SLG, 112 OPS+, 12 HR, 29 SB, 36 SO/74 BB, 3.1 WAR

Jackie Robinson’s rookie season will forever be etched in not only baseball history, but also national history, as he became the first player to break the so-called “color barrier.” On top of his incredible courage and persistence, Robinson was also a dynamic player on the field. His speed and on-base abilities led to him finishing fifth in the MVP voting in 1947. On top of that, he won the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award and is now the namesake for the award. While his on-field exploits were certainly enough to warrant becoming the face of this award, his social and cultural impact is so great that not only is his rookie season the best among Dodgers players, it is the single most important rookie season of all time.

(statistics courtesy of baseball-reference.com)

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BuzzinTheTower

Written by

Baseball writer from the Twin Cities area, originally from Fargo, ND. NDSU Alum and Uptown Minneapolis survivor.

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