Sports
All-Time MLB Rookie of the Year Rankings
The greatest Rookie of the Year winners and rookie seasons in Major League Baseball history.
World Ranking
▲ Top 5
#1
Jackie Robinson - Brooklyn Dodgers (1947)
Broke the modern Major League baseball color barrier while batting .297, leading the National League with 29 stolen bases, and capturing the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award.
+89
#2
Shohei Ohtani - Los Angeles Angels (2018)
Historic two-way sensation hit 22 home runs with a .925 OPS as a designated hitter while going 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts on the mound.
+73
#3
Mike Trout - Los Angeles Angels (2012)
Put together one of the greatest individual seasons in history, batting .326 with 30 homers, 49 steals, and an MLB-leading 129 runs and 10.5 bWAR.
+71
#4
Willie Mays - New York Giants (1951)
'The Say Hey Kid' slugged 20 home runs, played breathtaking center field defense, and sparked the Giants' miracle comeback to capture the National League pennant.
+31
#5
Ichiro Suzuki - Seattle Mariners (2001)
Won both AL MVP and Rookie of the Year after leading MLB with 242 hits, a .350 batting average, and 56 stolen bases for the 116-win Mariners.
+29
▼ Bottom 5
#1
Craig Kimbrel - Atlanta Braves (2011)
Set a then-rookie record by converting a Major League-leading 46 saves, striking out 127 batters in 77 innings with an unhittable 2.15 ERA.
-91
#2
Corbin Carroll - Arizona Diamondbacks (2023)
Unanimous NL Rookie of the Year became the first rookie in MLB history to post 25 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.
-74
#3
Ryan Howard - Philadelphia Phillies (2005)
Called up in July to replace Jim Thome, Howard smashed 22 home runs and drove in 63 runs in just 88 games to win the NL Rookie of the Year.
-74
#4
Mark McGwire - Oakland Athletics (1987)
Shattered the rookie home run record by smashing a Major League-leading 49 home runs and driving in 118 runs with a .618 slugging percentage.
-37
#5
Dustin Pedroia - Boston Red Sox (2007)
Gritty second baseman batted .317 with 39 doubles, won the AL Rookie of the Year, and helped lead Boston to the 2007 World Series championship.
-20
You should check out
Jackie Robinson: A Biography by Arnold Rampersad
View on Amazon
The Baseball Codes by Jason Turbow
View on Amazon
The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract by Bill James
View on Amazon
Baseball-Reference
MLB Rookie of the Year Award Winners Complete History
MLB.com
Official MLB Rookie of the Year History and Database
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Similar Lists
All Items (41)
Jackie Robinson - Brooklyn Dodgers (1947)+89
Shohei Ohtani - Los Angeles Angels (2018)+73
Mike Trout - Los Angeles Angels (2012)+71
Willie Mays - New York Giants (1951)+31
Ichiro Suzuki - Seattle Mariners (2001)+29
Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals (2001)+17
Dwight Gooden - New York Mets (1984)+7
Aaron Judge - New York Yankees (2017)+6
Johnny Bench - Cincinnati Reds (1968)+4
Frank Robinson - Cincinnati Reds (1956)+2
Tom Seaver - New York Mets (1967)+1
Willie McCovey - San Francisco Giants (1959)—
Dick Allen - Philadelphia Phillies (1964)—
Thurman Munson - New York Yankees (1970)—
Carlton Fisk - Boston Red Sox (1972)—
Fred Lynn - Boston Red Sox (1975)—
Mark Fidrych - Detroit Tigers (1976)—
Andre Dawson - Montreal Expos (1977)—
Fernando Valenzuela - Los Angeles Dodgers (1981)—
Cal Ripken Jr. - Baltimore Orioles (1982)—
Mike Piazza - Los Angeles Dodgers (1993)—
Derek Jeter - New York Yankees (1996)—
Kerry Wood - Chicago Cubs (1998)—
Justin Verlander - Detroit Tigers (2006)—
Buster Posey - San Francisco Giants (2010)—
Bryce Harper - Washington Nationals (2012)—
Jose Fernandez - Miami Marlins (2013)—
Jacob deGrom - New York Mets (2014)—
Ronald Acuña Jr. - Atlanta Braves (2018)—
Pete Alonso - New York Mets (2019)—
Paul Skenes - Pittsburgh Pirates (2024)—
Kris Bryant - Chicago Cubs (2015)-1
Orlando Cepeda - San Francisco Giants (1958)-2
Pete Rose - Cincinnati Reds (1963)-7
Billy Williams - Chicago Cubs (1961)-12
Tony Oliva - Minnesota Twins (1964)-12
Dustin Pedroia - Boston Red Sox (2007)-20
Mark McGwire - Oakland Athletics (1987)-37
Ryan Howard - Philadelphia Phillies (2005)-74
Corbin Carroll - Arizona Diamondbacks (2023)-74
Craig Kimbrel - Atlanta Braves (2011)-91
Image credits (39)
- Aaron Judge - New York Yankees (2017) — The White House · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Albert Pujols - St. Louis Cardinals (2001) — Rafael Amado Deras · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Andre Dawson - Montreal Expos (1977) — Andre_Dawson_2009.jpg: Barbara moore from Springfield, USA derivative work: Delaywaves talk · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Billy Williams - Chicago Cubs (1961) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Bryce Harper - Washington Nationals (2012) — All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Buster Posey - San Francisco Giants (2010) — Ian D'Andrea · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Cal Ripken Jr. - Baltimore Orioles (1982) — Maryland GovPics · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Carlton Fisk - Boston Red Sox (1972) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Corbin Carroll - Arizona Diamondbacks (2023) — Reunion · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Craig Kimbrel - Atlanta Braves (2011) — Keith Allison on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Derek Jeter - New York Yankees (1996) — D. Benjamin Miller · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Dick Allen - Philadelphia Phillies (1964) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Dustin Pedroia - Boston Red Sox (2007) — Arturo Pardavila III from Hoboken, NJ, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Dwight Gooden - New York Mets (1984) — Barry Colla Photography · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Fernando Valenzuela - Los Angeles Dodgers (1981) — Tony Barnard, Los Angeles Times · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Frank Robinson - Cincinnati Reds (1956) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Fred Lynn - Boston Red Sox (1975) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Ichiro Suzuki - Seattle Mariners (2001) — Jeffrey Hayes · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Jackie Robinson - Brooklyn Dodgers (1947) — Harry Warnecke / Frank Livia / Robert F. Cranston / William Klein · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Jacob deGrom - New York Mets (2014) — All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Johnny Bench - Cincinnati Reds (1968) — Rafael Amado Deras · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Justin Verlander - Detroit Tigers (2006) — Keith Allison on Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Kerry Wood - Chicago Cubs (1998) — Mike LaChance · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Kris Bryant - Chicago Cubs (2015) — MBDChicago on Flickr · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Mark Fidrych - Detroit Tigers (1976) — MLB / Detroit Tigers · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Mark McGwire - Oakland Athletics (1987) — Keith Allison on Flickr · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Mike Piazza - Los Angeles Dodgers (1993) — Arturo Pardavila III from Hoboken, NJ, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Mike Trout - Los Angeles Angels (2012) — Mogami Kariya · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Orlando Cepeda - San Francisco Giants (1958) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Skenes - Pittsburgh Pirates (2024) — Yeroc3103 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Pete Alonso - New York Mets (2019) — D. Benjamin Miller · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Pete Rose - Cincinnati Reds (1963) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Ronald Acuña Jr. - Atlanta Braves (2018) — All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Ryan Howard - Philadelphia Phillies (2005) — Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Shohei Ohtani - Los Angeles Angels (2018) — All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Seaver - New York Mets (1967) — New York Mets · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Tony Oliva - Minnesota Twins (1964) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Willie Mays - New York Giants (1951) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Willie McCovey - San Francisco Giants (1959) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
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