Special Report
Rookie of the Year Winners Who Made the Baseball Hall of Fame
Published:
Following the 2021 MLB season, Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays and Jonathan India of the Cincinnati Reds were named the AL and NL Rookie of the Year, respectively. Fans now hope Arozarena and India can build on their terrific first season and play long, successful careers.
Since its introduction in 1947, 150 different MLB players have won Rookie of the Year honors. While it may seem like players who play well in their first season should only continue to improve and remain successful for their entire career, the reality is that winning Rookie of the Year is no guarantee of long-term success. Of the 150 Rookie of the Year winners, only 17 have made it into the MLB Hall of Fame
To determine the Rookie of the Year winners that made the Baseball Hall of Fame, 24/7 Tempo reviewed player information from Baseball Reference.
Though fewer than 20 of the 150 Rookie of the Year winners have made the Hall of Fame thus far, that is likely to change soon. Previous winners like Albert Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki will no doubt be elected once they become eligible after being retired for five years.
Many players like Dwight Gooden who won Rookie of the Year in the past could not maintain the lofty statistics they posted in their first season. Some played well for a while, but others like Kansas City’s Bob Hamelin never made an All-Star team and fell out of the league quickly. Many were solid Major League players but never added many more accolades to their career resume.
Others have good enough statistics to be enshrined in Cooperstown, yet voters opted to keep them out because of scandals — like Mark McGwire’s alleged steroid use or Pete Rose being accused of illegal gambling on his own games. These are the scandals that rocked the sports world.
Click here to see rookie of the year winners who made the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Derek Jeter
> AL Rookie of the Year: 1996: Shortstop, New York Yankees
> Career Accolades: 14x All-Star, 5x World Series, 5x Gold Glove
> Hall of Fame induction year: 2020
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Mike Piazza
> NL Rookie of the Year: 1993: Catcher, Los Angeles Dodgers
> Career Accolades: 12x All-Star, 10x Silver Slugger,
> Hall of Fame induction year: 2016
Jeff Bagwell
> NL Rookie of the Year: 1991: First baseman, Houston Astros
> Career Accolades: 1x MVP, 4x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger
> Hall of Fame induction year: 2017
Cal Ripken Jr.
> AL Rookie of the Year: 1982: Shortstop, Baltimore Orioles
> Career Accolades: 2x MVP, 19x All-Star, 1x World Series
> Hall of Fame induction year: 2007
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Andre Dawson
> NL Rookie of the Year: 1977: Outfielder, Montreal Expos
> Career Accolades: 1x MVP, 8x All-Star, 8x Gold Glove
> Hall of Fame induction year: 2010
Eddie Murray
> AL Rookie of the Year: 1977: First baseman, Baltimore Orioles
> Career Accolades: 8x All-Star, 1x World Series, 3x Gold Glove
> Hall of Fame induction year: 2003
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Carlton Fisk
> AL Rookie of the Year: 1972: Catcher, Boston Red Sox
> Career Accolades: 11x All-Star, 1x Gold Glove, 3x Silver Slugger
> Hall of Fame induction year: 2000
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Johnny Bench
> NL Rookie of the Year: 1968: Catcher, Cincinnati Reds
> Career Accolades: 2x MVP, 14x All-Star, 10x Gold Glove
> Hall of Fame induction year: 1989
Rod Carew
> AL Rookie of the Year: 1967: First/second baseman, Minnesota Twins
> Career Accolades: 1x MVP, 18x All-Star, 7x Batting Title
> Hall of Fame induction year: 1991
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Tom Seaver
> NL Rookie of the Year: 1967: Pitcher, New York Mets
> Career Accolades: 3x Cy Young, 12x All-Star, 1x World Series
> Hall of Fame induction year: 1992
Billy Williams
> NL Rookie of the Year: 1961: Left fielder, Chicago Cubs
> Career Accolades: 6x All-Star, 1x Batting Title,
> Hall of Fame induction year: 1987
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Willie McCovey
> NL Rookie of the Year: 1959: First baseman, San Francisco Giants
> Career Accolades: 1x MVP, 6x All-Star,
> Hall of Fame induction year: 1986
Orlando Cepeda
> NL Rookie of the Year: 1958: First baseman, San Francisco Giants
> Career Accolades: 1x MVP, 11x All-Star, 1x World Series
> Hall of Fame induction year: 1999
Frank Robinson
> NL Rookie of the Year: 1956: Outfielder, Cincinnati Reds
> Career Accolades: 2x MVP, 2x World Series, 14x All-Star
> Hall of Fame induction year: 1982
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Luis Aparicio
> AL Rookie of the Year: 1956: Shortstop, Chicago White Sox
> Career Accolades: 13x All-Star, 1x World Series, 9x Gold Glove
> Hall of Fame induction year: 1984
Willie Mays
> NL Rookie of the Year: 1951: Centerfielder, New York Giants
> Career Accolades: 2x MVP, 1x World Series, 12x Gold Glove
> Hall of Fame induction year: 1979
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Jackie Robinson
> ML Rookie of the Year: 1947: Second baseman, Brooklyn Dodgers
> Career Accolades: 1x MVP, 1x World Series, 7x All-Star
> Hall of Fame induction year: 1962
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