2023 Corbin Carroll and Every MLB Team's Best Rookie Season Since 2000
The 2023 MLB season featured one of the deepest and most talented rookie classes in history, headlined by AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson for the Baltimore Orioles and NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Both of those young standouts can stake claim to the best rookie season for their respective organizations in decades, so that got us to thinking about the best rookie performance for every team in recent memory.
Ahead, we've selected every team's best rookie season since 2000 in an effort to focus largely on active players and guys who have only recently retired. Only rookie-year performance was considered, so a player's career body of work was not a factor. In other words, don't be surprised when Michael Fulmer is the pick for the Detroit Tigers over Justin Verlander.
A handful of honorable mentions are included along with each team's pick to serve as a fun walk down memory lane.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Corbin Carroll (2023)
1 of 30
Stats: 155 G, 134 OPS+, .285/.362/.506, 65 XBH (25 HR), 76 RBI, 116 R, 54 SB
WAR: 5.4
The D-backs saw enough from Corbin Carroll over a 32-game audition in 2022 to sign him to an eight-year, $111 million extension, and he rewarded that long-term commitment with an epic rookie season.
The 23-year-old became the first rookie in MLB history with a 25-homer, 50-steal season, and he immediately became the best player on an Arizona Diamondbacks team that made a surprise run to the World Series.
Honorable Mentions: SP Brandon Webb (2003), SS Alex Cintrón (2003), SP Daniel Hudson (2010), SP Josh Collmenter (2011), SP Wade Miley (2012), 1B Christian Walker (2019)
Atlanta Braves: OF Ronald Acuña Jr. (2018)
2 of 30
Stats: 111 G, 143 OPS+, .293/.366/.552, 56 XBH (26 HR), 64 RBI, 78 R, 16 SB
WAR: 3.9
This one was a toss-up between current teammates Ronald Acuña Jr. and Michael Harris II, and while Harris had the higher WAR (5.3) on the strength of his superior defense, Acuña had the edge offensively. More importantly, his arrival in Atlanta signaled a shift for the organization, with his rookie season lining up with the club's first of what is now six straight NL East titles.
Jason Heyward also deserves a mention for a 6.4-WAR rookie season that included his only career All-Star selection and came with a tremendous amount of hype as a 20-year-old viewed as one of baseball's top prospects.
Honorable Mentions: SS Rafael Furcal (2000), OF Jeff Francoeur (2005), SP Jair Jurrjens (2008), SP Tommy Hanson (2009), OF Jason Heyward (2010), RP Craig Kimbrel (2011), 1B Freddie Freeman (2011), SP Julio Teheran (2013), C Evan Gattis (2013), OF Michael Harris II (2022), SP Spencer Strider (2022)
Baltimore Orioles: IF Gunnar Henderson (2023)
3 of 30
Stats: 150 G, 125 OPS+, .255/.325/.489, 66 XBH (28 HR), 82 RBI, 100 R, 10 SB
WAR: 6.2
It was tempting to go with Adley Rutschman here after he joined Johnny Bench (1968), Thurman Munson (1970), Carlton Fisk (1972) and Mike Piazza (1993) as the only catchers in MLB history with a 5-WAR rookie season while helping the Orioles take a major step forward in the rebuilding process.
However, Rutschman didn't make his MLB debut until late May, while Henderson was there from the jump and was just as impactful for a division-winning O's team this year on his way to 2023 AL Rookie of the Year honors.
Honorable Mentions: SP Rodrigo López (2002), RP Jorge Julio (2002), OF Nick Markakis (2006), RP Chris Ray (2006), SP Jeremy Guthrie (2007), OF Trey Mancini (2017), SP John Means (2019), 1B Ryan Mountcastle (2021), C Adley Rutschman (2022)
Boston Red Sox: 2B Dustin Pedroia (2007)
4 of 30
Stats: 139 G, 112 OPS+, .317/.380/.442, 48 XBH (8 HR), 50 RBI, 86 R, 7 SB
WAR: 3.9
Dustin Pedroia was the starting second baseman and leadoff hitter as a rookie in 2007 for a Boston Red Sox team that won the World Series. The franchise icon took home AL Rookie of the Year honors by a landslide over Delmon Young, while teammates Daisuke Matsuzaka (4th) and Hideki Okajima (6th) also received votes.
Tip of the cap to Jonathan Papelbon for his 5-WAR rookie season out of the bullpen in 2006 when he logged a 0.92 ERA and 0.78 WHIP in 59 appearances while converting 35 of 41 save chances to finish runner-up to Justin Verlander in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Honorable Mentions: RP Jonathan Papelbon (2006), SP Daisuke Matsuzaka (2007), RP Hideki Okajima (2007), OF Jacoby Ellsbury (2008), SP Eduardo Rodriguez (2015), OF Andrew Benintendi (2017), RP Garrett Whitlock (2021), 1B Triston Casas (2023)
Chicago Cubs: 3B Kris Bryant (2015)
5 of 30
Stats: 151 G, 135 OPS+, .275/.369/.488, 62 XBH (26 HR), 99 RBI, 87 R, 13 SB
WAR: 5.3
The arrival of Kris Bryant early in the 2015 season unofficially signaled the Chicago Cubs' transition from multiyear rebuild to title contention, and after starting the year as baseball's No. 1 prospect he made an instant impact in the big leagues. A year later, he won NL MVP honors and helped lead the Cubs to a long-awaited World Series title.
Fun fact: Geovany Soto became the first National League rookie catcher ever to start the All-Star Game in 2008.
Honorable Mentions: SP Mark Prior (2002), C Geovany Soto (2008), SP Randy Wells (2009), SS Starlin Castro (2010), OF Tyler Colvin (2010), SP Kyle Hendricks (2014), OF Kyle Schwarber (2015), OF Ian Happ (2017), 3B Patrick Wisdom (2021)
Chicago White Sox: 1B José Abreu (2014)
6 of 30
Stats: 145 G, 173 OPS+, .317/.383/.581, 73 XBH (36 HR), 107 RBI, 80 R, 3 SB
WAR: 5.8
Two years after Yoenis Céspedes took the league by storm with the Oakland Athletics, the Chicago White Sox gave fellow Cuban defector José Abreu a six-year, $68 million contract. He led the AL in slugging percentage (.581) and OPS+ (173) as a 27-year-old rookie in 2014 to win AL Rookie of the Year unanimously and finish fourth in AL MVP balloting.
Second baseman Tadahito Iguchi deserves a mention for his role as a rookie on a White Sox team that won the World Series in 2005.
Honorable Mentions: RP Kelly Wunsch (2000), RP Shingo Takatsu (2004), 2B Tadahito Iguchi (2005), SS Alexei Ramírez (2008), 3B Gordon Beckham (2009), RP Chris Sale (2011), SP José Quintana (2012), OF Eloy Jiménez (2019), OF Luis Robert Jr. (2020)
Cincinnati Reds: 2B Jonathan India (2021)
7 of 30
Stats: 150 G, 116 OPS+, .269/.376/.459, 57 XBH (21 HR), 69 RBI, 98 R, 12 SB
WAR: 4.1
Pat Zachry (1976), Chris Sabo (1988), Scott Williamson (1999) and Jonathan India (2021) are the only Cincinnati Reds in the past 50 years to win Rookie of the Year honors, and among those, India was the only one eligible for inclusion on our list.
Despite his strong debut, he appears to be squarely on the trade block this winter following a wave of young prospect talent arriving in the big leagues in 2023.
Honorable Mentions: OF Adam Dunn (2001), OF Austin Kearns (2002), 1B Joey Votto (2008), 3B Todd Frazier (2012), SS Zack Cozart (2012), SP Tony Cingrani (2013), OF Billy Hamilton (2014), SP Hunter Greene (2022), RP Alexis Díaz (2022), IF Matt McLain (2023), IF/OF Spencer Steer (2023), SP Andrew Abbott (2023)
Cleveland Guardians: OF Steven Kwan (2022)
8 of 30
Stats: 147 G, 124 OPS+, .298/.373/.400, 38 XBH (6 HR), 52 RBI, 89 R, 19 SB
WAR: 5.5
Steven Kwan was the talk of baseball when he went 10-for-15 to begin the 2022 season, and he saw 116 pitches to begin his MLB career before recording his first swing and miss. On the strength of his elite contact skills and standout defense, he had a 5.5-WAR rookie season.
Left-hander CC Sabathia was a workhorse from the jump, going 17-5 with a 4.39 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 171 strikeouts in 180.1 innings as a 20-year-old rookie in 2001. That was enough for him to steal a first-place vote from Ichiro Suzuki in AL Rookie of the Year voting, though he still finished a distant second overall.
Honorable Mentions: SP CC Sabathia (2001), OF Jody Gerut (2003), 1B Ben Broussard (2003), SS Francisco Lindor (2015), OF Tyler Naquin (2016), RP Emmanuel Clase (2021), OF Oscar Gonzalez (2022), SP Tanner Bibee (2023)
Colorado Rockies: SS Troy Tulowitzki (2007)
9 of 30
Stats: 155 G, 109 OPS+, .291/.359/.479, 62 XBH (24 HR), 99 RBI, 104 R, 7 SB
WAR: 6.8
Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki was an instant star for the Colorado Rockies in 2007, and he hit .312/.374/.561 with 33 extra-base hits in 58 games over the final two months of the season to help the team go on a tear that ended in a World Series appearance.
Did you know: Jason Jennings won NL Rookie of the Year in 2002 when he finished 16-8 with a 4.52 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 185.1 innings, winning the award handily over Brad Wilkerson (MON), Austin Kearns (CIN) and Kaz Ishii (LAD).
Honorable Mentions: SP Jason Jennings (2002), 3B Garrett Atkins (2005), SS Clint Barmes (2005), RP Manny Corpas (2007), C Wilin Rosario (2012), 3B Nolan Arenado (2013), SS Trevor Story (2016), SP Jon Gray (2016), SP Kyle Freeland (2017), SP Germán Márquez (2017), OF Nolan Jones (2023)
Detroit Tigers: SP Michael Fulmer (2016)
10 of 30
Stats: 26 GS, 11-7, 3.06 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 42 BB, 132 K, 159.0 IP
WAR: 5.4
Michael Fulmer and Justin Verlander both won Rookie of the Year, and this decision was a toss-up between those two rookie right-handers. Verlander had more wins (17) and more innings pitched (186.0) in his debut, but Fulmer had the far superior peripheral numbers, including a 5.4 to 4.0 edge in WAR.
Don't sleep on current top prospect Colt Keith making a play for a spot on this list in 2024. The 22-year-old hit .306/.380/.552 with 38 doubles, 27 home runs and 101 RBI over 126 games in the upper levels of the minors and could compete for a starting job during spring training.
Honorable Mentions: OF Craig Monroe (2003), 1B Chris Shelton (2005), SP Justin Verlander (2006), RP Joel Zumaya (2006), SP Armando Galarraga (2008), SP Rick Porcello (2009), OF Austin Jackson (2010), SP Casey Mize (2021)
Houston Astros: DH Yordan Alvarez (2019)
11 of 30
Stats: 87 G, 173 OPS+, .313/.412/.655, 53 XBH (27 HR), 78 RBI, 58 R, 0 SB
WAR: 3.7
There were a lot of strong rookie seasons to choose from over the past 23 years for the Houston Astros, but the numbers that Yordan Alvarez was able to put up in only 87 games pushed him to the top of the list.
He hit .343/.443/.742 with 23 home runs and 71 RBI in 56 games at Triple-A before he was promoted to the big leagues, so all told he finished with 50 home runs and 149 RBI over 143 games during the 2019 season.
Honorable Mentions: OF Lance Berkman (2000), SP Roy Oswalt (2001), OF Hunter Pence (2007), SP Lucas Harrell (2012), SP Collin McHugh (2014), OF George Springer (2014), SS Carlos Correa (2015), RP Chris Devenski (2016), 1B Yuli Gurriel (2017), SP Luis García (2021), SS Jeremy Peña (2022), C Yainer Diaz (2023)
Kansas City Royals: SS Mike Aviles (2008)
12 of 30
Stats: 102 G, 121 OPS+, .324/.354/.480, 41 XBH (10 HR), 51 RBI, 68 R, 8 SB
WAR: 4.7
Mike Aviles had one of the best rookie seasons of the 2000s that no one ever talks about.
His 4.7 WAR in 2008 ranked fifth among all shortstops, behind only Hanley Ramírez (6.7), Jimmy Rollins (5.5), José Reyes (4.8) and J.J. Hardy (4.8). His .324 batting average was also the sixth-highest mark among all players with at least 400 plate appearances.
He went on to hit .251/.286/.359 for a 76 OPS+ while tallying just 1.0 WAR total over the final nine seasons of his career.
Honorable Mentions: OF Mark Quinn (2000), SS Ángel Berroa (2003), SP Zack Greinke (2004), SP Brian Bannister (2007), RP Joakim Soria (2007), 3B Alex Gordon (2007), 1B Eric Hosmer (2011), SP Brad Keller (2018), SS Bobby Witt Jr. (2022)
Los Angeles Angels: OF Mike Trout (2012)
13 of 30
Stats: 139 G, 168 OPS+, .326/.399/.564, 65 XBH (30 HR), 83 RBI, 129 R, 49 SB
WAR: 10.5
Mike Trout posted the only 10-WAR rookie season in MLB history by a position player in 2012, quickly putting a lackluster debut in 2011 where he hit .220 over 135 plate appearances in the rearview while establishing himself as a budding superstar.
Even with a 151 OPS+ and 21 home runs in the batter's box and a 3.31 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 51.2 innings on the mound, Shohei Ohtani's rookie season doesn't quite stack up to what Trout did in his first full year in the big leagues.
Honorable Mentions: 2B Adam Kennedy (2000), C Bengie Molina (2000), SS David Eckstein (2001), RP Brendan Donnelly (2003), SP Jered Weaver (2006), RP José Arredondo (2008), 1B Mark Trumbo (2011), SP Matt Shoemaker (2014), DH/SP Shohei Ohtani (2018), SP Jaime Barria (2018)
Los Angeles Dodgers: OF Yasiel Puig (2013)
14 of 30
Stats: 104 G, 159 OPS+, .319/.391/.534, 42 XBH (19 HR), 42 RBI, 66 R, 11 SB
WAR: 4.7
Few rookies have captured the national spotlight the way that Yasiel Puig did when he first arrived on the scene for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013, showcasing a tantalizing mix of raw tools and a frustratingly entertaining lack of discipline.
He was the biggest story in baseball in 2013, and that helped propel him ahead of Corey Seager in these rankings. Seager hit .308/.365/.512 with 40 doubles, 26 home runs and 72 RBI in a 5.2-WAR season to win NL Rookie of the Year honors and finish third in MVP voting.
Honorable Mentions: C Russell Martin (2006), OF Andre Ethier (2006), RP Takashi Saito (2006), 1B James Loney (2007), SP Hyun Jin Ryu (2013), OF Joc Pederson (2015), SS Corey Seager (2016), SP Kenta Maeda (2016), 1B Cody Bellinger (2017), SP Walker Buehler (2018), OF James Outman (2023)
Miami Marlins: SP José Fernández (2013)
15 of 30
Stats: 28 GS, 12-6, 2.19 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 58 BB, 187 K, 172.2 IP
WAR: 6.2
The 6.2 WAR José Fernández posted during the 2013 season is the highest mark of any rookie pitcher since 2000, and he also earned an All-Star selection and finished third in NL Cy Young voting while taking home NL Rookie of the Year honors.
The excitement surrounding Dontrelle Willis during his rookie season in 2003 made him a tempting potential choice, but Fernández had superior numbers across the board during his rookie campaign in his age-20 season.
Honorable Mentions: SP Dontrelle Willis (2003), SS Hanley Ramirez (2006), 2B Dan Uggla (2006), OF Josh Willingham (2006), SP Josh Johnson (2006), SP Aníbal Sánchez (2006), OF Chris Coghlan (2009), OF Giancarlo Stanton (2010), 3B/OF Brian Anderson (2018), SP Sandy Alcantara (2019), SP Trevor Rogers (2021), 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2021)
Milwaukee Brewers: 3B Ryan Braun (2007)
16 of 30
Stats: 113 G, 154 OPS+, .324/.370/.634, 66 XBH (34 HR), 97 RBI, 91 R, 15 SB
WAR: 2.0
The No. 5 overall pick in a loaded 2005 draft class out of the University of Miami, slugger Ryan Braun made his MLB debut two years later and led the NL with a .634 slugging percentage on his way to NL Rookie of the Year.
His defensive shortcomings at third base undercut his overall value as a rookie, and he shifted to left field in his second season where he emerged as one of the most productive players of the late 2000s and 2010s.
Honorable Mentions: OF Scott Podsednik (2003), SP Yovani Gallardo (2007), 3B Casey McGehee (2009), RP John Axford (2010), OF Nork Aoki (2012), RP Jim Henderson (2013), SP Junior Guerra (2016), SP Zach Davies (2016), 2B Keston Hiura (2019), RP Devin Williams (2020)
Minnesota Twins: SP Francisco Liriano (2006)
17 of 30
Stats: 28 G, 16 GS, 12-3, 2.16 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 32 BB, 144 K, 121.0 IP
WAR: 4.5
Francisco Liriano gave the Minnesota Twins a second ace-caliber lefty starter during the 2006 season when he joined Johan Santana in the starting rotation and pitched his way to a spot on the AL All-Star team.
His stellar rookie season was cut short by elbow issues, and he ended up missing the entire 2007 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He never quite regained his dominant pre-injury form, but went on to have a productive 14-year career playing for six different teams.
Honorable Mentions: OF Lew Ford (2004), OF Denard Span (2008), SP Nick Blackburn (2008), SP Scott DIamond (2012), OF Danny Santana (2014), DH Miguel Sanó (2015), SP Joe Ryan (2022), RP Jhoan Duran (2022), 3B Royce Lewis (2023), IF Edouard Julien (2023)
New York Mets: 1B Pete Alonso (2019)
18 of 30
Stats: 161 G, 147 OPS+, .260/.358/.583, 85 XBH (53 HR), 120 RBI, 103 R, 1 SB
WAR: 5.5
Aaron Judge broke the single-season rookie home run record that had stood since 1987 when he hit 52 home runs in 2017, but it only took two years for that record to fall again when Pete Alonso crushed 53 long balls in his rookie campaign.
That record-setting performance gives him the edge over 2014 NL Rookie of the Year winner Jacob deGrom, who posted a 2.69 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 144 strikeouts in 140.1 innings as a 26-year-old rookie in 2014.
Honorable Mentions: OF Jay Payton (2000), SS José Reyes (2003), 3B David Wright (2004), 1B Ike Davis (2010), OF Juan Lagares (2013), SP Jacob deGrom (2014), Noah Syndergaard (2015), SP Steven Matz (2016), SP Kodai Senga (2023)
New York Yankees: OF Aaron Judge (2017)
19 of 30
Stats: 155 G, 171 OPS+, .284/.422/.627, 79 XBH (52 HR), 114 RBI, 128 R, 9 SB
WAR: 8.0
Aaron Judge led the American League in home runs (52), runs scored (128), walks (127) and WAR (8.0) during a record-setting rookie season, surpassing Mark McGwire's 49-homer season in 1987 for the rookie record. He also finished runner-up to Jose Altuve in AL MVP voting.
It's wild now to think that Miguel Andújar received five first-place votes over Shohei Ohtani for 2018 AL Rookie of the Year when he hit .297/.328/.527 with 27 home runs and 92 RBI in what would be far and away his career peak.
Honorable Mentions: OF Hideki Matsui (2003), 2B Robinson Canó (2005), SP/RP Joba Chamberlain (2008), SP Iván Nova (2011), SP Masahiro Tanaka (2014), RP Dellin Betances (2014), C Gary Sánchez (2016), SP Jordan Montgomery (2017), 3B Miguel Andújar (2018), 2B Gleyber Torres (2018), SS Anthony Volpe (2023)
Oakland Athletics: OF Yoenis Céspedes (2012)
20 of 30
Stats: 129 G, 139 OPS+, .292/.356/.505, 53 XBH (23 HR), 82 RBI, 70 R, 16 SB
WAR: 4.0
Yoenis Céspedes signed a four-year, $36 million deal with the Oakland Athletics following a busy offseason that included numerous suitors and one of the greatest hype videos ever created after he defected from Cuba.
Shortstop Bobby Crosby (2004) and relievers Huston Street (2005) and Andrew Bailey (2009) were all AL Rookie of the Year winners, so there were plenty of choices, but no one made a bigger all-around immediate impact than Cespedes.
Honorable Mentions: OF Terrence Long (2000), SS Bobby Crosby (2004), SP Joe Blanton (2005), RP Huston Street (2005), OF Nick Swisher (2005), RP Brad Ziegler (2008), RP Andrew Bailey (2009), SP Brett Anderson (2009), SP Jarrod Parker (2012), SP Tommy Milone (2012), RP Ryan Cook (2012), 1B Matt Olson (2017), 3B Matt Chapman (2017), 1B Ryan Noda (2023)
Philadelphia Phillies: 1B Ryan Howard (2005)
21 of 30
Stats: 88 G, 133 OPS+, .288/.356/.567, 41 XBH (22 HR), 63 RBI, 52 R, 0 SB
WAR: 3.1
When Jim Thome underwent season-ending elbow surgery early in the 2005 season, it opened the door for Ryan Howard to take over as the Philadelphia Phillies' starting first baseman, and he made the most of the opportunity.
His 348 plate appearances are the second-fewest ever by a hitter who won Rookie of the Year honors, behind only Hall of Famer Willie McCovey. He won the NL award in 1959 when he hit .354/.429/.656 with 13 home runs in 52 games and ripped off a 22-game hitting streak.
Honorable Mentions: 1B Pat Burrell (2000), SS Jimmy Rollins (2001), OF Marlon Byrd (2003), SP Cole Hamels (2006), SP Kyle Kendrick (2007), SP J.A. Happ (2009), SP Vance Worley (2011), 3B Maikel Franco (2015), OF Odúbel Herrera (2015), 1B Rhys Hoskins (2017), Alec Bohm (2020)
Pittsburgh Pirates: OF Bryan Reynolds (2019)
22 of 30
Stats: 134 G, 130 OPS+, .314/.377/.503, 57 XBH (16 HR), 68 RBI, 83 R, 3 SB
WAR: 4.2
The debate here was Bryan Reynolds vs. 2004 NL Rookie of the Year winner Jason Bay, so here's the simple side-by-side statistical comparison:
- Reynolds: 130 OPS+, .314/.377/.503, 57 XBH (16 HR), 68 RBI, 83 R, 4.2 WAR
- Bay: 132 OPS+, .282/.358/.550, 54 XBH (26 HR), 82 RBI, 61 R, 2.2 WAR
Shoutout to left-hander Zach Duke who went 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA in 84.2 innings as a rookie in 2005.
Honorable Mentions: OF Jason Bay (2004), SP Zach Duke (2005), SP Paul Maholm (2006), OF Andrew McCutchen (2009), 1B/OF Garrett Jones (2009), 2B Neil Walker (2010), SP Gerrit Cole (2013), 3B Jung Ho Kang (2015), SP Jameson Taillon (2016), 1B Josh Bell (2017), SS Kevin Newman (2019)
San Diego Padres: SS Fernando Tatis Jr. (2019)
23 of 30
Stats: 84 G, 154 OPS+, .317/.379/.590, 41 XBH (22 HR), 53 RBI, 61 R, 16 SB
WAR: 4.2
Fernando Tatis Jr. put together a 4.2-WAR rookie campaign as a 20-year-old even though he suffered a season-ending back injury in August that sidelined him for the San Diego Padres' final 43 games.
Tip of the cap to Josh Barfield, who hit .280/.318/.423 with 48 extra-base hits, 21 steals and 3.1 WAR during the 2006 season. He would play just 159 more games in the majors with minus-0.5 WAR during that span, making him one of the biggest one-hit wonder rookies of the past 25 years.
Honorable Mentions: SS Khalil Greene (2004), RP Akinori Otsuka (2004), 2B Josh Barfield (2006), SP Clay Hensley (2006), RP Cla Meredith (2006), 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff (2007), 2B Jedd Gyorko (2013), 2B Ryan Schimpf (2016), OF Manuel Margot (2017), SP Chris Paddack (2019), IF Jake Cronenworth (2020)
San Francisco Giants: C Buster Posey (2010)
24 of 30
Stats: 108 G, 133 OPS+, .305/.357/.505, 43 XBH (18 HR), 67 RBI, 58 R, 0 SB
WAR: 3.9
Few rookies in recent memory have had a greater impact on the trajectory of a franchise than Buster Posey. His rookie season in 2010 lined up with the San Francisco Giants winning their first of three World Series titles in a span of five years.
Prior to making his pro debut, he hit .463/.566/.879 with 21 doubles, 26 home runs and 93 RBI in 68 games during his junior year at Florida State, establishing himself as one of the best college catching prospects of all-time.
Honorable Mentions: SP Jerome Williams (2003), SP Matt Cain (2006), SP Tim Lincecum (2007), SP Madison Bumgarner (2010), 2B Joe Panik (2014), 3B Matt Duffy (2015), SP Chris Heston (2015), SP Dereck Rodriguez (2018), OF Mike Yastrzemski (2019)
Seattle Mariners: OF Ichiro Suzuki (2001)
25 of 30
Stats: 157 G, 126 OPS+, .350/.381/.457, 50 XBH (8 HR), 69 RBI, 127 R, 56 SB
WAR: 7.7
All due respect to a fantastic rookie season from Julio Rodríguez in 2023 and a tantalizing debut from a 19-year-old Felix Hernandez in 2005, but this was one of the easiest choices of any team.
Ichiro Suzuki joined Boston Red Sox outfielder Fred Lynn as the only rookies in MLB history to win MVP honors when he led the American League in batting average (.350), hits (242) and stolen bases (56) in a 116-win Seattle Mariners team in 2001. The first Japanese position player in the big leagues, he helped pave the way for a generation of players.
Honorable Mentions: RP Kaz Sasaki (2000), SP Félix Hernández (2005), C Kenji Johjima (2006), SP Michael Pineda (2011), 2B Dustin Ackley (2011), SP/RP Hisashi Iwakuma (2012), RP Carson Smith (2015), OF Kyle Lewis (2020), OF Julio Rodríguez (2022), SP George Kirby (2022)
St. Louis Cardinals: 1B Albert Pujols
26 of 30
Stats: 161 G, 157 OPS+, .329/.403/.610, 88 XBH (37 HR), 130 RBI, 112 R, 1 SB
WAR: 6.6
A 13th-round pick in the 1999 draft, Albert Pujols would go on to develop into one of the greatest right-handed hitters in baseball history, and he was a superstar from the jump with one of the most productive rookie seasons of all-time.
The Cardinals have done a great job developing their own in-house talent and finding diamonds in the rough over the years, so there was no shortage of honorable mention candidates, but Pujols is a no-brainer for the top spot.
Honorable Mentions: SP Rick Ankiel (2000), OF Chris Duncan (2006), SP Jaime García (2010), OF Allen Craig (2011), SP Shelby Miller (2013), OF Randal Grichuk (2015), SS Aledmys Díaz (2016), RP Seunghwan Oh (2016), SS Paul DeJong (2017), SP Jack Flaherty (2018), IF Tommy Edman (2019), SP Dakota Hudson (2019), OF Dylan Carlson (2021), IF/OF Brendan Donovan (2022)
Tampa Bay Rays: 3B Evan Longoria (2008)
27 of 30
Stats: 122 G, 127 OPS+, .272/.343/.531, 60 XBH (27 HR), 85 RBI, 67 R, 7 SB
WAR: 4.8
Evan Longoria has a strong case for the title of greatest player in Tampa Bay Rays history as the franchise's all-time leader in WAR (51.2), home runs (261), RBI (892), runs scored (780) and total bases (2,630).
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2006 draft made his MLB debut two years later and helped an upstart Rays squad reach the World Series while ranking second on the team to slugger Carlos Peña in home runs, RBI and OPS+.
Honorable Mentions: OF Rocco Baldelli (2003), SP Scott Kazmir (2005), OF Jonny Gomes (2005), OF Delmon Young (2007), SP Jeff Niemann (2009), SP Wade Davis (2010), SP Jeremy Hellickson (2011), OF Wil Myers (2013), SP Chris Archer (2013), SP Jake Odorizzi (2014), SP Nate Karns (2015), IF Joey Wendle (2018), 2B Brandon Lowe (2019), OF Randy Arozarena (2021), SS Wander Franco (2021), SP Shane McClanahan (2021)
Texas Rangers: SP Yu Darvish (2012)
28 of 30
Stats: 29 GS, 16-9, 3.90 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 89 BB, 221 K, 191.1 IP
WAR: 3.5
Yu Darvish went 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 1,250 strikeouts in 1,268.1 innings over seven seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters before he joined the Texas Rangers on a six-year, $56 million deal that was accompanied by a $51.7 million posting fee.
He earned his first of five career All-Star selections and finished fifth in the American League with 221 strikeouts during his rookie season. That earned him a third-place finish in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Mike Trout and Yoenis Céspedes.
Honorable Mentions: 1B Mark Teixeira (2003), SP Chris Young (2005), 2B Ian Kinsler (2006), 1B Chris Davis (2008), SS Elvis Andrus (2009), RP Neftalí Feliz (2010), SP Martín Pérez (2013), OF Adolis García (2021), 3B Josh Jung (2023)
Toronto Blue Jays: 3B Eric Hinske (2002)
29 of 30
Stats: 151 G, 119 OPS+, .279/.365/.481, 64 XBH (24 HR), 84 RBI, 99 R, 13 SB
WAR: 4.0
Eric Hinske was the starting third baseman on a 2002 Toronto Blue Jays team that also featured Carlos Delgado, Vernon Wells, Shannon Stewart, Raul Mondesi and Jose Cruz Jr., and he finished second in home runs and third in RBI in that stacked lineup.
He went on to have a solid 12-year career as a part-time player, but he racked up more than half of his 7.8 career WAR during his rookie season. The entire 2002 AL and NL Rookie of the Year voting results are a who's who of guys you haven't thought about in years.
Honorable Mentions: DH Josh Phelps (2002), SP Gustavo Chacin (2005), SP Ricky Romero (2009), SP Marcus Stroman (2014), RP Roberto Osuna (2015), SP/RP Aaron Sanchez (2015), 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (2019), 2B Cavan Biggio (2019), SS Bo Bichette (2019), SP Alek Manoah (2021)
Washington Nationals: OF Bryce Harper (2012)
30 of 30
Stats: 139 G, 118 OPS+, .270/.340/.477, 57 XBH (22 HR), 59 RBI, 98 R, 18 SB
WAR: 5.2
Few players have entered the big leagues with more hype than Bryce Harper, and despite all of that pressure, he has largely lived up to being dubbed baseball's "Chosen One" when he was still in high school.
He played just 130 games in the minors before making his MLB debut as a 19-year-old, and in his rookie season the Nationals made the postseason for the first time since 1981 when they were still the Montreal Expos.
Honorable Mentions: OF Brad Wilkerson (2002), 3B Ryan Zimmerman (2006), SP John Lannan (2008), SP Stephen Strasburg (2010), 2B Danny Espinosa (2011), C Wilson Ramos (2011), SS Trea Turner (2016), OF Juan Soto (2018), OF Victor Robles (2019)
