NL ROY chatter

Although there were some good points made about past AL Rookie of the year winners, its interesting to see how the NL ROY winners are almost exactly opposite. While all but three winners in the American League in the last 15 years amounted to meaningless careers, almost every winner in the NL has seen a fantastic Major League tenure. In the last 15 years, only three winners (Eric Karros, Todd Hollandsworth and Jason Jennings) have not been been named All-Stars, and these three also happen to be three of the weakest winners in recent history. Although I don't necessarily believe that Jason Bay (2004) and Ryan Howard (2005) are good yet, I figure they have a few years to prove themselves. Here's a list of the others:

2003: Dontrelle Willis (FLA 14-6 3.30 142 SO) - D-Train has brought us constant entertainment since he entered the league. He shocked the world as a rookie with his high leg kick and zippy fastball, and after a short sophomore slump, he proved himself as an elite Major Leauge pitcher in 2005, going 22-10 while posting a 2.63 ERA.

2002: Jason Jennings (COL 16-8 4.52 127 SO) - Jennings is the only candidate on this list that I'd consider a complete flop. Although he won a lot of games at Coors, his 4.52 ERA in 2002 was less than stellar for a ROY winner.

2001: Albert Pujols (STL .329/.403/.610) - Theres not enough I can say about this guy. Incredibly classy and a decent defensive threat, Pujols has simply been tearing up the majors since his arrival. His career LOW in HR's is 35, which is nothing but astronomical. Pujols has the opportunity to break any Major League power record, and most likely will. Although its a bit early, he's the kind of guy who we can already say will be enshrined in Cooperstown.

2000: Rafael Furcal (ATL .295/.394/.382) - Furcal has been one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball the last couple of years, and is respected as one of the best overall shortstops in the game. Although his power numbers aren't high, he's a career .284 hitter, and is a perrenial fantasy favorite.

1999: Scott Williamson (CIN 12-7 (19 sv) 2.41 107 SO) - Williamson is one of the most underrated and under-utilized players in Major League Baseball. His game as of late has been flawed, only because he's been kept in the hard-worn Sox and Cubs bullpens. Williamson has the potential to get any batter out, and if played more, could turn around a career gone wry.

1998: Kerry Wood (CHC 13-6 3.40 233 SO) - One of the saddest stories in Major League Baseball has to be Kerry Wood. The flamethrower who came into the league as a 19-year-old and struck out 20 batters in a game has been plagued with injuries in the last few years, only further ailing the Cubbies injury problems. Kerry is a great pitcher with great mechanics, but needs to stay healthy to really prove himself again.

1997: Scott Rolen (PHI .283/.377/.469) - Rolen is absolutely incredible. Regardless of how he hits (which is phenominal), he is one of the best, if not the best, third baseman in baseball. How many times have we seen him charge impossible bunts and making the sidearm throw off one leg? This guys plays with heart every game of the season, and his stats only prove his dedication to the game.

1996: Todd Hollandsworth (LAD .291/.348/.437) - Hollandsworth is another asterisk on the list. He never hit 20 home runs in a season, and was never a big-name prospect. But hey, you gotta love when a players name has to be curved around his numbers because it has too many letters in it.

1995: Hideo Nomo (LAD 13-6 2.54 236 SO) - Nomo Mania swept LA (much like Fernandomania) in 1995, as the Japanese import put up incredible numbers, and gave Dodgers fans hope for the future. His numbers were never as good as his rookie season, but they remained respectable until lately, where he's been shipped around from team to team.

1994: Raul Mondesi (LAD .306/.333/.516) - The man who claimed "Joe Torre hates Dominicans" has provided a big bat, and an even bigger arm for seven teams in his 11-year career. This guy had the biggest gun in baseball until Vlad Guerrerro came to the states, but has hit over 250 home runs, and always been a decent right fielder.

1993: Mike Piazza (LAD .318/.370/.561) - Mike Piazza is the best-hitting catcher of the last 20 years, if not all-time. At this point, he and Johnny Bench are well-regarded as the two best of all time, without much difference between the two. Piazza led the Dodgers throughout the '90s, only to later be traded to the Mets. Big Mike was also the only real major leaguer on the Team Italy squad in the WBC (Sorry Dave Dellucci, you don't count).

1992: Eric Karros (LAD .257/.304/.426) - Again, Eric Karros sucks. His .257 average should not have won him the ROY award, enough said.

1991: Jeff Bagwell (HOU .294/.387/.437) - Jeff Bagwell is one of my favorite hitters of the '90s, only because of his hilarious stance. The heart of the Astros, and the origional "Killer Bee," Bagwell is a 4-time All Star, and won the MVP in 1995 when he hit .368 with 39 home runs. Simply incredible.


I think the most interesting thing about this list of winners is the fact that from 1992 to 1996, the Dodgers produced 5 winners in a row, and never made it to a championchip series. Although they were some of the weaker winners as of late, it's still shocking that they were not better with such young talent. So hey, maybe the ROY isn't a total fluke...