Rookies come into Major League Baseball hoping to prove that they are ready to hang out with the big boys, but for this season, two players are just too dominant not to get noticed.
Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles and Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks have been named 2023 Rookies of The Year of the American League and National League, respectively.
They are not just the Rookies of the Year. They are the unanimous Rookies of the Year.
Unanimously winning the award is a rare incident in the league. There were only five instances when voters and reporters were in complete agreement that only two names should win the Best Newcomer award.
1. Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger
Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger achieved the feat in 2017 while playing for the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively.
Both went on to have tremendous careers after that. Judge won the AL MVP last season and became an All-Star five times since his rookie year.
Two-time All-Star and 2019 NL MVP Bellinger got one better than Judge, as he also has the World Series to boot after winning it with the Dodgers in 2020.
2. Nomar Garciaparra and Scott Rolen
Before Judge and Bellinger, baseball fans had to wait 20 years to see two unanimous ROYs in one season.
Nomar Garciaparra of the Boston Red Sox and Scott Rolen of the Philadelphia Phillies were the unanimous rookies of the year in 1997.
Shortstop Garciaparra earned six All-Star selections and one Silver Slugger Award after 1997, while third baseman Noren appeared in seven All-Star Games, received eight Golden Glove Awards, and won the 2006 World Series when he transferred to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002.
Read more: Silver Slugger Awards - Which Players Have the Most Wins in Each Position?
3. Tim Salmon and Mike Piazza
California got the most attention in terms of promising new rookies in 1993 as California Angels' (now Los Angeles Angels) Tim Salmon and Los Angeles Dodgers' Mike Piazza captured the Rookie of the Year award without any hiccup.
Salmon went on to win the World Series in 2002 when the Anaheim franchise took over. However, Piazza had him beat in terms of individual exploits, as he appeared in 12 All-Star Games and received 10 Silver Slugger Awards in a career that spanned 15 years.
4. Mark McGwire and Benito Santiago
Mark McGwire and Benito Santiago were the first to make unanimous ROY wins in a single season happen.
The former was drafted and became a key piece for the Oakland Athletics, while the latter won it as part of the San Diego Padres.
McGwire's career improved as he won the World Series as a player in 1989 and as a manager when he coached the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011.
Santiago's career is not that bad. He played a total of 19 seasons for ten different teams. He earned five All-Star selections and won the NLCS MVP award in 2002.
The way this list appears looks like the unanimous selection of the Rookies of the Year can also qualify as a prediction that one's dominance in their first year could translate to an illustrious professional baseball career.
Related article: Top 3 Oldest Managers to Win MLB World Series - Will Ron Washington Be Next?
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