Some great MLB rookie seasons come out of nowhere, while others are well anticipated. Either way, these 25 rookie seasons stand apart for their greatness despite not earning the players a Rookie of the Year Award.
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The much-hyped Heyward understandably finished behind Buster Posey in the NL Rookie of the Year vote, though he did have a superior season, according to WAR. The outfielder hit .277-18-72 with an .849 OPS in 142 games for an excellent 6.4 WAR.
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Tulo finished his rookie season with some gaudy numbers but finished two first place votes behind Ryan Braun. The shortstop hit .291-24-99 with an .838 OPS, while Braun hit .324-34-97 with a 1.004 OPS.
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Webb was robbed of the NL Rookie of the Year, finishing in third place behind Dontrelle Willis and Scott Podsednik. The Arizona starter went 10-9 with a 2.84 ERA in 180.2 innings, but he got only seven first-place votes. Willis was 14-6 with a 3.30 ERA in 160.2 innings for the Marlins.
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Garcia finished well behind Carlos Beltran in the AL Rookie of the Year vote, garnering only one first place vote. He was still a great contributor for Seattle, going 17-8 with a 4.07 ERA in 33 starts, tallying 201.1 innings.
1992: Kenny Lofton
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Lofton finished nowhere near AL Rookie of the Year Pat Listach in the final vote, but he had a better year overall. The speedster hit .285/.362/.365 with 66 stolen bases compared to Listach's .290/.352/.349 with 54 steals. Both players scored more than 90 runs.
1992: Dave Fleming
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Fleming trailed Pat Listach and Kenny Lofton in the AL Rookie of the Year voting but had a great season in the Seattle rotation. He went 17-10 with a 3.39 ERA in 228.1 innings over 33 starts.
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Appier barely got any consideration for the AL Rookie of the Year, as Sandy Alomar took home all 28 first-place votes. The Royals starter's season was still outstanding, going 12-8 with a 2.76 ERA and 185.2 innings.
1987: Kevin Seitzer
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Seitzer was overshadowed by Mark McGwire in 1987, who set a rookie record with 49 home runs. As for Seitzer, he hit .323-15-83 with an impressive .869 OPS for the Royals to finish second in the AL vote.
1987: Devon White
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White finished well behind Mark McGwire, at fifth place in the AL Rookie of the Year vote, but his rookie season is one of the best all-around campaigns ever. He hit .263-24-87 with 32 steals for the Angels, adding 103 runs scored.
1986: Mark Eichhorn
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Eichhorn wasn't able to get much support for Rookie of the Year in the same season as Jose Canseco and Wally Joyner, but he was still brilliant in the Blue Jays pen. With over 69 relief appearances, Eichhorn went 14-6 with a 1.72 ERA and 10 saves over 157 innings.
1983: Craig McMurtry
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Darryl Strawberry easily won 1983 NL Rookie of the Year, but McMurtry deserved more attention than he received. The Braves starter finished second place with six first-place votes, going 15-9 with a 3.08 ERA in 224.2 innings for the Braves.
1983: Matt Young
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Young made the All-Star Game in his rookie season, yet he didn't get even one vote for AL Rookie of the Year. The Mariners starter went 11-15 with a 3.27 ERA in 203.2 innings.
1982: Tom Brunansky
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Brunansky didn't get any votes for AL Rookie of the Year in 1982, but his season was comparable to winner Cal Ripken Jr. The 21-year-old hit .272-20-46 with an .848 OPS for the Twins.
1980: Doug Corbett
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Corbett was third in the AL Rookie of the Year vote but arguably deserving of the award. He finished 8-6 with 23 saves and a 1.98 ERA in 136.1 innings over 73 relief appearances for Minnesota.
1980: Britt Burns
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Burns had an outstanding year in the White Sox rotation but finished only fifth in the AL Rookie vote. He went 15-13 with a 2.84 ERA in 238 innings for Chicago, earning four first-place votes in the Rookie of the Year balloting.
1977: Mitchell Page
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Page finished three votes behind AL Rookie of the Year winner Eddie Murray in 1977 despite hitting .307-21-75 with 42 steals and a .926 OPS, putting together one of the best rookie campaigns ever. Murray finished just .283-27-88 with an .803 OPS.
1977: Bump Wills
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Wills just picked the wrong year for his Rookie of the Year candidacy, finishing third in the vote behind Eddie Murray and Mitchell Page. The Texas second baseman got four votes after hitting .287-9-62 with 28 steals and a .771 OPS.
1977: Dave Rozema
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Rozema was fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year vote despite an outstanding year in the Tigers rotation. He was 15-7 with a 3.09 ERA in 218.1 innings over 28 starts, garnering two votes for ROY.
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Eckersley would win plenty of awards during his career, but he didn't even get a vote for AL Rookie of the Year in 1975. He finished his rookie season 13-7 with a 2.60 ERA over 186.2 innings between starting and relieving for Cleveland. Fred Lynn easily won the award, as well as the AL MVP, in 1975 with arguably the greatest rookie season ever, hitting .331-21-105 with a .967 OPS.
1968: Jerry Koosman
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Koosman finished just one vote behind Reds catcher Johnny Bench for NL Rookie of the Year. He went 19-12 with a 2.08 ERA in 263.2 innings for the Mets.
1967: Gary Nolan
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Nolan finished well behind Tom Seaver and Dick Hughes in one of the most impressive rookie classes ever for pitchers. The Cincinnati starter went 14-8 with a 2.58 ERA in 226.2 innings.
1965: Joe Morgan
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Morgan probably deserved to win the NL Rookie of the Year but finished well behind Jim Lefebvre. The dynamic Astros infielder hit .271-14-40 with 20 steals and 97 walks, good for a .373 on-base percentage. He's now best remembered as a Cincinnati Red, winning two MVPs and two World Series with that team.
1964: Jim Ray Hart
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Hart got only one NL Rookie of the Year vote, finishing well behind Dick Allen, who had an amazing performance. The third baseman still deserved props for hitting .286-31-81 with an .840 OPS for the Giants.
1963: Jimmie Hall
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Hall finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, earning four first-place votes with the Twins. The outfielder hit .260-33-80 with an .863 OPS, while White Sox Gary Peters and Pete Ward finished ahead of him in the vote.
1962: Dick Radatz
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Radatz finished tied for third in the AL Rookie of the Vote balloting with just one vote, yet he probably deserved to win. The Red Sox reliever was 9-6 with 24 saves and a 2.24 ERA in 124.2 innings. The winner was Yankees shortstop and left fielder Tom Tresh, who hit .286-20-93 with an .800 OPS.