Since 1981 over 40 guys have won the NL Rookie of the Year award. Some of those guys even went on to pretty good careers. Others captivated the baseball world-all sizes and shapes. Some can argue that more than a few didn’t earn the award, but won because of the name on the front of their jersey.
Back in his rookie season, 1981, HOF’er Tim Raines exploded on the scene as the Expos finally made the playoffs. In the strike-shortened, season, Raines slashed .304/.391/.438 with 77 stolen bases in only 88 games, but failed to win the Rookie of the Year award because of one man.
Fernando Valenzuela and Fernandomania exploded and the Dodgers are honoring him by retiring his #34. Here’s the story.
I'd rather be sitting in a ballpark. 
One response to “For the past 40+ years they’ve been pretending”
Don’t understand your headline.
Rock was amazing but hard not to give ROY award to someone who also won the Cy Young award as a rookie and played in a huge market instead of someone who played in a city and province that wanted to separate from its own country. Ironic that Nando no-hit STL and ended his career with the Cardinals. And got his fellow countryman to hit into a double play to end the no-hitter. I saw him pitch at Wrigley for LAD with my uncle, cousin and her husband on a Saturday, probably in 1984. Nothing remarkable happened. Wasn’t Fernando’s no no the same night as Hideo Nomo’s? Quite a weekend and then on Sunday, the 80th anniversary of Comiskey, Leyritz muffed two fly balls in LF to give the White Sox a 4-0 victory without getting a hit. Fernando was really getting the benefit of the umpire’s calls in the 9th inning of the no no but it really didn’t affect any at bats except Coleman should have walked to lead off the inning.
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