Rookie of the Year: Andre Dawson, 1977

Outfielder, Montreal Expos

Age:  23 (July 10)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 180

Prior to 1977:

A native of Miami, Florida Dawson earned the nickname “The Hawk” as a Little Leaguer due to his keen batting eye. A knee injury suffered while playing football for Southwest Miami High School resulted in surgery (the first of many) and caused him to concentrate on baseball. He went on to Florida A & M University and was drafted by the Expos as an amateur in 1975. Dawson played for Lethbridge of the Pioneer League in ’75 and hit .330 with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs. He spent 1976 with Class AA Quebec and Class AAA Denver and batted a combined .352 with 28 home runs and 73 RBIs. He earned a September call-up to the Expos and hit .235 in 24 games. Dawson became the team’s starting center fielder in 1977.

1977 Season Summary

Appeared in 139 games

CF – 129, LF – 14, RF – 3, PH – 6

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 566

At Bats – 525

Runs – 64

Hits – 148

Doubles – 26

Triples – 9 [11, tied with Omar Moreno]

Home Runs – 19

RBI – 65

Bases on Balls – 34

Int. BB – 4

Strikeouts – 93 [17]

Stolen Bases – 21

Caught Stealing – 7

Average - .282

OBP - .326

Slugging Pct. - .474 [20]

Total Bases – 249

GDP – 6

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 1

Sac Flies – 4

Midseason snapshot: HR – 11, RBI – 39, AVG. - .295, SLG PCT – .511

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) vs. Chi. Cubs 6/29

Longest hitting streak – 7 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 4 AB) at Chi. Cubs 7/5

HR at home – 7

HR on road – 12

Multi-HR games – 1

Most RBIs, game – 5 at Chi. Cubs 7/4

Pinch-hitting – 0 of 5 (.000) with 1 SB

Fielding

Chances – 365

Put Outs – 352

Assists – 9

Errors – 4

DP – 1

Pct. - .989

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

NL ROY Voting:

Andre Dawson, Mon.: 10 of 24 votes, 42% share

Steve Henderson, NYM.: 9 votes, 38% share

Gene Richards, SD.: 4 votes, 17% share

Floyd Bannister, Hou.: 1 vote, 4% share

Expos went 75-87 to finish fifth in the NL Eastern Division, 26 games behind the division-winning Philadelphia Phillies while leading the NL in doubles (294).

   

Aftermath of ‘77:

Dawson followed up in 1978 by hitting .253 with 25 home runs and 72 RBIs. He also topped the NL by being hit by 12 pitches. While his batting average rose to .275 in 1979, and his RBIs to 92, his home run total was again 25, along with 8 triples and 35 stolen bases. Dawson won his first Gold Glove in 1980 while he also batted .308 with 17 home runs, 34 stolen bases, and 87 RBIs. He followed up with another strong performance in the strike-interrupted 1981 season, finishing second in the National League’s MVP voting as he hit .302 with 24 home runs and 64 RBIs. Dawson was chosen to his first All-Star Game and won another Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. The Expos also reached the postseason for the only time during their Montreal tenure. In 1982 Dawson batted .301 with 23 home runs and 83 RBIs, received another Gold Glove, and was again an All-Star while the Expos dropped to third place. He led the NL with 189 hits in 1983 to go with 36 doubles, 10 triples, 32 home runs, and 113 RBIs. Dawson was once again the second-place finisher for the league’s MVP award in addition to being an All-Star, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger recipient. The toll taken on his knees from playing on artificial turf in the outfield began to become apparent in 1984 as he appeared in just 138 games and batted .248 with 17 home runs and 86 RBIs. Shifted to right field to take best advantage of his strong throwing arm while reducing stress on his knees, he still won a Gold Glove. With his numbers dropping further in 1985 and ’86, Dawson departed the Expos following the 1986 season and signed with the Chicago Cubs, where he was the NL MVP with a last-place club in 1987, based on his 49 home runs, 137 RBIs, and .287 batting average. He spent six seasons with the Cubs and was a five-time All-Star although his numbers, while respectable, never again approached those of his 1987 MVP year. The Cubs improved to reach the postseason in ’89, where Dawson hit .105 in a five-game NLCS loss to the Giants. He joined the Boston Red Sox as a free agent in 1993, and with the move to the AL was able to be a Designated Hitter as well as right fielder. Dawson returned to the National League with the Florida Marlins in 1995 and retired after the ’96 season. Overall for his major league career, Dawson batted .279 with 2774 hits that included 503 doubles, 98 triples, and 438 home runs. He also totaled 1591 RBIs. Dawson, a popular and classy player with strong leadership skills who prevailed despite numerous knee surgeries, was an eight-time All-Star who also received eight Gold Gloves and was a four-time Silver Slugger recipient. Of his career totals, 1575 hits, 295 doubles, 67 triples, and 225 home runs were compiled with Montreal. He knocked in 838 runs and hit .280 for the Expos, who retired his #10. Dawson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.