Rookie of the Year: Chris Sabo, 1988

 Third Baseman, Cincinnati Reds

Age:  26

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 5’11” Weight: 185

 

Prior to 1988:

A Detroit native, Sabo played hockey and golf, in addition to baseball, at that city’s Catholic Central High School. Moving on to the Univ. of Michigan, Sabo was a standout on the baseball team from 1981-83. In 1983 he was a first team All-American selection by The Sporting News and Baseball America. Chosen by the Reds in the second round of the 1983 amateur draft, he was first assigned to Cedar Rapids of the Class A Midwest League where he hit .274 with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs over the course of 77 games. He also stole 15 bases and played a solid third base. Advancing to Vermont of the Class AA Eastern League in 1984 he batted just .213 with 19 doubles, 5 home runs, and 38 RBIs. Defensively he topped the league’s third basemen with 236 assists. With Vermont again in 1985, Sabo raised his average to .278 and hit 11 home runs with 46 RBIs. He again led the circuit’s third basemen in assists (236). Moving up to the Denver Zephyrs of the Class AAA American Association in 1986, he batted .273 with 26 doubles, 10 home runs, and 60 RBIs. Blocked by star third baseman Buddy Bell in Cincinnati, Sabo remained in the American Association in 1987, this time with the Nashville Sounds. He endured an injury-filled season, but still excelled by hitting .292 in 91 games with 19 doubles, 7 home runs, 51 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases, earning team MVP recognition. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery at season’s end and was considered a longshot to make the Reds in 1988, impressing the organization with his solid work ethic that allowed him to get the most out of the skills he had. Having made the club as a utility infielder during spring training, Sabo took over at third base when Bell went down with a knee injury.  

 

1988 Season Summary

Appeared in 137 games

3B – 135, SS – 2, PH – 3, PR -1

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

 

Batting

Plate Appearances – 582

At Bats – 538

Runs – 74

Hits – 146

Doubles – 40 [3]

Triples – 2

Home Runs – 11

RBI – 44

Bases on Balls – 29

Int. BB – 1

Strikeouts – 52

Stolen Bases – 46 [4, tied with Otis Nixon]

Caught Stealing – 14 [4, tied with Darryl Strawberry, Gerald Perry & Mitch Webster]

Average - .271

OBP - .314

Slugging Pct. - .414

Total Bases – 223

GDP – 12

Hit By Pitches – 6 [12, tied with Kevin Bass & Mike Schmidt]

Sac Hits – 5

Sac Flies – 4

 

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 32, HR – 10, RBI – 35, SB – 28, AVG - .312, SLG - .524

 

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) vs. San Francisco 6/18, (in 7 AB) vs. St. Louis 8/27 – 14 innings

Longest hitting streak – 10 games

Most HR, game – 1 on eleven occasions

HR at home – 8

HR on road – 3

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 3 at Atlanta 4/22, at Pittsburgh 5/15 – 12 innings, vs. NY Mets 7/19

Pinch-hitting/running – 0 of 2 (.000) with 1 BB, 1 R & 2 SB

 

Fielding

Chances – 407

Put Outs – 75

Assists – 318

Errors – 14

DP - 31

Pct. - .966

 

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

All-Star

 

NL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Chris Sabo, Cin.: 79 pts. – 11 of 24 first place votes, 66% share

Mark Grace, ChiC.: 61 pts. – 7 first place votes, 51% share

Tim Belcher, LAD: 35 pts. – 3 first place votes, 29% share

Ron Gant, Atl.: 22 pts. – 1 first place vote, 18% share

Roberto Alomar, SD: 11 pts. – 2 first place votes, 9% share

 

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Reds went 87-74 to finish second in the NL Western Division, 7 games behind the division-winning Los Angeles Dodgers. The slow-starting Reds spent most of the season in fourth place until an 18-9 September rally pulled them up to second.

 

Aftermath of ‘88:

With his short, military-style haircut, and aviator goggle glasses, the down-to-earth and ever-hustling Sabo quickly developed into a fan favorite, drawing comparisons to Pete Rose, the legendary player and current manager. He was nicknamed “Spuds” due to his resemblance to Spuds MacKenzie, a dog who appeared in beer commercials at the time. A knee injury cut his season short in 1989, limiting him to 82 games and a .260 average with 21 doubles, 6 home runs, 29 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. The Reds topped the NL West in 1990 and went on to win the World Series. The line-drive hitting Sabo contributed a surprising 25 home runs along with 95 runs scored, 38 doubles, 71 RBIs, and a .270 batting average. He also batted .563 in the stunning World Series sweep of the Oakland A’s. Cincinnati dropped to fifth in 1991 but Sabo, playing on two bad knees, had another fine season, hitting .301 with 26 home runs and 88 RBIs, while performing well in the field. A sprained ankle hindered Sabo in 1992 and his production dropped off to .244 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs while appearing in 96 games. He followed up with a solid season in 1993 in which he batted .259 with 33 doubles, 21 home runs, and 82 RBIs. A free agent in the offseason, Sabo signed with the Baltimore Orioles for the 1994 season. Encountering injury problems during the strike-shortened season, he was replaced at third base by Leo Gomez and moved on to the Chicago White Sox in 1995. Released by the White Sox in June and signed by the St. Louis Cardinals, who released him in September, Sabo hit a combined .238 for the year while appearing in just 25 games. He returned to the Reds in 1996 and batted .256 in his final season. For his major league career, Sabo batted .268 with 898 hits that included 214 doubles, 17 triples, and 116 home runs. He scored 494 runs and accumulated 426 RBIs and 120 stolen bases. With the Reds the totals were .270 with 812 hits, 443 runs scored, 193 doubles, 14 triples, 104 home runs, 373 RBIs, and 116 stolen bases. In ten postseason games he hit .368 with 3 home runs and 8 RBIs. A three-time All-Star, Sabo was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2010. Following his playing career, he served as an instructor in the Reds organization. He is currently head coach at the Univ. of Akron.

 

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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.