Outfielder, Los Angeles Dodgers
Age: 23 (April 20)
Bats – Left,
Throws – Left
Height: 6’2” Weight: 193
Prior to 1996:
Born in Dayton,
Ohio, Hollandsworth moved with his family to New Jersey, where he began playing
baseball at age 8. The family then moved to Bellevue, Washington by way of
Billings, Montana. Hollandsworth was a standout all-around athlete at
Bellevue’s Newport High School, excelling in football and basketball as well as
baseball. Noteworthy for his work ethic and attitude, as well as athletic
prowess, he was chosen by the Dodgers in the third round of the 1991 amateur
draft. Playing for teams at the Rookie and Class A levels in ’91, Hollandsworth
appeared in a total of 62 games and batted .242 with 8 home runs and 33 RBIs
while stealing 11 bases. In 1992 he advanced to Bakersfield of the advanced
Class A California League and hit .258 with 13 home runs and 58 RBIs. Moving on
to San Antonio of the Class AA Texas League in 1993 Hollandsworth improved on
his output by batting .251 with 24 doubles, 9 triples, 17 home runs, and 63
RBIs. With the Albuquerque Dukes of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1994,
he hit .285 with 31 doubles, 5 triples, 19 home runs, and 91 RBIs. With the
Dodgers entering 1995 due to a lack of outfield depth, Hollandsworth made the
club but broke his wrist after making only six appearances. He returned after a
brief stint with Albuquerque, and batted .233 in 41 games, thus maintaining his
rookie status for 1996. He batted twice in the NLDS against Cincinnati, going
hitless, and came into ’96 again as an outfield reserve.
1996 Season Summary
Appeared in 149
games
LF – 122, CF – 18,
RF – 9, PH – 14, PR – 2
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 526
At Bats – 478
Runs – 64
Hits – 139
Doubles – 26
Triples – 4
Home Runs – 12
RBI – 59
Bases on Balls
– 41
Int. BB – 1
Strikeouts – 93
Stolen Bases – 21
Caught Stealing
– 6
Average - .291
OBP - .348
Slugging Pct. -
.437
Total Bases – 209
GDP – 2
Hit by Pitches
– 2
Sac Hits – 3
Sac Flies – 2
Midseason
snapshot: 2B – 8, HR – 5, RBI – 29, AVG – .287, OBP – .360
---
Most hits, game
– 5 (in 5 AB) at San Diego 7/1
Longest hitting
streak – 8 games
Most HR, game –
2 (in 4 AB) at St. Louis 5/11
HR at home – 2
HR on road – 10
Multi-HR games
– 1
Most RBIs, game
– 3 on five occasions
Pinch-hitting/running
– 6 of 14 (.429) with 4 R, 2 2B & 3 RBI
Fielding
Chances – 229
Put Outs – 217
Assists – 7
Errors – 5
DP - 1
Pct. - .978
Postseason
Batting: 3 G (NLDS vs. Atlanta)
PA – 12, AB – 12,
R – 1, H – 4, 2B – 3,3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 1, BB – 0, IBB – 0, SO – 3, SB – 0,
CS – 0, AVG - .333, OBP - .333, SLG -.583, TB – 7, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF
– 0
Awards & Honors:
NL Rookie of
the Year: BBWAA
NL ROY Voting
(top 5):
Todd
Hollandsworth, LAD: 105 pts. – 15 of 28 first place votes, 75% share
Edgar Renteria,
Fla.: 84 pts. – 10 first place votes, 60% share
Jason Kendall,
Pitt.: 30 pts. – 1 first place vote, 21% share
F.P.
Santangelo, Mon.: 15 pts. – 1 first place vote, 11% share
Rey Ordonez,
NYM: 7 pts. – 1 first place vote, 5% share
---
Dodgers went 90-72
to finish second in the NL Western Division, 1 game behind the division-winning
San Diego Padres, qualifying for the postseason as a Wild Card while leading
the league in batter strikeouts (1190). CF Brett Butler’s illness opened the
leadoff spot for Hollandsworth, who delivered a strong second-half performance.
The Dodgers spent most of September in first place in the NL West but lost their
last four games to finish second, settling for the wild card. Lost NLDS to the
Atlanta Braves, 3 games to 0.
Aftermath of ‘96:
Hindered by
knee and elbow injuries in 1997, Hollandsworth slumped at bat and was limited
to 106 games, batting .247 with 20 doubles, four home runs, and 31 RBIs. Injuries
derailed him again in 1998, when he appeared in just 55 games and hit .269 with
13 extra base hits. Playing in a limited role in 1999, Hollandsworth appeared
in 92 games, splitting time at first base and all three outfield positions, and
hit .284 with 9 home runs and 32 RBIs. Unhappy in LA, he was dealt to the
Colorado Rockies during the 2000 season. Batting .234 at the time of the July
31 trade, he adjusted his swing and was outstanding in September, finishing at
.323 in 56 games with his new club with 11 home runs and 23 RBIs. Re-signed as
a free agent by the Rockies, he was hitting .368 with 6 home runs and 19 RBIs
in 2001 when a leg injury ended his season in May after appearing in just 33
games. Back healthy in 2002, he was batting .295 with a disappointing 11 home
runs and 48 RBIs when he was again dealt at the trade deadline, this time to
the Texas Rangers. Injured again following the trade, he played in 39 games for
the Rangers. In the off-season Hollandsworth returned to the National League by
signing with the Florida Marlins. In 2003, with the arrival of rookie Miguel
Cabrera in June, Hollandsworth’s playing time in left field dropped off and he
was primarily a pinch-hitter, batting .254 with 23 doubles and three home runs.
In the NLCS vs. the Cubs, he went three-for-three in pinch-hitting appearances
although he was less successful during the World Series triumph over the
Yankees. His next stop was the Chicago Cubs as an outfield reserve and
pinch-hitter in 2004 where he hit .318 with 8 home runs and 22 RBIs until again
felled by injury. He split 2005 between the Cubs and Braves and hit a combined
.244. His career reached its end in 2006 in stints with Cleveland and
Cincinnati. For his ultimately disappointing major league career, Hollandsworth
batted .273 with 871 hits that included 192 doubles, 22 triples, and 98 home
runs. He scored 451 runs and compiled 401 RBIs and 75 stolen bases. With the
Dodgers his production was .266 with 223 runs scored, 418 hits, 78 doubles, 12
triples, 41 home runs, 179 RBIs, and 48 stolen bases. Appearing in 14
postseason games, he hit .364 with three RBIs. His rookie season remained the
best of his injury-marred career, in which he occasionally showed brief
glimpses of his initial promise. Hollandsworth has since gone on to be a
television analyst and broadcaster.
--
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.
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