Rookie of the Year: Jerome Walton, 1989

Outfielder, Chicago Cubs 

Age:  24 (July 8 )

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 175

Prior to 1989:

A native of Newnan, Georgia, Walton played baseball in high school and was chosen by the Cubs in the 1986 amateur draft out of Enterprise State Community College in Alabama. As a 20-year-old third baseman with Wytheville of the Rookie-level Appalachian League in ’86 he batted .288 in 62 games with 21 stolen bases. Advancing to Peoria of the Class A Midwest League and shifted to the outfield in 1987, Walton hit .335 with 24 doubles, 11 triples, 6 home runs, 102 runs scored, and 49 stolen bases, although he was caught stealing 25 times and struck out on 91 occasions, in addition to drawing 91 walks. He was named a league All-Star. Moving up to Pittsfield of the Class AA Eastern League in 1988, he batted a league-high .331 and stole 42 bases in 55 attempts. Walton made the jump from AA to the Cubs in 1989, filling a hole in center field and as a speedy leadoff hitter.

1989 Season Summary

Appeared in 116 games

CF – 115, PH – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 515

At Bats – 475

Runs – 64

Hits – 139

Doubles – 23

Triples – 3

Home Runs – 5

RBI – 46

Bases on Balls – 27

Int. BB – 1

Strikeouts – 77

Stolen Bases – 24 [17, tied with Billy Hatcher]

Caught Stealing – 7

Average - .293 [7]

OBP - .335

Slugging Pct. - .385

Total Bases – 183

GDP – 6

Hit by Pitches – 6 [6, tied with Craig Biggio]

Sac Hits – 2

Sac Flies – 5

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 16, HR - 3, RBI - 18, SB – 13, AVG - .294, OBP - .344

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) vs. St. Louis 6/12, (in 4 AB) at San Diego 7/13

Longest hitting streak – 30 games

Most HR, game – 1 on five occasions

HR at home – 3

HR on road – 2

Multi-HR games – 0

Most RBIs, game – 3 vs. LA Dodgers 7/7

Pinch-hitting – 0 for 1 (.000) with 1 BB

Fielding

Chances – 294

Put Outs – 289

Assists – 2

Errors – 3

DP - 1

Pct. - .990

Postseason Batting: 5 G (NLCS vs. San Francisco)

PA – 24, AB – 22, R – 4, H – 8, 2B – 0,3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 2, BB – 2, IBB – 0, SO – 2, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .364, OBP - .417, SLG -.364, TB – 8, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

13^th in NL MVP voting (14 points, 4% share)

NL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Jerome Walton, ChiC.: 116 pts. – 22 of 24 first place votes, 97% share

Dwight Smith, ChiC.: 68 pts. – 2 first place votes, 57% share

Gregg Jefferies, NYM: 18 pts. – 15% share

Derek Lilliquist, Atl.: 6 pts. – 5% share

Andy Benes, SD: 3 pts. – 3% share

Charlie Hayes, SF/Phila.: 3 pts. – 3% share

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Cubs went 93-69 to finish first in the NL Eastern Division by 6 games over the New York Mets while leading the league in runs scored (702), hits (1438), RBIs (653), batting (.261) and total bases (2135). The Cubs, helped by the arrival of Walton and fellow rookie outfielder Dwight Smith, as well as the play of veterans Ryne Sandberg at 2B and 1B Mark Grace, moved into first place in the NL East in May, fell behind in June, and remained at or near the top until a 17-11 September put them in control. Lost NLCS to the San Francisco Giants, 4 games to 1.

Aftermath of ‘89:

With expectations high following his outstanding rookie season, a broken hand and a wrist injury limited Walton to 101 games in 1990 in which he batted .263 with 20 extra base hits, 63 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases. His average dropped to .219 in 123 games in 1991 as he lost his starting job in center field. Injuries further limited him to 30 games and a .127 average in 1992, after which the Cubs did not renew his contract. Signed by the California Angels in 1993, Walton appeared in just five major league games and spent most of the season with Vancouver of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League where he hit .313 in 54 games. Released by the Angels in August, his next stop was Cincinnati in 1994 where he provided defensive depth to a solid outfield while batting .309 in 46 games during the strike-shortened season. As an outfield reserve for the division-winning Reds in 1995, Walton hit .290 in 102 games with 8 home runs and 22 RBIs. Moving on to Atlanta in 1996 he appeared in 37 games and batted .340, still in a backup role, most often as a late innings defensive replacement for Ryan Klesko in left field. Walton spent two more seasons in the major leagues, with Baltimore in 1997, where he was again troubled by injuries, and expansion Tampa Bay in 1998, but didn’t last through May. He spent time in the Mexican League and with independent minor league clubs from 1999 to 2001 before retiring. For his major league career, Walton batted .269 with 423 hits that included 77 doubles, 8 triples, and 25 home runs. He scored 241 runs and compiled 132 RBIs and 58 stolen bases. With the Cubs he batted .258 with 308 hits, 176 runs scored, 52 doubles, 7 triples, 12 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 46 stolen bases. In 13 postseason games, Walton hit .222. Following a playing career that commenced with so much promise that ultimately went unfulfilled, Walton founded a baseball academy in his native Georgia.

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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.