Rookie of the Year: Kerry Wood, 1998

Pitcher, Chicago Cubs

Age:  21 (June 16)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’5”    Weight: 210 

Prior to 1998:

A Texas native, Wood initially played shortstop as a freshman at MacArthur High School in Irving before becoming a pitcher. With a 90 mph fastball, he received all-district recognition. Transferring to Grand Prairie High School as a senior, Wood went 14-0 with a 0.77 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 81.1 innings pitched. Selected by the Cubs fourth overall in the 1995 amateur draft, he received a $1.2 million signing bonus. In ’96 with Daytona of the Class A Florida State League, Wood produced a 10-2 record with a 2.91 ERA, 136 strikeouts, and 70 walks in 114.1 innings. In 1997 with Orlando of the Class AA Southern League and Iowa of the Class AAA American Association, he produced a combined 10-9 tally with a 4.57 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 151.2 innings in addition to 131 walks and 18 wild pitches. Wood started the 1998 season with Iowa and was quickly promoted to the Cubs.

1998 Season Summary

Appeared in 26 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 26

Games Started – 26

Complete Games – 1

Wins – 13 [20, tied with six others]

Losses – 6

PCT - .684 [6, tied with Mark Gardner]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 1 [14, tied with 23 others]

Innings Pitched – 166.2

Hits – 117

Runs – 69

Earned Runs – 63

Home Runs – 14

Bases on Balls – 85 [9, tied with Tyler Green & Orel Hershiser]

Strikeouts – 233 [3]

ERA – 3.40 [13]

Hit Batters – 11 [3, tied with five others]

Balks – 3 [5, tied with nine others]

Wild Pitches – 6

Midseason Snapshot: 8-3, ERA - 3.38, SO - 139 in 93.1 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 20 (in 9 IP) vs. Houston 5/6 (Tied MLB record)

10+ strikeout games – 9

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 9 IP) vs. Houston 5/6

Batting

PA – 63, AB – 54, R – 3, H – 7, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 2, RBI – 8, BB – 1, SO – 16, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .130, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 8, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 13

Put Outs – 4

Assists – 9

Errors – 0

DP – 1

Pct. - 1.000

Postseason Pitching: G – 1 (NLDS vs. Atlanta)

GS – 1, CG – 0, Record – 0-1, PCT – .000, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 5, H – 3, R – 1, ER – 1, HR – 0, BB – 4, SO – 5, ERA – 1.80, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

NL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Kerry Wood, ChiC.: 128 pts. – 16 of 32 first place votes, 80% share

Todd Helton, Col.: 119 pts. – 15 first place votes, 74% share

Travis Lee, Ariz.: 21 pts. – 13% share

Kerry Ligtenberg, Atl.: 18 pts. – 1 first place vote, 11% share

Brad Fullmer, Mon.: 2 pts. – 1% share

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Cubs went 90-73 to finish second in the NL Central Division, 12.5 games behind the division-winning Houston Astros and qualifying for a Wild Card playoff spot after defeating the San Francisco Giants 5-3 in a season-extending single-game playoff. In a season in which the home run race between Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire of the Cardinals dominated attention, the Cubs, spurred by Sosa’s hitting and Wood’s pitching, went on a 21-9 run in May and stayed in the Wild Card race until the end, although a sore elbow sidelined Wood in September. They came from behind for 49 of their wins. Lost NLDS to the Atlanta Braves, 3 games to 0.

Aftermath of ‘98:

The sore elbow that curtailed Wood’s outstanding rookie season resulted in “Tommy John” surgery that cost him the entire 1999 season. In 2000, he made his first start for the Cubs in May. With less velocity on his fastball and difficulty in controlling his breaking pitches, he produced an 8-7 record in 23 starts with a 4.80 ERA, 132 strikeouts, 87 walks, and 137 innings pitched. Wood returned to form in 2001 as he pitched 174.1 innings and posted a 12-6 record with a 3.36 ERA and 217 strikeouts. Along the way he threw a one-hit shutout against the Milwaukee Brewers in which he faced 30 batters and struck out 14 of them. Shoulder tendinitis curtailed his season in August. Wood in 2002 went on to a 12-11 tally with a 3.66 ERA and 217 strikeouts while compiling 213.2 innings. He also added a slider to his repertoire during the second half of the season to go along with his fastball, curve, and changeup. He was an All-Star for the first time in 2003 and led the NL with 266 strikeouts to go with his 14-11 record, four complete games, and two shutouts. In 2004 a strained triceps cost Wood nearly two months of the season and he finished at 8-9 with a 3.72 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 140.1 innings pitched. Elbow trouble limited him to 10 starts in 2005 and he was shifted to the bullpen on his way to a 3-4 tally in 21 appearances with a 4.23 ERA and 77 strikeouts over 66 innings. Further injuries limited Wood to four starts in 2006 and he was utilized exclusively as a reliever in 2007, pitching in 22 games and posting a 1-1 record with a 3.33 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 24.1 innings. Taking over the role of closer out of the bullpen in 2008, he stayed healthy and produced a 5-4 mark and 34 saves in 65 appearances, along with a 3.26 ERA and 84 strikeouts. He was an All-Star for the second time. In the offseason he signed a two-year, $20 million free agent contract with the Cleveland Indians. Wood started out effectively with his new club in 2009, recording 15 saves in 20 opportunities before encountering problems with consistency. He finished with a 3-3 tally and 20 saves along with a 4.25 ERA. During spring training in 2010, a back injury put him on the disabled list for the thirteenth time in his career. Returning to action with Cleveland in May, Wood had a 1-4 tally with 8 saves prior to returning to the DL in July and being traded to the New York Yankees. Used as a setup man out of the bullpen, he went 2-0 the rest of the way with an 0.69 ERA in 24 appearances. A free agent once again in the offseason, Wood returned to the Cubs in 2011 and made 55 relief appearances, posting a 3-5 record with a 3.35 ERA. He made 10 appearances in 2012 before retiring in May. For his major league career, Wood produced an 86-75 record with a 3.67 ERA and 1582 strikeouts in 1380 innings. He also recorded 63 saves along with 11 complete games and 5 shutouts. With the Cubs, he was 80-68 with a 3.67 ERA, 1470 strikeouts in 1279 innings, 35 saves, and all his complete games and shutouts. Pitching in 15 postseason games, he was 2-2 with a 3.43 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 44.2 innings. A two-time All-Star during his injury-plagued career, Wood was at his best during his 1998 rookie season and in 2003. An enormous talent when he first joined the Cubs, he showed great determination despite the many physical setbacks.    

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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.