Rookie of the Year: Todd Worrell, 1986

Pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals

Age:  27 (Sept. 28)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’5”    Weight: 215 

Prior to 1986:

A native of Arcadia, California, Worrell was a multi-position player at Biola University, where as a pitcher in his last two seasons he produced a 12-10 record with a 3.46 ERA. Selected by the Cardinals in the first round of the 1982 amateur draft, he was with Erie of the short-season Class A New York-Pennsylvania League in ’82 where he started 8 games and finished up with a 4-1 tally and 3.31 ERA while striking out 57 batters in 51.2 innings. Playing in AA and AAA in 1983, and still primarily a starting pitcher, Worrell was a combined 9-4 with a 3.96 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 150 innings. In Class A and AAA in 1984, he struggled to a combined 6-12 record with a 3.72 ERA. Effective for the first three or four innings of his starts, his performance typically dropped off from there. The trend continued in 1985 with Louisville of the Class AAA American Association until he was shifted to the bullpen with good results, picking up 11 saves. He joined the Cardinals’ bullpen-by-committee during the September stretch run and became the closer as the club nailed down the NL East title. In 17 appearances, he was 3-0 with a 2.91 ERA and 5 saves. He pitched well in the NLCS vs. the Dodgers, but he took the loss in a crucial Game 6 of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals in which a disputed call by the first base umpire allowed a baserunner that set the stage for the Royals to scratch out a win. Still, Worrell entered 1986 with his rookie eligibility intact, and as the bullpen closer from the start, utilizing his fastball, slider, and changeup to good effect.

1986 Season Summary

Appeared in 74 games

P – 74, RF – 2

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 74 [3, tied with John Franco]

Games Started – 0

Games Finished – 60 [1]

Complete Games – 0

Wins – 9

Losses – 10

PCT - .474

Saves – 36 [1]

Shutouts – 0

Innings Pitched – 103.2

Hits – 86

Runs – 29

Earned Runs – 24

Home Runs – 9

Bases on Balls – 41

Strikeouts – 73

ERA – 2.08 [Non-qualifying]

Hit Batters – 1

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 1

League-leading games finished were +1 ahead of runner-up Lee Smith

League-leading saves were +1 ahead of runner-up Jeff Reardon

Midseason Snapshot: 6-8, ERA - 1.73, SV – 15, SO - 47 in 62.1 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 4 (in 2 IP) at Pittsburgh 6/16, (in 1.2 IP) at Philadelphia 6/21, (in 1.1 IP) at Philadelphia 6/22, (in 2 IP) vs. Philadelphia 9/25

Batting

PA – 7, AB – 7, R – 0, H – 1, 2B – 0, 3B – 1, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 0, SO – 5, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .143, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Fielding 

Chances – 15

Put Outs – 5

Assists – 8

Errors – 2

DP – 0

Pct. - .867

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

NL Relief Man of the Year: Rolaids

16^th in NL MVP voting (7 points, 2% share)

NL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Todd Worrell, StL.: 118 points – 23 of 24 first place votes, 98% share

Rob Thompson, SF: 46 points – 38% share

Kevin Mitchell, NYM: 22 points – 1 first place vote, 18% share

Charlie Kerfeld, Hou.: 17 points – 14% share

Will Clark, SF: 5 points – 4% share

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Cardinals went 79-82 to finish third in the NL Eastern Division, 28.5 games behind the division-winning New York Mets. The pitching staff led the league in fewest walks surrendered (485) and fewest strikeouts (761). The Cardinals, after getting off to a 7-1 start, sputtered to 36-50 by the All-Star break and injuries to pitchers were a significant factor in their struggles.

Aftermath of 1986:

The Cardinals returned to the top of the NL East in 1987 and Worrell contributed an 8-6 record with a 2.66 ERA and 33 saves, although he also blew 14 save opportunities. He picked up another save in the NLCS victory over the Giants and two more in the 7-game World Series loss to Minnesota. Worrell was an All-Star for the first time in 1988, a down year for the team, and posted a 5-9 tally with 32 saves and a 3.00 ERA. Injuries hindered his performance in 1989 including a groin injury early in the season and a sore elbow that cost him the last four weeks. He finished at 3-5 with 20 saves and 39 games finished in 47 appearances along with a 2.96 ERA. Offseason elbow surgery cost him the entire 1990 season. A torn rotator cuff shelved him for 1991 as well. Returning to the Cardinals as a set-up man in 1992 he produced a 5-3 record in 67 appearances along with a 2.11 ERA. A free agent in the offseason, Worrell signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1993 he struggled through an injury-plagued season and, in 35 appearances, went 1-1 with 5 saves and a 6.05 ERA. Difficulties continued during the strike-shortened 1994 season in which Worrell paced the club with 11 saves in 19 opportunities in addition to a 6-5 tally with a 4.29 ERA. He regained All-Star form in 1995 as he compiled 32 saves and a 4-1 record with a 2.02 ERA. In 1996 he led the NL with 44 saves. But, after blowing 9 of 44 save opportunities in 1997, Worrell retired. For his major league career, he appeared in 617 games and went 50-52 with 256 saves, a 3.09 ERA, and 628 strikeouts in 693.2 innings pitched. With the Cardinals he made 348 appearances and was 33-33 with 129 saves, a 2.56 ERA, and 365 saves in 425.2 innings. Pitching in 15 postseason games, his record was 1-1 with 4 saves, and 19 strikeouts in 23.1 innings. He was a three-time All-Star (once with St. Louis). His younger brother Tim pitched for nine major league clubs between 1993 and 2006.

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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.