Rookie of the Year: Scott Rolen, 1997

Third Baseman, Philadelphia Phillies

Age:  22 (April 4)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’4”    Weight: 245

Prior to 1997:

An Indiana native, Rolen was the son of teachers and excelled in basketball as well as baseball in school. He played shortstop in high school until moving to third base as a senior. He displayed excellent range at his new position and accumulated 58 RBIs over 34 games and was voted the top high school baseball player in Indiana. Selected by the Phillies in the second round of the 1993 amateur draft, Rolen chose baseball over a possible basketball scholarship and signed for $250,000. Assigned to Martinsville of the Rookie-level Appalachian League, the 18-year-old batted .313 in 25 games. Moving up to Spartanburg of the Class A South Atlantic League in 1994 he hit .294 with 14 home runs and 72 RBIs and was selected to the league All-Star team. With teams at the advanced Class A and AA levels in 1995 Rolen batted a combined .290 with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs. He started the 1996 season with Reading of the Class AA Eastern League and hit .361 in 61 games with 9 home runs and 42 RBIs before moving up to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre of the Class AAA International League. After batting .274 in 45 games at AAA, he was promoted to the Phillies after the All-Star break where he quickly took over the starting job at third base. In 37 major league games, he hit .254 with 4 home runs and 18 RBIs. Finished for the year when injured from being hit by a pitch, he still maintained his rookie eligibility entering the 1997 season.

1997 Season Summary

Appeared in 156 games

3B – 155, PR – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 657 [16]

At Bats – 561

Runs – 93 [14]

Hits – 159

Doubles – 35 [17]

Triples – 3

Home Runs – 21

RBI – 92 [19, tied with Steve Finley]

Bases on Balls – 76 [14, tied with Chipper Jones & Darren Daulton]

Int. BB – 4

Strikeouts – 138 [5]

Stolen Bases – 16

Caught Stealing – 6

Average - .283

OBP - .377

Slugging Pct. - .469

Total Bases – 263

GDP – 6

Hit by Pitches – 13 [9, tied with John Olerud & Jeff Kent]

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 7 [14, tied with nine others]

Midseason snapshot: HR – 10, RBI – 48, AVG - .284, SLG - .467

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Most hits, game – 3 on six occasions

Longest hitting streak – 14 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 5 AB) at Baltimore 7/2, (in 5 AB) vs. Florida 9/27  
HR at home – 11

HR on road – 10

Multi-HR games – 2

Most RBIs, game – 5 vs. Florida 6/23, at Florida 7/11

Pinch-hitting – No appearances

Fielding

Chances – 459

Put Outs – 144

Assists – 291

Errors – 24

DP – 30

Pct. - .948

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

NL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Scott Rolen, Phila.: 140 pts. – 28 of 28 first place votes, 100% share

Livan Hernandez, Fla.: 25 pts. – 18% share

Matt Morris, StL.: 25 pts. – 18% share

Rich Loiselle, Pitt.: 22 pts. – 16% share

Andruw Jones, Atl.: 15 pts. – 11% share

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Phillies went 68-94 to finish fifth in the NL Eastern Division, 33 games behind the division-winning Atlanta Braves while ranking last in the league in home runs (116), slugging (.385), and total bases (2098). Following a 4-22 June, the Phillies were 24-61 at the All-Star break and mired in the NL East basement.

Aftermath of ‘97:

Following his outstanding rookie season, Rolen signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the Phillies. He had another strong season in 1998 in which he batted .290 with 31 home runs and 110 RBIs and received his first Gold Glove. Dealing with a painful back injury over the next two seasons, Rolen hit .268 in 1999 with 26 home runs and 77 RBIs and .298 in 2000 with 26 home runs and 89 RBIs. In 2001 he clashed with new manager Larry Bowa and team executive assistant Dallas Green, a former manager, who both publicly criticized him. In any case he had a strong season in which he hit .289 with 25 home runs and 107 RBIs. Coming up on the final year of his contract in 2002, Rolen turned down the team’s seven-year offer and was critical of the club’s commitment to building a winning team. In 2002 he was selected as an All-Star for the first time but with friction between him and the organization he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals at the end of July. With a strong second half for his new team, Rolen ended up batting a combined .266 with 31 home runs and 110 RBIs. He agreed to an eight-year, $90 million contract extension with the Cardinals prior to the end of the season. He was solid at bat and in the field in 2003, hitting .286 with 28 home runs and 104 RBIs while earning his fifth Gold Glove. St. Louis won the NL pennant in 2004 and Rolen contributed 34 home runs, 124 RBIs, and a .314 average. He added three more home runs and 6 RBIs in the NLCS win against Houston but was hitless in the four-game World Series loss to the Red Sox. The Cards were division champs again in 2005 and Rolen was limited to 56 games due to a shoulder injury and he hit just .235 with 5 home runs and 28 RBIs. He rebounded in 2006 by batting .296 with 22 home runs and 95 RBIs for the division-winning Cardinals. He slumped during the season’s second half, although he remained a Gold Glove defender, and was benched twice during the postseason run that resulted in a World Series title. Still he hit safely in his last 10 postseason games, including a .421 average in the five-game World Series triumph over Detroit. Rolen suffered through an injury-plagued season in 2007 in which he hit .265 in 112 games with 8 home runs and 58 RBIs and his relationship with manager Tony LaRussa soured. In the offseason he was dealt to Toronto for third baseman Troy Glaus. Injuries limited Rolen to 115 games in 2008 and he batted .262 with 11 home runs and 50 RBIs. He got off to a strong start with the Blue Jays in 2009 that included a 25-game hitting streak prior to his being traded to Cincinnati at the end of July. A serious beaning forced him to the disabled list early in his tenure with the Reds, but he hit well following his return and ended up batting a combined .305 with 11 home runs and 67 RBIs. He was an All-Star with the Reds in 2010 on his way to 20 home runs, 83 RBIs, and a .285 average. He also received his first Gold Glove since 2006. Rolen lasted for two more injury-plagued years with Cincinnati to finish out his career. For his major league career, he batted .281 with 2077 hits that included 517 doubles, 43 triples, and 316 home runs. He further scored 1211 runs and compiled 1287 RBIs and 118 stolen bases. With the Phillies he batted .282 with 880 hits, 207 doubles, 19 triples, 150 home runs, 559 RBIs, 71 stolen bases, and 533 runs scored. Appearing in 39 postseason games he batted .220 with 5 home runs and 12 RBIs. The reserved but hard-playing Rolen was a seven-time All-Star who was awarded eight Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger.

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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. 

Cy Young Profile: Pedro Martinez, 1997

Pitcher, Montreal Expos

Age: 25

4^th season with Expos

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 5’11” Weight: 170

Prior to 1997:

A native of the Dominican Republic who grew up in a town near Santo Domingo, Martinez followed his older brother Ramon, also a pitcher, in signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers at age 16 in 1988. He spent 1988 and ’89 with LA’s Dominican Summer League team, where he compiled an overall 12-3 record. At 18 in 1990 he was assigned to Great Falls of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, where Martinez started 14 games and compiled an 8-3 record with 82 strikeouts over 77 innings pitched. In 1991 he advanced from Class A Bakersfield to Class AA San Antonio and finally Class AAA Albuquerque and had an overall record of 18-8 with a 2.28 ERA and 192 strikeouts. He received Minor League Player of the Year recognition from The Sporting News for his performance.  The Dodgers returned Martinez to Albuquerque of the Pacific Coast League in 1992 where he went 7-6 with a 3.81 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 125.1 innings pitched. He received a September call-up to the Dodgers and went the distance in losing his first major league start to Cincinnati. He started the 1993 season with Albuquerque but was soon called up to the parent club where his first appearance was in relief of his brother Ramon. For the year Martinez pitched in 65 games, almost exclusively in relief, and posted a 10-5 record with a 2.61 ERA and 119 strikeouts over 107 innings.  After the season the Dodgers traded Martinez to the Montreal Expos for second baseman Delino DeShields. The Dodgers had questioned whether he had the size and stamina to succeed as a starting pitcher but he moved directly into Montreal’s rotation in 1994. The Expos had the best record in the NL when the season ended prematurely due to the players’ strike. Martinez, with his outstanding fastball and changeup, contributed an 11-5 tally with a 3.42 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 144.2 innings pitched. With his tendency to pitch high and inside he became known as a “headhunter” and hit a league-leading 11 batters and was ejected from 12 games and involved in three fights. The Expos lost several key players to free agency and were less competitive in 1995, although Martinez compiled a solid 14-10 record with a 3.51 ERA and 174 strikeouts. In a game against San Diego he became the second pitcher in major league history to take a perfect game into extra innings but lost it in the tenth inning and was relieved (Montreal still managed to win the game). The Expos finished second in the NL East in 1996, narrowly missing a Wild Card spot and Martinez was 13-10 with a 3.70 ERA and 222 strikeouts. He was selected as an All-Star for the first time.   

1997 Season Summary

Appeared in 35 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 31

Games Started – 31

Complete Games – 13 [1]

Wins – 17 [5, tied with Curt Schilling & Alex Fernandez]

Losses – 8

PCT - .680 [6]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 4 [2, tied with Denny Neagle & Darryl Kile]

Innings Pitched – 241.1 [4]

Hits – 158

Runs – 65

Earned Runs – 51

Home Runs – 16

Bases on Balls – 67

Strikeouts – 305 [2]

ERA – 1.90 [1]

Hit Batters – 9 [12, tied with ten others]

Balks – 1

Wild Pitches – 3

League-leading complete games were +5 ahead of runner-up Carlos Perez

League-leading ERA was -0.30 lower than runner-up Greg Maddux

Midseason Snapshot: 10-4, ERA - 1.74, SO - 154 in 124 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 14 (in 9 IP) vs. Detroit 6/14

10+ strikeout games – 18

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 9 IP) at Cincinnati 7/13

Batting

PA – 81, AB – 69, R – 5, H – 8, 2B – 2, 3B – 1, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 3, SO – 28, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .116, GDP – 2, HBP – 0, SH – 9, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 39

Put Outs – 7

Assists – 31

Errors – 1

DP – 1

Pct. - .974

Awards & Honors:

NL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

NL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star

16th in NL MVP voting, tied with Ray Lankford, StL. & Mark McGwire, StL. (6 points, 2% share)

NL Cy Young voting:

Pedro Martinez, Mon.: 134 pts. – 25 of 28 first place votes, 96% share

Greg Maddux, Atl.: 75 pts. – 3 first place, 54% share

Denny Neagle, Atl: 24 pts. – 17% share

Curt Schilling, Phila.: 12 pts. – 9% share

Darryl Kile, Hou.: 7 pts. – 5% share

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Expos went 78-84 to finish fourth in the NL Eastern Division, 23 games behind the division-winning Atlanta Braves. The pitching staff led the league in complete games (27). The Expos were 11 games over .500 on July 1 but collapsed in the second half.

Aftermath of ‘97:

With one more year until he became a free agent, Martinez was traded by the Expos to the Boston Red Sox in the offseason. The Red Sox immediately signed him to a six-year contract extension, worth $75 million. He was 19-7 with his new club in 1998 with a 2.89 ERA and 251 strikeouts. He was an All-Star once again and finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting. He also saw his first postseason action as Boston placed second in the AL East and claimed the Wild Card slot. Martinez was even better in 1999 as he led the AL in wins (23, against 4 losses), ERA (2.07), and strikeouts (313). He won his second Cy Young Award and was also second in American League MVP voting. Boston again finished second and was a postseason Wild Card. Martinez won another Cy Young Award in 2000 with an 18-6 record, and a league-leading 1.74 ERA, 284 strikeouts, and 4 shutouts. The Red Sox once again ended up second in the AL East but did not qualify for the postseason. Martinez was sidelined with a minor rotator cuff tear in 2001 which limited him to 18 starts and a 7-3 record. He came back with a 20-4 record in 2002 and led the AL in ERA (2.26) and strikeouts (239), and he finished second in the league’s Cy Young Award voting. Martinez topped the AL in ERA again in 2003 with a 2.22 mark to go with his 14-4 record and 206 strikeouts. Boston made the postseason as a Wild Card entry and reached the ALCS vs. the arch-rival Yankees, where Martinez became involved in some controversy. During his Game 3 start and having struck a batter and blown a lead he became involved in a shouting match with members of New York’s dugout. When Yankee RHP Roger Clemens threw at Boston LF Manny Ramirez, the benches cleared and 72-year-old Yankee coach Don Zimmer ran at Ramirez, who tossed him to the ground. In Game 7, he pitched into trouble and convinced manager Grady Little to leave him in the game, leading to four successive hits and a tie score that was decided in favor of the Yanks in extra innings. In 2004 Martinez contributed a 16-9 record to Boston’s season that culminated in a World Series victory for the first time since 1918. His 3.90 ERA was far less impressive than usual but he went 2-1 in the postseason including a win in the World Series. As a free agent in the offseason Martinez signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the  New York Mets. He posted a 15-8 record in 2005 with a 2.82 ERA and 208 strikeouts. He was an All-Star selection for the third-place Mets as well. He was an All-Star once again in 2006, although he suffered through an injury-riddled season that limited him to a 9-8 record with a 4.48 ERA before a torn rotator cuff that required surgery ended his season, keeping him out of New York’s postseason run. The recovery from the surgery was lengthy and appeared to diminish his fastball. He appeared in five games late in the 2007 season and was 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA. Martinez had a dreadful year in 2008, going 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA. He was an unwanted free agent in apparent decline who finally signed with the Philadelphia Phillies midway through the 2009 season. He had a 5-1 record with a 3.63 ERA for the NL East champions in what was his final season. Overall in the major leagues Martinez compiled a 219-100 record with a 2.93 ERA and 3154 strikeouts in 2827.1 innings pitched. He was 55-33 with a 3.06 ERA and 843 strikeouts for Montreal. In the postseason he had a 6-4 tally with a 3.46 ERA and 96 strikeouts. He was an eight-time All-Star and won three Cy Young Awards.  He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018. The Red Sox retired his #45.

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.

MVP Profile: Larry Walker, 1997

Outfielder, Colorado Rockies

Age: 30

3^rd season with Rockies

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 185

Prior to 1997:

A native of Maple Ridge in British Columbia, Canada, Walker played volleyball and ice hockey in high school and played baseball in an amateur league in Vancouver. He was signed by the Montreal Expos out of high school in 1984. A raw talent, he batted .223 in 62 games with Utica of the Short-Season Class A New York-Pennsylvania League in 1985 while drawing praise for his toughness. He put in further work in the Florida Instructional League to develop his skills. It began to pay off in 1986 when Walker hit .289 with 29 home runs with Burlington of the Class A Midwest League before moving on in July to West Palm Beach of the Florida State League where in 38 games he accumulated 7 doubles, 5 triples, and 4 home runs with a .283 average. Walker had another promising season in 1987 with Jacksonville of the Southern League where he batted .287 with 26 home runs and 83 RBIs and was selected to the league’s all-star team. While playing winter ball in Mexico, he suffered a knee injury that required surgery and cost him the entire 1988 season. Walker resumed his budding career with Indianapolis of the Class AAA American Association in 1989 where he hit .270 with 18 doubles, 12 home runs, and 59 RBIs in 114 games before he was called up to the Expos in August. In 20 games he batted .170 with 4 RBIs. He stuck with Montreal in 1990 and became the starting right fielder and had a solid rookie season in which he batted .241 with 19 home runs and 51 RBIs. A slow start in 1991 was followed by a stint on the disabled list due to a pulled hamstring. He got hot at the plate after his return to action and ended up hitting .290 with 30 doubles, 16 home runs, and 64 RBIs. Walker broke out in 1992 as he hit .301 with 31 doubles, 23 home runs, and 93 RBIs. He was an All-Star for the first time and was awarded a Silver Slugger. Additionally, 16 outfield assists were a key to his receiving a Gold Glove. In 1993 Walker slugged 22 home runs and drove in 86 RBIs although his batting average dropped to .265. He received another Gold Glove for his outfield prowess and the Expos finished second in the NL East with a 94-68 record. Montreal was atop the division when the 1994 season came to an early end due to a players’ strike. Walker contributed a .322 batting average that included a league-leading 44 doubles as well as 19 home runs and 86 RBIs. He finished eleventh in NL MVP voting but departed Montreal as a free agent in 1995, signing with the Rockies. Colorado reached the postseason as a wild card entry in ’95 and Walker was a key contributor with his 36 home runs, 101 RBIs, and .306 batting average. He hit just .214 in the NLDS loss to Atlanta in the postseason. Walker suffered a broken collarbone due to a collision with an outfield wall in 1996 and a shoulder injury after he collided with Cincinnati SS Barry Larkin once he returned, that limited him to just 83 games that produced 18 home runs, 58 RBIs, and a .276 average.  By 1997 he was a highly respected hitter who was also one of major league baseball’s best defensive outfielders, although prone to injury.

1997 Season Summary

Appeared in 153 games

RF – 150, 1B – 3, CF – 2, DH – 1, PH – 1, PR – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 664 [15]

At Bats – 568 [19, tied with Jose Vizcaino]

Runs – 143 [2]

Hits – 208 [2]

Doubles – 46 [3]

Triples – 4

Home Runs – 49 [1]

RBI – 130 [3]

Bases on Balls – 78 [12, tied with Willie Greene]

Int. BB – 14 [4]

Strikeouts – 90

Stolen Bases – 33 [7, tied with Quilvio Veras]

Caught Stealing – 8

Average - .366 [2]

OBP - .452 [1]

Slugging Pct. - .720 [1]

Total Bases – 409 [1]

GDP – 15

Hit by Pitches – 14 [8]

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 4

League-leading home runs were +6 ahead of runner-up Jeff Bagwell

League-leading OBP was +.006 ahead of runner-up Barry Bonds

League-leading slugging pct. was +.082 ahead of runner-up Mike Piazza

League-leading total bases were +54 ahead of runner-up Mike Piazza

Midseason snapshot: HR - 25, RBI - 68, AVG - .398, SLG PCT - .741

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Most hits, game – 4 on five occasions

Longest hitting streak – 16 games

HR at home – 20

HR on road – 29

Most home runs, game – 3 (in 5 AB) at Montreal 4/5

Multi-HR games – 8

Most RBIs, game – 5 at Montreal 4/5

Pinch-hitting – 0 of 1 (.000)

Fielding

Chances – 246

Put Outs – 232

Assists – 12

Errors – 2

DP – 4

Pct. - .992

Awards & Honors:

AL MVP: BBWAA

Gold Glove

Silver Slugger

All-Star (started for NL in RF)

Top 5 in NL MVP Voting:

Larry Walker, Col.: 359 pts. - 22 of 28 first place votes, 92% share

Mike Piazza, LAD: 263 pts. – 3 first place votes, 67% share

Jeff Bagwell, Hou.: 233 pts. – 3 first place votes, 59% share

Craig Biggio, Hou.: 157 pts. – 40% share

Barry Bonds, SF.: 123 pts. – 31% share

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Rockies went 83-79 to finish third in the NL Western Division, 7 games behind the division-winning San Francisco Giants while leading the league in runs scored (923), hits (1611), home runs (239), batting (.288), OBP (.357), and slugging percentage (.478).  

Aftermath of '97:

Walker was hampered by a sore elbow in 1998 and was limited to 130 games, although he still was voted to the NL All-Star team. Despite the injury he won the NL batting title with a .363 average while his home run total dropped to 23 and RBIs to 67. He received another Gold Glove and ranked 17^th in NL MVP voting. Walker had surgery in the offseason and was sidelined at the beginning of 1999 due to a rib cage injury. He started slowly when he returned to the lineup but went on to win another batting championship with a .379 average and hit 37 home runs and knocked in 115 runs. He was both an All-Star and Gold Glove winner for the third straight season and topped the NL in on-base percentage (.458) and slugging percentage (.710) as well. An elbow injury that ultimately required surgery marred Walker’s 2000 season, in which he appeared in only 87 games although he batted .309. He bounced back in 2001 by winning his third NL batting title (.350) while belting 38 home runs with 123 RBIs. He hit .338 in 2002 with 26 home runs and 104 RBIs. But dealing with injuries again in 2003 his numbers dropped off to 16 home runs, 79 RBIs, and a .284 batting average. When injuries hindered his performance again in 2004, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in August where he rebounded with 11 home runs, 27 RBIs, and a .280 batting average in 44 games. The Cards won the NL pennant but were swept by the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, although Walker batted .357 with two home runs. He played one last season with St. Louis in 2005 and hit .289 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs as the Redbirds topped the NL Central only to lose to Houston in the NLCS. Over the course of his major league career, Walker batted .313 with 2160 hits that included 471 doubles, 62 triples, and 383 home runs. He compiled 1311 RBIs and stole 230 bases as well and won 7 Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, and was a 5-time All-Star. With Colorado he won three batting titles while hitting .334 overall, and compiled 297 doubles, 44 triples, 258 home runs, and 848 RBIs.  He won five of his Gold Gloves while with Colorado as well. He was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player.