It was a historic rookie season for both Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers as they both were named Rookie of the Year by a unanimous vote. Judge set a new MLB rookie record with 52 home runs while Bellinger set a new National League record with 39.
They became the fourth set of rookies to both take home Rookie of the Year honors in unanimous fashion. Here are the first three pairs of unanimous winners.
1997 - Nomar Garciaparra and Scott Rolen
Garciaparra was named an All-Star, won a Silver Slugger, and finished eighth in American League Mvp voting during his 1997 American League Rookie of the Year season with the Boston Red Sox.
He played in 153 games and led the league in both hits (209) and triples (11). For the season, he batted .306 with 30 home runs, 44 doubles, 98 RBIs, 122 runs, and 22 stolen bases.
Jose Cruz of the Toronto Blue Jays finished second in voting. He batted .248 on the year with 26 home runs. Third place went to Jason Dickson of the Anaheim Angels who went 13-9 with a 4.29 ERA in 32 starts.
Rolen appeared in 156 games during his National League Rookie of the Year season in 1997 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He hit for a .283 average with 21 home runs, 35 doubles, 92 RBIs, 93 runs, and 16 stolen bases.
Livan Hernandez was second in voting as he went 9-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 17 starts for the Florida Marlins.
Coming in third was Matt Morris of the St. Louis Cardinals who started 33 games finishing with a 12-9 record and 3.19 ERA.
1993 - Tim Salmon and Mike Piazza
Salmon’s 1993 American League Rookie of the Year season saw him play in 142 games for the California Angels. On the year, he hit .283 with 31 home runs, 35 doubles, 95 RBIs, 93 runs, and five stolen bases.
Finishing second in voting was Jason Bere of the Chicago White Sox. Starting 24 games, he went 12-5 with a 3.47 ERA. Aaron Sele of the Boston Red Sox finished third as he ended with a 7-2 record and 2.74 ERA in 18 starts.
During Piazza’s 1993 National League Rookie of the Year season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he also was named an All-Star, won a Silver Slugger, and finished ninth in National League MVP voting.
He played 149 games batting .318 with 35 home runs, 24 doubles, 112 RBIs, 81 runs, and three stolen bases.
Greg McMichael of the Atlanta Braves finished second. He appeared 74 times as a reliever finishing with a 2.06 ERA and 19 saves. Coming in third was Jeff Connie with the Florida Marlins. He played in all 162 games batting .292 with 12 home runs and 79 RBIs.
1987 - Mark McGwire and Benito Santiago
McGwire previously held the rookie home run record from his 1987 American League Rookie of the Year season with the Oakland Athletics until Judge broke it this year. In that 1987 season, McGwire also was named an All-Star and finished sixth in American League MVP voting. Appearing in 151 games, he ended with a .289 average, a MLB-leading 49 home runs (tied with Andre Dawson), 28 doubles, 118 RBIs, and 97 runs.
Coming in second was Kevin Seitzer of the Kansas City Royals as he hit .323 with 15 home runs and 103 runs. Third place went to Matt Nokes of the Detroit Tigers who hit .289 with 32 home runs and 87 RBIs.
Santiago also took home a Silver Slugger during his 1987 National League Rookie of the Year season with the San Diego Padres. The catcher played in 146 games and hit .300 with 18 home runs, 33 doubles, 79 RBIs, 64 runs, and 21 stolen bases.
The second-leading vote getter was Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mike Dunne who went 13-6 with a 3.03 ERA in 23 starts. In third place was Joe Magrane with the Cardinals who finished with a 9-7 record and 3.54 ERA in 26 starts.