A multitude of players qualified to be on this list based on the amount of at-bats they had. But only a select few deserve the recognition as the best of the best in their first professional season.
Every season, there is a new corps of players that steal the show in the MLB. Last year, fans received a taste of how impactful rookies can be when Gary Sanchez crushed home run after home run in New York.
Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger will both be remembered for the campaigns they strung together this season, but that’s just two players from a very talented field of potential future All-Stars.
Several players opened their careers with stellar seasons at the dish. Some played full seasons while others only contributed for a month or two.
Most of the players that endured a full campaign received notice. But there are still a few standouts that could not be ignored, despite playing less than half a season.
But this was a curious year, as two players became MVP candidates, and others put together torrid stretches of long shots and round-trippers that gathered fans’ attention from across the league.
If an All-Rookie Team were to assemble to play in a full nine-inning game, these would be the players that qualified, based on the amount of games played in the big leagues, along with how they performed throughout the year.