Honorable Mentions
Hanley Ramirez – 2006 Florida Marlins
Hanley Ramirez was an exciting rookie for the Florida Marlins and won ROY in 2006, despite not winning any other awards, or being selected as an All-Star. Ramirez had a 4.9 WAR, .292 batting average, 116 OPS+, hit 17 home runs, 59 RBIs, and stole 51 bases. Yes, Ramirez used to be fast and could steal tons of bases.
Jacob deGrom – 2014 New York Mets
In 2014, Jacob deGrom began his illustrious career and did not win any awards besides ROY just like Hanley Ramirez. deGrom started 22 games and posted a 2.69 ERA while striking out 144 batters in 140.1 innings. This was a tremendous start to his career and the league quickly found out who he was.
Kris Bryant – 2015 Chicago Cubs
Kris Bryant made his MLB debut in 2015 and was selected as an All-Star, and finished 11th in MVP voting. Bryant hit .275, .488 slugging percentage, 135 OPS+, 26 home runs, and 99 RBIs. The former 2016 World Series champion and MVP had a 5.3 WAR during his rookie campaign.
Cody Bellinger – 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers
Another Dodgers hitter, Cody Bellinger won ROY following Seager’s 2016 NL ROY. During Bellinger’s rookie season, he was an All-Star and finished ninth in MVP voting. He hit 39 home runs and drove in 97 runs, while batting .267, slugging .581, and owning a 143 OPS+.
Devin Williams – 2020 Milwaukee Brewers
Although Devin Williams pitched in a shortened MLB season, there was no doubt that he was lights out. The former second-round pick gave up one earned run during the entire season. Williams pitched 27 innings and struck out 53 batters. His K/9 rate was 17.7, and his WHIP was .630. Batters failed to get on base against him, and his changeup was practically unhittable. Williams finished seventh in Cy Young voting and 18th in MVP voting.