With Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa making a solid case for himself in the NL rookie of the year race, I thought I’d remind readers that Washington has been down this path before.
The award itself began in 1947, and there was only one winner for both leagues its first two years. Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson won the first one, and later the award itself was named for him. The AL winner in 1949 was longtime Senators’ favorite Roy Sievers, but he won it playing for his hometown St. Louis Browns. Washington, in fact, didn’t have a first-year player get any real consideration until 1958 when Albie Pearson won the award with 58 percent of the vote, beating out Yankees reliever Ryne Duren and Cleveland starter Gary Bell.
Pearson — frequently referred to as “Little” Albie Pearson due to his short stature (5-foot-5) — hit .275 in ’58 as the everyday center fielder. He wasn’t a Washington product — acquired from the Red Sox for future two-time batting champion Pete Runnels the previous winter. Pearson’s sophomore year didn’t go so smoothly. After just 25 games, he was hitting .188 and was shipped to the Orioles for outfielder Lenny Green during a series at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Pearson went on to play nine years in the major leagues, batting .270, and joined the clergy after his retirement.
Pearson’s slump played a role in his exit, but so did the play of another Washington rookie, outfielder Bob Allison. The former Kansas football star had arrived in the big leagues to stay that year, and he was big (6-foot-3, 205 pounds), good-looking (always a plus with female customers) and could hit with power. Allison took over for Pearson in center field in ’59, and his 30 home runs, league-leading nine triples and 85 RBI won him the AL rookie of the year award with 75 percent of the vote, back-to-back trophies for the original Washington franchise.
The closest the expansion Senators came to winning the award since was in 1968 when outfielder Del Unser finished a distant second to Yankee pitcher Stan Bahnsen. Unser did win the less prestigious Sporting News rookie award, however.
Montreal had two winners: pitcher Carl Morton in 1970 and future Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson in 1977. The closest the Nationals came to a winner was 2006 when Ryan Zimmerman finished a close second to Florida’s Hanley Ramirez.
Espinosa’s closest rival for the award this year is Atlanta closer Craig Kimbrel, who entered the weekend leading the NL in saves. Espinosa’s first half, however, may be the more impressive in terms of overall defense and run production. His range in the field is remarkable, particularly considering he played only seven games at second base in the minors, and he projects to the 25-plus home run level, another eye-opener.
Winning the award is no guarantee of greatness. Only 14 past winners have ended up in the Hall of Fame. Some have gone on to solid careers, many have simply faded away. Espinosa’s makeup would seem to indicate he’s going to be around for a while.
Examiner columnist Phil Wood is a baseball historian and contributor to MASN’s Nats Xtra. Contact him at [email protected].
