The Baseball Writers Association of America won’t hand out hardware just one month into the season. But if they did, there’s a good chance the National League Rookie of the Year Award would come down to a trio of pitchers.
Cubs southpaw Shota Imanaga, Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Pirates righty Jared Jones are off to blazing starts to the 2024 season. Imanaga has the lowest ERA among all qualified starting pitchers at 1.08. Yamamoto has a sterling 2.79 ERA and is second among rookies with 42 innings. Jones has a 2.63 ERA with a 30.5% strikeout-to-walk rate that leads all rookie starting pitchers.
Yes, it’s early in the season, and a handful of rough starts could knock those pitchers off their course. But if these rookies can continue their hot starts, they could land among the best rookie seasons in MLB history.
Which players had the best rookie seasons in baseball? Here’s what you need to know.
MORE: Inside Shohei Ohtani’s red-hot start to 2024 season
Top rookie seasons for pitchers
Imanaga, Yamamoto and Jones are off to strong starts. But to reach the top 20 for Baseball Reference Wins Above Replacement (bWAR), they all have a long way to go.
Imanaga has 2.1 bWAR, Jones sits at 1.3 and Yamamoto is at 0.9. In the history of the integration era, which dates back to 1947, Tigers righty Mark Fidrych, who debuted in 1976, had the highest bWAR among rookie pitchers at 9.6, according to Stathead. He finished second in Cy Young voting.
| Player | Team | Season | Age | Rookie of the Year Finish | WAR | Stats |
| Mark Fidrych | Tigers | 1976 | 21 | 1 | 9.6 | 2.34 ERA, 31 (29 GS), 250.1 IP, 97 SO |
| Mark Eichhorn | Blue Jays | 1986 | 25 | 3 | 7.3 | 1.72 ERA, 69 (0 GS), 157.0 IP, 166 SO |
| Britt Burns | White Sox | 1980 | 21 | 5 | 7.0 | 2.84 ERA, 34 (32 GS), 238.0 IP, 133 SO |
| John Montefusco | Giants | 1975 | 25 | 1 | 6.8 | 2.88 ERA, 35 (34 GS), 243.2 IP, 215 SO |
| Stan Bahnsen | Yankees | 1968 | 23 | 1 | 6.4 | 2.05 ERA, 37 (34 GS), 267.1 IP, 162 SO |
| Harvey Haddix | Cardinals | 1953 | 27 | 2 | 6.4 | 3.06 ERA, 36 (33 GS), 253.0 IP, 163 SO |
| Jerry Koosman | Mets | 1968 | 25 | 2 | 6.3 | 2.08 ERA, 35 (34 GS), 263.2 IP, 178 SO |
| Gary Nolan | Reds | 1967 | 19 | 3 | 6.3 | 2.58 ERA, 33 (32 GS), 226.2 IP, 206 SO |
| José Fernández | Marlins | 2013 | 20 | 1 | 6.2 | 2.19 ERA, 28 (28 GS), 172.2 IP, 187 SO |
| Brandon Webb | Diamondbacks | 2003 | 24 | 3 | 6.1 | 2.84 ERA, 29 (28 GS), 180.2 IP, 172 SO |
| Jon Matlack | Mets | 1972 | 22 | 1 | 6.1 | 2.32 ERA, 34 (32 GS), 244.0 IP, 169 SO |
| Michael Soroka | Braves | 2019 | 21 | 2 | 6.1 | 2.68 ERA, 29 (29 GS), 174.2 IP, 142 SO |
| Tom Seaver | Mets | 1967 | 22 | 1 | 6 | 2.76 ERA, 35 (34 GS), 251.0 IP, 170 SO |
| Gary Peters | White Sox | 1963 | 26 | 1 | 6 | 2.33 ERA, 41 (30 GS), 243.0 IP, 189 SO |
| Doug Corbett | Twins | 1980 | 27 | 3 | 5.7 | 1.98 ERA, 73 (0 GS), 136.1 IP, 89 SO |
| Dave Rozema | Tigers | 1977 | 20 | 4 | 5.7 | 3.09 ERA, 28 (28 GS), 218.1 IP, 92 SO |
| Herb Score | Indians | 1955 | 22 | 1 | 5.6 | 2.85 ERA, 33 (32 GS), 227.1 IP, 245 SO |
| Dick Radatz | Red Sox | 1962 | 25 | 3 | 5.5 | 2.24 ERA, 62 (0 GS), 124.2 IP, 144 SO |
| Dwight Gooden | Mets | 1984 | 19 | 1 | 5.5 | 2.60 ERA, 31 (31 GS), 218.0 IP, 276 SO |
| Michael Fulmer | Tigers | 2016 | 23 | 1 | 5.4 | 3.06 ERA, 26 (26 GS), 159.0 IP, 132 SO |
| Freddy García | Mariners | 1999 | 22 | 2 | 5.4 | 4.07 ERA, 33 (33 GS), 201.1 IP, 170 SO |
No rookie starting pitcher has really been close to Fidrych’s bWAR in the integration era. In the 2000s, the closest is Marlins right-hander Jose Fernandez, who had 6.2 bWAR in his sensational 2013 season.
Imanaga has 2.1 bWAR in just seven starts. Based on that, he is averaging 0.3 bWAR per start, which would put him on pace for 9.0 bWAR in a season with at least 30 starts. But that also would require him to stay on the same pace, and he would still end up 0.6 bWAR behind Fidrych.
Top rookie seasons for batters
There’s more than just pitchers competing for the Rookie of the Year, even if the pitchers are the frontrunners at the beginning of May.
Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu leads all position player rookies with 1.5 bWAR in 2024, while Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn is second overall and leads all National League position player rookies with 1.4 bWAR.
How far do they have to go to have a historically great rookie seasons among batters? Even farther than Imanaga.
Here’s a look at the best rookie seasons by bWAR in the integration era, per Stathead.
| Player | Team | Season | Age | Rookie of the Year Finish | WAR | Stats |
| Mike Trout | Angels | 2012 | 20 | 1 | 10.5 | 639 PA, .326/.399/.564, 30 HR, 49 SB |
| Dick Allen | Phillies | 1964 | 22 | 1 | 8.8 | 709 PA, .318/.382/.557, 29 HR, 3 SB |
| Aaron Judge | Yankees | 2017 | 25 | 1 | 8.0 | 678 PA, .284/.422/.627, 52 HR, 9 SB |
| Ichiro Suzuki | Mariners | 2001 | 27 | 1 | 7.7 | 738 PA, .350/.381/.457, 8 HR, 56 SB |
| Fred Lynn | Red Sox | 1975 | 23 | 1 | 7.4 | 605 PA, .331/.401/.566, 21 HR, 10 SB |
| Carlton Fisk | Red Sox | 1972 | 24 | 1 | 7.3 | 514 PA, .293/.370/.538, 22 HR, 5 SB |
| Mike Piazza | Dodgers | 1993 | 24 | 1 | 7.0 | 602 PA, .318/.370/.561, 35 HR, 3 SB |
| Tony Oliva | Twins | 1964 | 25 | 1 | 6.8 | 719 PA, .323/.359/.557, 32 HR, 12 SB |
| Troy Tulowitzki | Rockies | 2007 | 22 | 2 | 6.8 | 682 PA, .291/.359/.479, 24 HR, 7 SB |
| Nomar Garciaparra | Red Sox | 1997 | 23 | 1 | 6.6 | 734 PA, .306/.342/.534, 30 HR, 22 SB |
| Kenny Lofton | Indians | 1992 | 25 | 2 | 6.6 | 651 PA, .285/.362/.365, 5 HR, 66 SB |
| Albert Pujols | Cardinals | 2001 | 21 | 1 | 6.6 | 676 PA, .329/.403/.610, 37 HR, 1 SB |
| Frank Robinson | Reds | 1956 | 20 | 1 | 6.5 | 668 PA, .290/.379/.558, 38 HR, 8 SB |
| Billy Grabarkewitz | Dodgers | 1970 | 24 | 6.5 | 640 PA, .289/.399/.454, 17 HR, 19 SB | |
| Tommie Agee | White Sox | 1966 | 23 | 1 | 6.4 | 689 PA, .273/.326/.447, 22 HR, 44 SB |
| Jason Heyward | Braves | 2010 | 20 | 2 | 6.4 | 623 PA, .277/.393/.456, 18 HR, 11 SB |
| Julio Rodríguez | Mariners | 2022 | 21 | 1 | 6.2 | 560 PA, .284/.345/.509, 28 HR, 25 SB |
| Gunnar Henderson | Orioles | 2023 | 22 | 1 | 6.2 | 622 PA, .255/.325/.489, 28 HR, 10 SB |
| Mitchell Page | Athletics | 1977 | 25 | 2 | 6.1 | 592 PA, .307/.405/.521, 21 HR, 42 SB |
| Alvin Davis | Mariners | 1984 | 23 | 1 | 5.9 | 678 PA, .284/.391/.497, 27 HR, 5 SB |
Trout finished with a sensational 10.5 bWAR, which led the majors in 2012. If not for Miguel Cabrera winning the Triple Crown, it’s possible he would have won the MVP in his rookie campaign.
Since Trout’s season, Aaron Judge’s 8.0 bWAR in 2017 is the closest. If Abreu played all 162 games at his current bWAR per game clip, he’d reach 8.1 bWAR.
Rookie of the Year winners
The first two Rookies of the Year were given to just one player each year, regardless of league. Jackie Robinson won in 1947 and Al Dark won in 1968.
Here’s a look at all the Rookie of the Year winners in MLB history.
Major League Baseball
| Name | Team | Year | Position | WAR |
| Jackie Robinson | Dodgers | 1947 | 1B | 4.1 |
| Al Dark | Braves | 1948 | SS | 4.5 |
American League
| Name | Team | Year | Position | WAR |
| Roy Sievers | Browns | 1949 | OF | 2.2 |
| Walt Dropo | Red Sox | 1950 | 1B | 2.6 |
| Gil McDougald | Yankees | 1951 | 3B | 4.5 |
| Harry Byrd | Athletics | 1952 | P | 3.2 |
| Harvey Kuenn | Tigers | 1953 | SS | 1.7 |
| Bob Grim | Yankees | 1954 | P | 1.9 |
| Herb Score | Indians | 1955 | P | 5.3 |
| Luis Aparicio | White Sox | 1956 | SS | 1.5 |
| Tony Kubek | Yankees | 1957 | SS | 2.5 |
| Albie Pearson | Senators | 1958 | OF | 0.8 |
| Bob Allison | Senators | 1959 | OF | 1.4 |
| Ron Hansen | Orioles | 1960 | SS | 3.9 |
| Don Schwall | Red Sox | 1961 | P | 3.5 |
| Tom Tresh | Yankees | 1962 | SS | 4.3 |
| Gary Peters | White Sox | 1963 | P | 7.0 |
| Tony Oliva | Twins | 1964 | OF | 6.8 |
| Curt Blefary | Orioles | 1965 | OF | 3.6 |
| Tommie Agee | White Sox | 1966 | OF | 6.4 |
| Rod Carew | Twins | 1967 | 2B | 2.8 |
| Stan Bahnsen | Yankees | 1968 | P | 5.9 |
| Lou Piniella | Royals | 1969 | OF | 2.1 |
| Thurman Munson | Yankees | 1970 | C | 5.5 |
| Chris Chambliss | Indians | 1971 | 1B | 0.5 |
| Carlton Fisk | Red Sox | 1972 | C | 7.3 |
| Al Bumbry | Orioles | 1973 | OF | 4.0 |
| Mike Hargrove | Rangers | 1974 | 1B | 3.3 |
| Fred Lynn | Red Sox | 1975 | OF | 7.4 |
| Mark Fidrych | Tigers | 1976 | P | 9.6 |
| Eddie Murray | Orioles | 1977 | DH | 3.2 |
| Lou Whitaker | Tigers | 1978 | 2B | 3.8 |
| John Castino | Twins | 1979 | 3B | 2.0 |
| Alfredo Griffin | Blue Jays | 1979 | SS | 2.5 |
| Joe Charboneau | Indians | 1980 | OF | 2.4 |
| Dave Righetti | Yankees | 1981 | P | 3.5 |
| Cal Ripken Jr. | Orioles | 1982 | SS | 4.7 |
| Ron Kittle | White Sox | 1983 | OF | 1.9 |
| Alvin Davis | Mariners | 1984 | 1B | 5.9 |
| Ozzie Guillén | White Sox | 1985 | SS | 2.3 |
| José Canseco | Athletics | 1986 | OF | 3.0 |
| Mark McGwire | Athletics | 1987 | 1B | 5.1 |
| Walt Weiss | Athletics | 1988 | SS | 2.8 |
| Gregg Olson | Orioles | 1989 | P | 3.3 |
| Sandy Alomar | Indians | 1990 | C | 2.4 |
| Chuck Knoblauch | Twins | 1991 | 2B | 2.9 |
| Pat Listach | Brewers | 1992 | SS | 4.5 |
| Tim Salmon | Angels | 1993 | OF | 5.3 |
| Bob Hamelin | Royals | 1994 | DH | 2.6 |
| Marty Cordova | Twins | 1995 | OF | 3.3 |
| Derek Jeter | Yankees | 1996 | SS | 3.3 |
| Nomar Garciaparra | Red Sox | 1997 | SS | 6.6 |
| Ben Grieve | Athletics | 1998 | OF | 2.2 |
| Carlos Beltrán | Royals | 1999 | OF | 4.7 |
| Kazuhiro Sasaki | Mariners | 2000 | P | 1.3 |
| Ichiro Suzuki | Mariners | 2001 | OF | 7.7 |
| Eric Hinske | Blue Jays | 2002 | 3B | 4.0 |
| Ángel Berroa | Royals | 2003 | SS | 2.5 |
| Bobby Crosby | Athletics | 2004 | SS | 3.3 |
| Huston Street | Athletics | 2005 | P | 2.9 |
| Justin Verlander | Tigers | 2006 | P | 4.0 |
| Dustin Pedroia | Red Sox | 2007 | 2B | 3.9 |
| Evan Longoria | Rays | 2008 | 3B | 4.8 |
| Andrew Bailey | Athletics | 2009 | P | 3.7 |
| Neftalí Feliz | Rangers | 2010 | P | 2.5 |
| Jeremy Hellickson | Rays | 2011 | P | 4.2 |
| Mike Trout | Angels | 2012 | OF | 10.5 |
| Wil Myers | Rays | 2013 | OF | 2.2 |
| José Abreu | White Sox | 2014 | 1B | 5.8 |
| Carlos Correa | Astros | 2015 | SS | 4.8 |
| Michael Fulmer | Tigers | 2016 | P | 5.4 |
| Aaron Judge | Yankees | 2017 | OF | 8.0 |
| Shohei Ohtani | Angels | 2018 | P/DH | 4.1 |
| Yordan Alvarez | Astros | 2019 | OF | 3.7 |
| Kyle Lewis | Mariners | 2020 | OF | 1.6 |
| Randy Arozarena | Rays | 2021 | OF | 3.9 |
| Julio Rodríguez | Mariners | 2022 | OF | 6.2 |
| Gunnar Henderson | Orioles | 2023 | SS | 6.2 |
National League
| Name | Team | Year | Position | WAR |
| Don Newcombe | Dodgers | 1949 | Position | 5.7 |
| Sam Jethroe | Braves | 1950 | OF | 3.2 |
| Willie Mays | Giants | 1951 | OF | 3.9 |
| Joe Black | Dodgers | 1952 | P | 4.1 |
| Jim Gilliam | Dodgers | 1953 | 2B | 3.9 |
| Wally Moon | Cardinals | 1954 | OF | 3.0 |
| Bill Virdon | Cardinals | 1955 | OF | 1.4 |
| Frank Robinson | Reds | 1956 | OF | 6.5 |
| Jack Sanford | Phillies | 1957 | P | 4.4 |
| Orlando Cepeda | Giants | 1958 | 1B | 3.0 |
| Willie McCovey | Giants | 1959 | 1B | 3.1 |
| Frank Howard | Dodgers | 1960 | OF | 1.9 |
| Billy Williams | Cubs | 1961 | OF | 1.2 |
| Ken Hubbs | Cubs | 1962 | 2B | 0.0 |
| Pete Rose | Reds | 1963 | 2B | 2.4 |
| Dick Allen | Phillies | 1964 | 3B | 8.8 |
| Jim Lefebvre | Dodgers | 1965 | 2B | 4.6 |
| Tommy Helms | Reds | 1966 | 2B | 1.3 |
| Tom Seaver | Mets | 1967 | P | 6.7 |
| Johnny Bench | Reds | 1968 | C | 5.0 |
| Ted Sizemore | Dodgers | 1969 | 2B | 4.2 |
| Carl Morton | Expos | 1970 | P | 4.2 |
| Earl Williams | Braves | 1971 | C | 3.3 |
| Jon Matlack | Mets | 1972 | P | 6.1 |
| Gary Matthews | Giants | 1973 | OF | 3.4 |
| Bake McBride | Cardinals | 1974 | OF | 4.3 |
| John Montefusco | Giants | 1975 | P | 6.4 |
| Butch Metzger | Padres | 1976 | P | 1.4 |
| Pat Zachry | Reds | 1976 | P | 3.5 |
| Andre Dawson | Expos | 1977 | OF | 3.9 |
| Bob Horner | Braves | 1978 | 3B | 2.1 |
| Rick Sutcliffe | Dodgers | 1979 | P | 4.1 |
| Steve Howe | Dodgers | 1980 | P | 0.4 |
| Fernando Valenzuela | Dodgers | 1981 | P | 5.3 |
| Steve Sax | Dodgers | 1982 | 2B | 3.3 |
| Darryl Strawberry | Mets | 1983 | OF | 2.6 |
| Dwight Gooden | Mets | 1984 | P | 5.7 |
| Vince Coleman | Cardinals | 1985 | OF | 2.4 |
| Todd Worrell | Cardinals | 1986 | P | 2.6 |
| Benito Santiago | Padres | 1987 | C | 3.4 |
| Chris Sabo | Reds | 1988 | 3B | 5.1 |
| Jerome Walton | Cubs | 1989 | OF | 1.9 |
| David Justice | Braves | 1990 | OF | 2.9 |
| Jeff Bagwell | Astros | 1991 | 1B | 4.8 |
| Eric Karros | Dodgers | 1992 | 1B | 0.4 |
| Mike Piazza | Dodgers | 1993 | C | 7.0 |
| Raúl Mondesí | Dodgers | 1994 | OF | 1.8 |
| Hideo Nomo | Dodgers | 1995 | P | 4.1 |
| Todd Hollandsworth | Dodgers | 1996 | OF | 1.1 |
| Scott Rolen | Phillies | 1997 | 3B | 4.5 |
| Kerry Wood | Cubs | 1998 | P | 3.8 |
| Scott Williamson | Reds | 1999 | P | 2.6 |
| Rafael Furcal | Braves | 2000 | SS | 4.0 |
| Albert Pujols | Cardinals | 2001 | 3B | 6.6 |
| Jason Jennings | Rockies | 2002 | P | 2.7 |
| Dontrelle Willis | Marlins | 2003 | P | 4.4 |
| Jason Bay | Pirates | 2004 | OF | 2.2 |
| Ryan Howard | Phillies | 2005 | 1B | 3.1 |
| Hanley Ramírez | Marlins | 2006 | SS | 4.9 |
| Ryan Braun | Brewers | 2007 | OF | 2.0 |
| Geovany Soto | Cubs | 2008 | C | 3.3 |
| Chris Coghlan | Marlins | 2009 | OF | 1.1 |
| Buster Posey | Giants | 2010 | C | 3.9 |
| Craig Kimbrel | Braves | 2011 | P | 2.5 |
| Bryce Harper | Nationals | 2012 | OF | 5.2 |
| José Fernández | Marlins | 2013 | P | 6.6 |
| Jacob deGrom | Mets | 2014 | P | 3.5 |
| Kris Bryant | Cubs | 2015 | 3B | 5.3 |
| Corey Seager | Dodgers | 2016 | SS | 5.2 |
| Cody Bellinger | Dodgers | 2017 | 1B | 3.9 |
| Ronald Acuña Jr. | Braves | 2018 | OF | 3.9 |
| Pete Alonso | Mets | 2019 | 1B | 5.5 |
| Devin Williams | Brewers | 2020 | P | 1.3 |
| Jonathan India | Reds | 2021 | 2B | 4.1 |
| Michael Harris II | Braves | 2022 | OF | 5.2 |
| Corbin Carroll | Diamondbacks | 2023 | OF | 5.4 |
