Worst Rookie of the Year?

In light of my recent posts and my apparent inability to predict any award winners or division winners, my curiosity took me on a journey through past award winners, and it got me thinking: who is the worst Rookie of the Year? This question is not asking who had the worst stats and still won the award, this question is asking who went on to have the most disappointing career after winning such a prestigious award. Winning the Rookie of the Year not only means you are the best new player (not all rookies are new entirely, e.g. any of the winners coming from Japan), but it also means you are expected to have an illustrious career (at least it does to me). Since the award's inception in 1947, only 6 AL players and 8 NL players have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, so why do I put so much useless pressure on the winners to perform later in their career? That's a question not for this blog.

Anyway, my original question: what Rookie of the Year winner had the worst career? I'll go by league and give a 3rd, 2nd, and 1st place finishing. 

AL, 3rd Place: Pat Listach, Milwaukee (they were AL before realignment)

Listach was a hot shortstop prospect for the Brewers. Coming Arizona State, an institution that has produced Dustin Pedroia, Barry Bonds, and Phil Mickelson, it is a shock that Listach crashed and burned so quickly. His first year, 1992,  boasted a .290 average, a .354 OBP, and 54 stolen bases in 149 games, good for him! Afterwards, Listach suffered from nasty injuries like a broken foot and a number of knee problems, which resulted in his playing time dwindle and productivity disappear. In '93, he only appeared in 98 games, and only 16 games in '94. He would never play a whole season again. It wasn't so much that Listach was a bad player, because when he wasn't injured, he was quite successful (hit .296 in those 16 games), it was that he was more unlucky than anything else. He now coaches third base for the Astros.

AL 2nd place: Bob Hamelin, Kansas City

The year following Listach's rookie campaign saw another bright hitter come to Kansas City in Bob Hamelin. Hamelin, a UCLA draft pick, was a first basemen who only hit .224 in his first 49 at-bats in 1991 and then hit .282 in his official rookie year. Like Listach, Hamelin only played 6 years, but he did not suffer from injuries - he just couldn't hit. In the encore of his ROY season, Hamelin only hit .168. He perked up a bit when he went to Detroit, hitting .270 in 110 games, and then disappeared again in Milwaukee, only hitting .219 in 109 games. Sorry Bob. 

The American League Worst Rookie of the Year: Angel Berroa, Kansas City

Berroa, a native of the Dominican Republic, debuted with Kansas City in 2001 at the age of 23. He only appeared in 15 games, gathering 16 hits in 53 at-bats. Because the MLB rookie qualifications require a minimum of 75 at-bats, he was not technically a rookie until two years later in 2003 (he hit .227 in exactly 75 at-bats in 2002). In '03 (the same year my Tigers lost 119 games), Berroa began a lukewarm string of production from shortstop for the next 4 years with the Royals. He won the ROY hitting .287 with 17 home runs and 92 runs scored in 158 games for the Royals. For the rest of his career, his average would decrease. He hit .262 in 2004, .270 in 2005, and kept dipping and dipping until he hit .143 with the Yankees and Mets in 2009. Berroa only played 9 years, was never selected to an All-Star Game, and struck out 4 times for every walk he took. Not pretty. From 2006 to the end of his career, he only hit .163. Angel will call me Satan, but he is the worst AL Rookie of the Year.

I'll do the NL tomorrow, I am quite exhausted. And I also feel bad highlighting these guys simply because they didn't pan out - I mean no harm, I was just interested in how winning such a great award would pressurize a young career. I think we've been spoiled the last few years considering the AL award winners have been Trout, Verlander, Pedroia, Evan Longoria, etc...guys that have not only produced their first year but have continued to produce with All-Star Games, MVPs, and World Series rings. The NL should be interesting tomorrow. Thanks for reading.