1998 All-Rookie Team

Jason Michael Barker

For those of you missing your monthly dose of the Rookie Roundup, we're proud to present the 1998 All-Rookie Team, sponsored by Celebrity Turkey Basting on FOX. In making these selections, I tried to go with players who had a decent number of at-bats or innings pitched, and who played major roles on their respective teams. With one exception, each hitter had over 350 at-bats, and it would be difficult (if not impossible) to make a case that the two pitchers chosen were not important to their teams.

Name	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
Jason Varitek	BOS	86	221	31	56	13	0	7	33	17	45	2	.253	.309	.407
Todd Helton	COL	152	530	78	167	37	1	25	98	53	54	3	.315	.380	.530
Miguel Cairo	TAM	150	515	49	138	26	5	5	46	24	44	19	.268	.307	.367
Mike Caruso	CHA	133	523	81	160	17	6	5	55	14	38	22	.306	.331	.390
Bobby Smith	TAM	117	370	44	102	15	3	11	55	34	110	5	.276	.343	.422
Ben Grieve	OAK	155	583	94	168	41	2	18	89	85	123	2	.288	.386	.458
Magglio Ordonez	CHA	145	535	70	151	25	2	14	65	28	53	9	.282	.326	.415
Mark Kotsay	FLA	154	578	72	161	25	7	11	68	34	61	10	.279	.318	.403

The first thing that should jump out at you is the inclusion of Jason Varitek. For starters, he didn't play as much as his rookie companions, and more importantly he didn't have that great a year. The first point is taken care of -- Varitek was one-half of a platoon in Boston, and hit fairly well against left-handed pitching. The second point is entirely valid, however. Varitek didn't have a great, let alone good, season. But he did have the best season of any rookie catcher with a decent number of at-bats. Oakland's A.J. Hinch looked like an early lock, but his offense fell off dramatically after a solid start.

Todd Helton had a tremendous second half, and probably would have won the Rookie of the Year award if not for Kerry Wood. He'll continue to be very productive for the next five years or so. You're probably screaming "park effects!" at this point, but consider this -- Helton's road numbers were better than the full season numbers of one Travis Lee. Coors Field certainly helped, but Helton's simply a good hitter, and the only rookie to finish in the top 50 (#32) in league-wide OPS.

I'll be the first to admit that this middle infield is lacking, but there weren't exactly a ton of choices. Miguel Cairo finally got a starting job thanks to expansion, and didn't embarrass himself in Tampa Bay. Sure, he didn't hit much, but he played solid defense and is young enough that he could still improve at the plate. Mike Caruso, on the other hand, was horrible on defense (35 errors) but managed to fool everyone with an empty .300 batting average. 14 walks in 555 plate appearances?! Yuck. Keep in mind, however, that he's just 21 and has very little minor-league experience above single-A.

Bobby Smith found himself starting at the hot corner for the D-Rays after an early injury to Wade Boggs, and played admirably. Despite striking out 110 times, Smith managed to draw 34 walks in 416 plate appearances for a solid .343 OBP. He slipped quite a bit in the second half of the season, but played solid defense (13 errors) splitting time between 3B, 2B, and SS.

Probable AL ROY Ben Grieve leads the outfield, and leads it well. Despite a second-half slump, he still managed an impressive .386 OBP and 84 walks in his rookie campaign. Other organizations should take note of the way Oakland stresses plate discipline in their minor league system, and Grieve is a prime example.

Chicago's Magglio Ordonez is the anti-Grieve -- he doesn't walk much, but he doesn't strike out much either. He also didn't hit for as much power as was expected of him, but he played solid defense and improved as the season went on. Florida's Mark Kotsay completes the outfield, having completed a rookie season which saw him hit seven triples. Kotsay scored 72 runs for a truly miserable team to go along with 21(!) outfield assists.

Name	Team	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	SV	ERA
Kerry Wood	CHN	26	26	1	1	166.2	117	69	63	14	85	233	13	6	0	3.40
Kerry Ligtenberg	ATL	75	0	0	0	73.0	51	24	22	6	24	79	3	2	30	2.71

As he says on one of those Major League Baseball ads, Kerry Wood was "the man on the mound." The 3.40 ERA may not seem that impressive, but coupled with his age (21), opponents' OBP (.306) and strikeouts per nine innings (12.6), it all adds up to one of the finest rookie seasons a pitcher has had recently. Assuming his arm isn't dead from overuse, he's going to be incredible.

The other Kerry is the Braves' Kerry Ligtenberg, who managed to save 30 games in 34 chances despite not being a "proven veteran closer." After a solid first half of the season, Ligtenberg was dominant after the break, saving 21 of 23 with a 1.17 ERA, while holding opposing batters to a .195(!) OBP.

Now that we've got this young squad, who on earth will manage them? Actually, there were only two managers in all of baseball who entered the season with no major league experience, those being Toronto's Tim Johnson and Tampa Bay's Larry Rothschild. The nod goes to Johnson, who admittedly had a better team than Rothschild. The Jays finished strong in 1998, making a run at Boston and the Wild Card before finally falling short. Most impressively, they played their best ball of the season after dumping veterans Ed Sprague, Mike Stanley, Juan Guzman and Tony Phillips. Johnson still has a thing or two to learn about handling his pitching staff, but so far he seems a capable big league manager.

 

about the author

Jason Michael Barker was personally responsible for the torrential downpour in Seattle today, having performed an ancient rain dance and made a sacrifice to the baseball deity, "Buhner." Offer up ceremonial Joe Carter or Rey Ordonez bats, still shiny and perfect for burning, to jmb@strikethree.com.