On Nov. 30, 1981, Dave Righetti was named the American League Rookie of the Year after going 8-4 with a dazzling 2.05 ERA and a pair of complete games for the Yankees.
At the age of 22, the lefty Righetti allowed just one single home run across 105 1/3 innings of work that season and averaged 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings – the best mark for any A.L. rookie.
Righetti became the seventh Yankees player of nine eventual winners to claim ROY honors, and here now we’ll take a look back at the full list of past and present Bombers who earned the esteemed award through the years.
Gil McDougald – 1951
A career Yankee from 1951-1960, this versatile infielder put forth a terrific rookie campaign in 1951 when he slashed .306/.396/.488 with 14 homers, 63 RBI, 23 doubles and 14 stolen bases over 131 games. McDougald even placed among the top 10 in MVP voting that year before becoming an All-Star the following season.
Bob Grim – 1954
The first Yankees pitcher to earn Rookie of the Year honors, Grim won 20 games as a rookie in 1954 -- something no player had ever done before or since. The New York native tossed eight complete games and posted a 3.26 ERA over 199 innings that year for one of the most impressive rookie seasons in baseball history. Grim never managed another 20-win season in his career and eventually was dealt to the Kansas City Athletics in 1958.
Tony Kubek – 1957
This versatile Milwaukee native spent all nine seasons of his MLB career in Yankees pinstripes and claimed the 1957 Rookie of the Year trophy with a slash line of .297/.335/.381 over 127 games for New York. Kubek went on to earn four All-Star selections over his ensuing four seasons in the Bronx, and helped the Yankees win World Series championships in 1958, 1961 and 1962.
Tom Tresh – 1962
The 1962 Yankees roster was flush with star power including a trio of future Hall of Famers in Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford, but it was Tresh who stood out as the league’s best rookie that season with his 20 home runs, 93 RBI and .800 OPS. Tresh, a shortstop who later moved to the outfield, continued his hot hitting into October that year with three multi-hit games against the Giants in the 1962 World Series. He remained a Yankee for nine seasons, earning three All-Star nods and a Gold Glove in 1965.
Stan Bahnsen – 1968
The 16-year MLB veteran pitcher spent his first five seasons with the Yankees and earned 17 victories while pitching to a 2.05 ERA as a rookie in 1968. Among his standout achievements that year, Bahnsen collected a total of 10 complete games and ultimately finished his career with 73.
Thurman Munson – 1970
A towering legend of Yankees history to this day, Munson was revered by fans and considered the team’s undisputed leader throughout his career in pinstripes, earning the honor of Captain from 1976 through 1979. As a rookie, the scrappy backstop slashed .302/.386/.415 with 59 runs and 53 RBI, collecting 23 out of 24 first-place votes in that year’s ROY race. Before his tragic death on Aug. 2, 1979, Munson earned seven All-Star selections, three Gold Gloves, the 1976 MVP Award and two championship rings in 1977 and 1978.
Dave Righetti – 1981
Derek Jeter – 1996
One of the most beloved figures in Yankees history, Hall of Famer Derek Jeter became a force to be reckoned with for the Yankees from the get-go. In 1996, he slotted in as the everyday shortstop and demonstrated a precocious leadership that remained with him throughout his career. Before he helped the Yankees win their 23rd franchise title later that October, Jeter batted .314 and posted an OPS of .800 while playing in 157 games as a rookie during the 1996 season, foreshadowing the unforgettable career that would eventually include 14 All-Star selections, five Gold Gloves, five Silver Sluggers and five championships.
Aaron Judge – 2017
The most recent Yankees player to bring home Rookie of the Year honors, Judge mashed his way onto the baseball scene as a rookie in 2017 with an A.L. rookie-record 52 home runs, breaking Mark McGwire’s previous high of 49 set back in 1987. Only three players in history have posted a higher WAR in their rookie season than Judge’s 7.9 mark that year, and the gargantuan outfielder has remained one of the sport’s most popular players ever since.
