Blast From The Past: Joe Black’s Rookie Sensation and…
On November 21, 1952, Joe Black, a 28-year-old right-hander for the Brooklyn Dodgers, was overwhelmingly voted as the National League Rookie of the Year, receiving 19 of 24 first-place votes. Hoyt Wilhelm, Dick Groat and Eddie Mathews also received first-place votes.
This made Black the third player in Dodgers franchise history to win the Rookie of the Year honors, joining Jackie Robinson in 1947 and Don Newcombe in 1949. The following season, Jim Gilliam added to the Dodgers list by winning the honor for 1953.
Black finished the 1952 season throwing 142.1 innings in 56 games while going 15-4 with a 2.15 ERA, 2.90 FIP, 1.00 WHIP, 85 strikeouts, 41 walks and 15 saves while posting 1.9 WAR. During the 1952 World Series, he started three times in seven days against the New York Yankees, winning the opener with a six-hitter, but then dropped the fourth and seventh contests.
Black was never able to find success again after that, posting a 5.33 ERA across 72.2 innings in 1953, 11.57 ERA in seven innings during the 1954 season, and 4.05 ERA over 117.2 innings in the 1955 season.
However, the Dodgers traded him to the Cincinnati Redlegs during the 1955 season, so he was not part of the World Series championship roster. Years later, Black did end up receiving a World Series ring from Peter O’Malley, the son of Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley.
Darryl Strawberry snaps Dodgers’ Rookie of the Year streak
On Nov. 21, 1983, New York Mets outfielder Darryl Strawberry broke the Dodgers’ Rookie of the Year streak at four years. Strawberry became the first non-Dodger to win the honor since 1978 when Bob Horner won for the Atlanta Braves.
The previous Dodgers winners were Rick Sutcliffe (1979), Steve Howe (1980), Fernando Valenzuela (1981) and Steve Sax (1982).
Strawberry received 18 of 24 first-place votes after hitting .257/.336/.512 with 26 home runs, 74 RBI and 63 runs scored across 122 games. Braves pitcher Craig McMurty received the other six first-place votes to finish in second place, while Chicago Cubs outfielder Mel Hall came in third place.
Dodgers first baseman Greg Brock did receive Rookie of the Year votes that season but tallied just three points to finish seventh in the voting. The Dodgers did not have another Rookie of the Year winner until Eric Karros won in 1992.
The Dodgers still have the record for the most Rookie of the Year winners with 18 players taking the honor.
