GLENDALE, Arizona In 2024, there’s a good probability that Jackson Holliday of the Baltimore Orioles and Jordan Lawlar of the Arizona Diamondbacks will complete a rare baseball double-double.
They might both provide their teams with consecutive rookies of the year. Although there have been many clubs with successive champions, there has only been one instance of rookies from the same team in both leagues winning two straight. After examining Lawler, Holliday, Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, and Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson, the 2023 winners, we’ll get to it.
Carroll won the 2023 NL award by hitting.285 with 25 home runs, 76 RBI, 54 steals in 59 tries, and 116 runs scored. He also played excellent outfield defense. He played a crucial role in Arizona’s journey to the World Series. The Diamondbacks limped to a miserable 57-102 record just two years prior. Carroll received a $3,745,500 signing bonus as a high school player selected 16th overall in the 2019 draft, and that turnaround paid off handsomely. He was tempted to forget his commitment to UCLA for college by that money. Last autumn, the Diamondbacks gave him an eight-year agreement that increased his wealth by $111 million.
Just two years after a terrible 52-110 campaign in 2021, Henderson’s 28 home runs, 100 runs, 82 RBI, 10 steals, and excellent defense at shortstop and third base helped Baltimore to a 101-61 record and AL East crown. In order to forgo his college commitment to Auburn, he was paid $2,300,000 as the first choice of the second round (No. 42 overall) in 2019.
Lawlar and Holliday are currently attempting to break into the winning clubs’ starting lineup in the hopes of becoming the winning combination. They most definitely possess the skill and qualifications. But both will need to have their clubs change their infield lineups.
Following his selection as the sixth overall pick in 2021 and his $6,713,300 signing bonus out of high school, Lawlar has played in 207 minor-league games. He has hit.291 with 36 home runs, 193 runs, 130 RBI, and 76 stolen bases. He possesses a powerful but inconsistent arm and excellent field range. If he hadn’t gone professional, he would have been a junior at Vanderbilt.
The manager of Arizona, Torey Lovullo, stated, “We think Jordan has the ability to help us this year.” “We won’t hold him back, but we also won’t rush him.” He is honing his field positioning and footwork. We observe advancement.
Given his speed, comparing him to Corbin makes sense. Although there is some truth to it, I doubt Jordan would feel totally at ease being compared. His goal is to become well-known. He is extremely motivated. I adore that.
Currently, the D-backs have veterans Geraldo Perdomo atshort, Ketel Marte at second and third baseman Eugenio Suarez, signed a free agent from Seattle.
Holliday, 20, is rated the No. 1 prospect in baseball by virtually every scout. He signed to play at Oklahoma State, but took Baltimore’s $8,190,000 bonus and hit the ground running (and hitting) as a pro. The son of 15-year MLB veteran outfielder Matt Holliday wants to open this season in the majors.
In 145 pro games since being the No. 1 overall choice n 2022, the left-handed hitter has a .320 average with 127 runs, 13 homers, 35 doubles, 9 triples, 84 RBI and 28 steals. In addition to that trainload of numbers, he has been solid defensively at short and second base. With Henderson already at short, Holliday is being groomed at second with Jordan Westburg, a rookie in 2023, possibly switching to third.
Although Holliday needs improvement, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde assured reporters that he will give him a “full chance” to win a starting position. The 2023 AL Manager of the Year stated, “I just want him to go out and play, enjoy himself, and not worry about expectations.”
Holliday’s expectations are to do it, though he tells reporters he tries to not get ahead of himself. “Whatever happens, happens, and it’s all part of a plan,” he told WBAL-TV in Baltimore. “So yeah, that’s my goal, but if it doesn’t happen, I’m still in a really good spot.”
Holliday said following Henderson and catcher Adley Rutschman, who was second in the 2022 AL rookie voting, is a good thing. “They were in the same position I’m in. It’s very helpful to have them.”
Teams With Consecutive Top Rookies
There are multiple examples of teams winning consecutive Rookie of the Year awards. The Los Angeles Dodgers have made a habit of it. They twice did it twice in a row, once claimed four straight, and had a remarkable five-year run in the 1990s.
Going back-to-back in both leagues was accomplished only in 1958 and 1959 by the Washington Senators and San Francisco Giants. The Giants players truly became giants of the game. Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey were both unanimous ROY winners and are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Albie Pearson was never a Giant nor a giant. At 5-foot-5, he was one of the smallest players in history. He hit .275 to become the 1958 AL ROY while with Washington. A year later, Bob Allison slugged 30 homers for the Senators to also claim the award.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CONSECUTIVE ROY
1952-53 Brooklyn Dodgers: RP Joe Black, INF Jim Gilliam
1954-55 St. Louis Cardinals: OF Wally Moon, OF Bill Virdon
1958-59 San Francisco Giants: OF Orlando Cepeda, OF Willie McCovey
1961-62 Chicago Cubs: OF Billy Williams, 2B Ken Hubbs
1979-82, Los Angeles Dodgers: SP Rick Sutcliffe, RP Steve Howe, SP Fernando Valenzuela, 2B Steve Sax
1983-84 New York Mets: OF Daryl Strawberry, SP Dwight Gooden
1985-86 St. Louis Cardinals: OF Vince Coleman, RP Todd Worrell
1992-96 Los Angeles Dodgers: 2B Eric Karros, C Mike Piazza, OF Raul Mondesi, SP Hideo Nomo, OF Todd Hollandsworth
2016-17 Los Angeles Dodgers: SS Corey Seager, 1B-OF Cody Bellinger
AMERICAN LEAGUE CONSECUTIVE ROY
1958-59 Washington Senators: OF Albie Pearson, OF Bob Allison
1986-87 Oakland Athletics: OF Jose Canseco, 1B Mark McGwire
2000-01 Seattle Mariners: RP Kazuhiro Sasaki, OF Ichiro Suzuki
2004-05 Oakland Athletics: SS Bobby Crosby, RP Huston Street
