Top 5 Boston Red Sox rookie seasons in team history
By Oliver Gold
The Boston Red Sox have had many sensational rookies in club history. Who had the best rookie season ever in Red Sox history?
The Boston Red Sox have had legends come through their system and make their debuts with the Red Sox.
Many legendary rookie seasons have come in a Red Sox uniform. Some have had better overall careers than others, but nonetheless, their rookie season is all that counts in this list.
Coming up with just five players on this list was very difficult. This left guys like Dustin Pedroia, Carlton Fisk, and Tony Conigliaro off the list, as well as many others.
The Red Sox have had six Rookie of the Year winners in club history, but haven’t had any since Pedroia’s 2007 season. Many thought Andrew Benintendi was going to change that last season after entering the season as a top prospect, but Aaron Judge hit 52 homers and won the award unanimously.
Let’s take a look at some of the best rookie seasons in Red Sox history.
5. Don Schwall, 1961
The fifth person on this list was difficult to decide. The top four are pretty clear in my opinion, so the fifth person on this list was close between many players.
Schwall was one of the only pitchers taken into consideration, and his 1961 season was dominant enough to get him a spot on this list.
Don Schwall is not a very household name to Red Sox fans. Schwall lasted just two years with the Red Sox, and his 1962 season was a disaster.
However, this list is only looking at rookie seasons, and Schwall’s 1961 rookie season was superb.
The right-hander went 15-7 with a 3.22 ERA in 1961, taking home Rookie of the Year honors. Schwall also finished 14th in AL MVP voting and was named an all-star for the only time in his career. Schwall threw 10 complete games that season and two shutouts, and his 0.4 HR/9 was the best in the major leagues.
Schwall was unable to ever enjoy the same success that he enjoyed during his 1961 season throughout his career. Schwall lasted seven years in the bigs and played with the Red Sox, Pirates, and Braves. In his career, Schwall went 49-48 with a 3.72 ERA in 743 innings pitched.