Nice stints with a Main League staff are outlined by the general physique of labor, not simply the primary season. However everybody likes to make a robust first impression.
Whether or not it is a rookie or an acquisition by way of free company or commerce, it is at all times particular when a participant’s first 12 months with a brand new staff is one thing to recollect. Listed below are 5 of the best debut seasons as a Dodger:
1. Jackie Robinson, 1947The debut that modified Main League Baseball belongs atop any checklist of nice debut seasons. Adjusting to life within the massive leagues might be troublesome for any participant, however Robinson needed to take care of way over the common rookie as he endured racism and discrimination whereas breaking baseball’s shade barrier. His Main League debut, commemorated yearly on April 15, paved the way in which for his fellow Black gamers to come back to the Majors.
Robinson tends to be remembered extra for his legacy than what he completed on the sphere, however he was an excellent participant as nicely. Within the first 12 months of his Corridor of Fame profession, Robinson slashed .297/.383/.427 en path to being named the primary Main League Rookie of the 12 months, an award that was later named after him.
2. Shohei Ohtani, 2024Ohtani got here to the Dodgers on a then-record 10-year, $700 million contract because the 2018 AL Rookie of the 12 months and a two-time AL MVP, so expectations weren’t precisely low for his first 12 months in L.A. He blew them out of the water anyway.
Pressed into obligation because the emergency Opening Day starter, Valenzuela tossed a five-hit shutout towards the Astros. That was the primary of eight consecutive successful selections, and Fernandomania was in movement. Valenzuela completed the common season with a 13-7 document and a 2.48 ERA, and capped off his rookie 12 months by pitching an entire recreation in his lone profession World Sequence look.
4. Don Newcombe, 1949Alongside Robinson, Newcombe was a trailblazer as one of many Main Leagues’ first Black star gamers. Seven years earlier than turning into the primary Cy Younger Award winner, Newcombe made the leap to the Majors and introduced dwelling the Dodgers’ second Rookie of the 12 months Award. Newcombe led the NL pennant winners’ pitching employees with 17 wins, posting a 3.17 ERA throughout 38 appearances (31 begins). Impressively, he accomplished 19 of the video games he began and tossed an NL-leading 5 shutouts.
5. Kirk Gibson, 1988Gibson’s legendary second with the Dodgers got here in his last at-bat of his first 12 months in L.A., his beautiful walk-off homer in Recreation 1 of the 1988 World Sequence. The massive swing capped an enormous season for Gibson, the primary of his three-year, $4.5 million contract. Gibson slashed .290/.377/.483 and gained the NL MVP Award in ’88, however he could not attain the identical heights in his last two seasons with the Dodgers. The primary one, although, will stay on eternally.
