Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year History and Recent Winners

The Beginnings of the Award

Major League Baseball first named a Rookie of the Year in 1947. Jackie Robinson took home the inaugural award after a strong season with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He hit .297 with 12 home runs, 31 doubles, five triples, 48 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases. Alvin Dark won the single award the following year in 1948.

Starting in 1949, the league split the honor into two awards, giving one to an American League player and one to a National League player. In 1987, forty years after Robinson broke the color barrier, MLB officially named the honor the Jackie Robinson Award.

Award Eligibility and Voting Rules

Members of the Baseball Writers Association of America vote on the winners. Voting takes place at the end of each regular season, right before postseason play begins.

The requirements to qualify as a rookie have changed over time. Before 1957, voters used their own judgment to decide who was a rookie. The league later set specific limits on total at bats, innings pitched, and days on a major league roster. Since 1971, players qualify as rookies if they enter the season with no more than 130 at bats, 50 innings pitched, or 45 days of non-September service time.

Recent Jackie Robinson Award Winners

Young stars continue to make their mark across both leagues each season. In 2026, Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers won the award in the American League, while Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds won in the National League.

In 2025, Nick Kurtz won the American League award, and Drake Baldwin took the National League award. The 2024 winners were Luis Gil in the American League and Paul Skenes in the National League. In 2023, Gunnar Henderson won in the American League, while Corbin Carroll earned the award in the National League.

Other notable past winners include Julio Rodriguez and Michael Harris II in 2022, Randy Arozarena and Jonathan India in 2021, and Kyle Lewis and Devin Williams in 2020. In 2019, Yordan Alvarez and Pete Alonso earned the honors.