KC Royals: Top Ten Rookie Seasons All-Time

Number Eight: Dan Quisenberry – Rookie Year: 1980

Dan Quisenberry actually debuted in 1979 but he failed to reach the 50 innings pitched mark in that year. MLB’s current rules are that a player maintains rookie eligibility until either 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched.

In his 1980 season, Quisenberry recorded a 3.09 ERA but also recorded 33 saves for the KC Royals. He also helped the Royals to their first World Series appearance, even though they’d lose in six games. He gave up six earned runs in 10.1 innings during the World Series that year, but that’s not why he made the list.

He pitched 128.1 innings that season and his saves are a big part of his 2.5 WAR that season. While good closers tend to rack up WAR a little more rapidly than position players, he’s still worthy of this list.

While he didn’t win the Rookie of the Year award in 1980, he was named the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year. He’s also finished fifth in the Cy Young Award voting that season.

He went on to become the all-time saves leader for the Royals and set the single season mark in 1983 at 45. Ironically, ten years later Jeff Montgomery would tie that record, and ten years after that Greg Holland would break that record.

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