KC Royals: Top Ten Rookie Seasons All-Time
By Scott Dillon
Number Five: Angel Berroa – Rookie Year: 2003
Angel Berroa certainly looked like the juice was worth the proverbial squeeze during his rookie season. He was the major piece that came back to the KC Royals in the Johnny Damon trade, and for a season it looked like a positive move for the Royals. That didn’t last long.
After his rookie season, Berroa played in 35 games prior to the 2003 season but failed to reach the 130 at-bats threshold in that time. He came into the 2003 season with 128 at-bats under his belt.
In 2003, Berroa earned the Rookie of the Year honors. He beat out players like Hideki Matsui, Rocco Baldelli, Jody Gerut, and Mark Teixeira for the award and did so with a bWAR of 2.5.
His 17 home runs, 27 doubles, 21 stolen bases, and .287 batting average were all career highs over the course of a full season. While his bat was an asset in the lineup his rookie season, he was pretty poor with his glove. He posted a negative defensive runs saved mark in all of his full seasons with the KC Royals.
He flamed out quickly, but he burned bright for at least one season with the Royals. 2003 was the last time the Royals had a winning record prior to the 2013 season. Angel Berroa wasn’t the worst player the Royals had in that stretch, but he may have been the most symbolic.
Next: The Hammer