Yankees: 3 NYY Rookie of the Year Winners You Probably Forgot

1. Bob Grim, 1954

Bob Grim played for the New York Yankees from 1954-1958.

Bob Grim! Duh! You remember him! And all the pitching he did!

Ol’ Grimbo (not a real nickname, but it is the URL on his Baseball Reference page!) debuted with the Yankees in ’54 as a 24-year-old out of Lane High School in Brooklyn. Imagine coming out of BK and immediately being inserted on the other side of the Yankees-Dodgers rivalry? Whew.

Grim dominated in 1954, going 20-6 with a 3.26 ERA and finishing 11th in the MVP race, as well as winning ROY honors. The advanced metrics probably would’ve hated the selection, though — in 199 innings pitched, Grim whiffed just 108 men. Hey, that was baseball at one point! And his FIP was still 3.23, better than his true ERA mark. Not bad, kid.

The Yankees didn’t make the World Series in ’54, a true rarity at the time — the Indians represented the AL and lost to the New York Giants. Grim did, however, make three appearances the next season…in a World Series defeat against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Tough luck.

He somehow never appeared in a winning WS effort, struggling in ’57 against the Milwaukee Braves, too (an All-Star season for Grim). He was shipped to Kansas City in 1958, along with Harry Simpson, in exchange for Duke Maas and Virgil Trucks.

He wrapped up his career, spent mainly in relief, in 1962, bouncing back to KC in the process. Even during his 20-6 ROY campaign, he made only 20 starts against 17 relief appearances. And now, you’ll never forget him again!