Former St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators outfielder Roy Sievers, the first-ever American League Rookie of the Year Award-winner, has died at age 90.
Sievers debuted with the Browns during the 1949 season, the first year baseball designated a Rookie of the Year Award in both leagues. He hit .306/.398/.471, with 16 home runs, over 545 plate appearances. That performance netted Sievers the first AL ROY award. He was listed at the top of 42 percent of all ballots cast that season, according to Baseball Reference.
He represented that honor well. Sievers went on to have a productive 17-year career in the majors. He was a four-time All-Star, with three of those appearances coming as a member of the Senators. Sievers finished in the top-10 in MVP voting three times. His best showing came in 1957, when he hit .301/.388/.579, with a league-leading 42 home runs, over 657 plate appearances. He finished third in the MVP voting that year.
After brief stops with the Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, Sievers returned to the Senators to finish out his career. His last year with the club was 1965.
The MLB Players Alumni Association paid tribute to Sievers on Tuesday via Twitter:
Roy Sievers, winner of the first American League Rookie of the Year Award, has passed away at age 90. Rest in peace, Squirrel. pic.twitter.com/fBHo0lLoD6— MLBPAA (@MLBPAA) April 4, 2017
A tremendous, in-depth writeup on Sievers’ career can be found at the Society of American Baseball Research’s website.
Following his playing career, Sievers spent one year as a coach with the Cincinnati Reds. After that, he managed in the minors for a few seasons. He left baseball in 1970 and returned to St. Louis, his birthplace, with his wife and kids.
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