Ripken launches career with Rookie of the Year Award
But a conversation he had with a fellow future Hall of Famer on May 1 seemed to turn the tide – and on Nov. 24, 1982, Ripken completed the turnaround when he won the AL Rookie of the Year Award.
At the end of April, the highly-touted Orioles prospect was batting .123 with a .138 on-base percentage and one home run, and the possibility that he could be sent down to the minors seemed distinct.
“I was beginning to wonder how long they would stick with me, could I play and would they send me back to (Triple-A) Rochester,” Ripken told the Baltimore Sun. “There’s always a point where you wonder if you can do it in the majors even if you’ve done it in the minors.”
Ripken promptly went on a tear in the month of May, batting .316 with 17 RBI and an .848 OPS.
His run of success continued for much of the season, and he wrapped up his first full major league campaign with a .264 batting average, 28 homers and 93 RBI in 160 games, leading all first-year players in home runs, RBI, total bases and games played.
In the midst of it all, Ripken underwent a position change as well. After beginning the season as Baltimore’s everyday third baseman, on July 1, he made the switch to shortstop, where he spent the rest of the season, and ultimately would spend most of his career.
“I was surprised by the margin,” Ripken said. “Hrbek had a fabulous year, and I got off to that poor start. I figured I had a legitimate chance, but I thought it would be close.”
It was the first of many career honors for Ripken, who would capture his first AL MVP Award a year later in 1983, before adding another in 1991, earning 19 All-Star selections and winning two All-Star Game MVP awards.
Janey Murray was the digital content specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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