gold star for USAHOF

45. Fred Lynn

Fred Lynn was one of the most popular players in the 1970s and was in rarified air as a player who won the Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.  After seven years in Massachusetts, Lynn was traded to the California Angels, who thought he might be a player to help them reach the top.

Lynn had a poor start in California, as though he was voted into the All-Star Game, his numbers in the strike-shortened 1981 Season (5 HR, 31 RBI .219/.322/.316) were not good.  Lynn was voted to the following two All-Star Games, but he was a better player than in 1981.  He had at least 21 Home Runs in both of those years, batting at least .271, but his best moment was the 1982 ALCS, where despite the Angels losing, he won the ALCS MVP with a .611/.650/.889 Slash Line.

Lynn had another decent power year, hitting 23 Home Runs with a .271 Batting Average, and that was it for Lynn in California as he signed with the Orioles afterward.

With the Angels, Lynn had 71 Home Runs while batting .271.

89. Fred Lynn

Nobody shot out of the gate quicker than Fred Lynn, as he made history when in 1975, he became the first player in Major League history to win the Rookie of the Year and the MVP in the same season.  As the other one who accomplished that feat was Ichiro Suzuki, who was already an established veteran of the Japanese Leagues, this is a beyond spectacular achievement.

19. Fred Lynn

A three-time College World Series Champion at USC (1971-73), Fred Lynn would be drafted in the second round in '73 and was called up to play in 15 Games in 1974.  As it was only a handful of games, he was eligible for the Rookie of the Year in 1975.  He didn’t just win that award; he also captured the MVP.