What player had the best rookie season in MLB history?

My votes: Ted Williams (Lynn was good, Pujols was great, Ted was greater) and Fernando Valenzuela.

While Vida Blue had a spectacular first full season in 1971, he wasn't a rookie at that point. According to the rules, pitching 50+ innings the prior year OR being on a team's active roster for more than 45 days disqualifies you as a rookie. (Really, if he was a rookie in '71 would Chris Chambliss have won the Rookie of the Year award?)

The player to have the best rookie season in MLB history has to be Albert Pujols.

There a lot of players that can be mention in this topic thread but, Albert is the only player to be compared in his first two seasons to Red Sox legend Ted Williams.

Albert hit over .300, had over 100 RBIs and 30 HRs. He did the same thing the next season.

Ichiro Suzuki

Rookie season: 2001

Simply called Ichiro by most fans, this nine-year veteran of Japan's Pacific League entered the MLB in 2001 and stormed through major league pitchers in the same fashion as he did when he was a member of the Orix Blue Wave. Ichiro amassed 242 hits in his rookie year, which stands as a rookie record. In addition, he stole 56 bases, hit at a .350 clip, scored 127 runs, and won both the Rookie of the Year and the AL’s MVP for the 2001 season.

Sophomore success: Ichiro couldn't match his stellar '01 campaign, but he was no slouch either. He finished 2002 with 208 hits, 31 stolen bases and a .321 batting average.

Ichiro and Albert Pujols (Some would say Ichiro wasn't a rookie in the true sense, but in the same year Prince Albert went crazy, so take your choice.)

Herb Score is the pitcher.

Hanley Ramirez (2006 Marlins, 51 SB, 17 HR) Juan Samuel (1984 Phillies, 72 SB, 15 HR)

My picks would be Valenzuela and Lynn. Others make good points for Vida Blue, Ichiro, Pujols, etc. But both Valenzuela and Lynn energized their teams and led them to the Series. Ichiro was awesome, but hardly an actual rookie.

Mark Fidrych, of the Detroit Tigers, and Albert Pujols of the Cardinals.

Mark Fidrych 19-9 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games and didn't start his first game until May 1st. Ted Williams 1939- .327 average, 31HR, 145 RBI's, 44 Doubles, 11 Triples...All at the age of 20.

fernando valenzuela and ichiro. but in the truest since of a rookie i would go with mark mcgwire. he hit 47 home run as a rookie.

ryan braun of the milwaukee brewers is on pace to have one heck of a rookie season. he is out pacing most of pujols numbers after 65 games.

in my lifetime i'd pick fred lynn and mark fidrych