A combat injury shortened Carlos May's stellar first full season in the big leagues, but the time he did have was enough to convince folks that he was the best new player and deserving of the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Despite not playing a game after August 8, the younger brother of Cincinnati Reds' All-Star first baseman Lee May smoked the ball around at a .311 clip with 19 longballs and 66 RBI over just 367 official at-bats.
Kansas City's Lou Piniella was runner-up for the award, receiving consideration for hitting .273, with 10 homers and 71 RBI as the Royals' regular cleanup hitter.
Boston brought up 21 year-old Mike Nagy and placed him in the rotation despite not pitching above Class A ball in the minors prior to the 1969 campaign. All the inexperienced right-handed tosser did was win 20 games against just 8 losses and compile a 2.67 ERA over 28 starts.
Ken Tatum also showed a lot in his inaugural season out of the California Angels bullpen. Despite not hitting the big time until mid-May, the righty was Lefty Phillips' go-to guy with a lead, and for good reason as he posted a miniscule 1.71 ERA and saved 20 games for a losing team.
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