Steve Sax
| Birthdate | 1/29/1960 |
| Death Date | |
| Debut Year | 1981 |
| Year of Induction | |
| Teams | Athletics, Dodgers, White Sox, Yankees |
| Position | Second Base |
A two-time World Series champion with the Dodgers, Steve Sax was a Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger Award winner, and a five-time All Star.
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Steve Sax was the last of four consecutive Dodger Rookies of the Year from 1979-1982
Steve Sax was the last of four consecutive Dodger Rookies of the Year from 1979-1982
The Dodgers have an illustrious history that includes more Rookies of the Year than any other franchise. In fact their 18 award winners double that of the next-closest team, the New York Yankees.
Jackie Robinson earned the honor in its inaugural year of 1947. Dodgers to the nod in four of the first seasons it was given. Three more men in blue earned the first-year player award in the 1960s.
In 1979 Rick Sutcliffe became the 8th Dodger Rookie of the Year and the first of four in a row. The following season Steve Howe was named. Then in 1981 Fernando Valenzuela took the baseball world by storm, winning both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Award in the same season.
Steve Sax kept the string alive with an outstanding freshman campaign in 1982.
Shown here is a 1981 Topps Dodgers Future Stars card autographed by the Los Angeles trio of Jack Perconte, Mike Scioscia, and Valenzuela.
At 21 years old Steve Sax was a world champ; a year later he was an All Star and Rookie of the Year
At 21 years old Steve Sax was a world champ; a year later he was an All Star and Rookie of the Year
Steve Sax burst onto the baseball scene as a fresh-faced 21-year old the the Dodgers. He debuted on August 18th and stuck with the club as they battled into the postseason. By the end of October he was a World Series champion.
The Dodger front office believed in Sax enough to break up the longest-standing infield in baseball history by trading Davey Lopes. Sax became the everyday second baseman and quickly impressed. He rewarded the Dodger brass by hitting .291 with a .390 on-base percentage in the first month.
By July he was named to the All Star game where he had an infield hit in his only at bat. At season’s end he was voted the National League Rookie of the Year.
In 1983 Sax earned his second All Star selection and led the league in steals. He also developed a mental block that hindered him from making routine throws to first base. With the yips he committed 30 errors. He followed that up with consecutive seasons of 21 and 22 miscues.
In 1986 Sax had his finest season at the plate, hitting .332 with 210 hits and 43 doubles. His 6.4 oWAR was tops in the National League as were his 156 singles. The performance earned him the Silver Slugger Award.
Sax enjoyed 8 years with the Dodgers, bookending his time with the ’81 and ’88 World Series titles. He left LA for New York in November of ’88, signing a 3-year, $4 million contract with the Yankees.
Completely cured from the yips, Sax led American League keystone men in both fielding percentage and double plays. Offensively, Sax was very effective. After slashing .282/.339/.356 with the Dodgers, Sax’s numbers improved playing for George Steinbrenner’s club. The three years in the Big Apple saw him slash .294/.342/.376.
After hitting .304 for the Yankees in 1991, New York traded the 31-year old to the White Sox for three players. His two seasons in Chicago were lackluster. Sax hit just .236 with a .289 on-base percentage. The Sox released him in April of ’94.
Tony LaRussa’s Oakland club quickly scooped him up. Seven games into the season, Sax got injured and elected for season-ending surgery. He never played another big league game.
Sax retired with 1,954 hits, 913 runs scored, and 444 stolen bases. In addition to his Rookie of the Year plaque, two World Series rings, and Silver Slugger award, Sax was a five-time All Star.
Shown here is Sax’s Topps rookie card signed by Sax and his Dodger teammates Mike Marshall and Ron Roenicke.
