A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list).
The first part of the definition of a rookie in Major League Baseball is straightforward. Once a player reaches 131 at bats or 50 1/3 innings pitched, he's no longer a rookie. The second part is a little trickier. After all, service time numbers are hard to find. They generally come out once each year, in team media guides. Add in the fact that you have to subtract time in the major leagues after September 1st and on the disabled list and it's even harder to figure out who is truly a rookie.
It has already been mentioned this offseason that Mat Gamel eclipsed 45 days of service time before September. Gamel was recalled from Nashville on May 14th and optioned back on July 20th, giving him 67 days on the active roster during the "period of 25-player limit." So, even though he sits at 130 career at bats, the same number Scott Rolen had going into his Rookie of the Year season, Gamel cannot win the Rookie of the Year award (though that might not stop him from getting votes).
Gamel isn't the only such little-used non-rookie in the Brewers organization. Raise your hand if you realized Hernan Iribarren has 48 days of major league service time, all before September 1. Iribarren spent 20 days on the major league roster in April and June 2008, picking up 14 at bats. He spent 28 days in the majors in 2009, batting a mere 13 times. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict he wasn't going to win the 2010 Rookie of the Year Award anyway.
New Brewer George Kottaras also enters 2010 off the list of rookie players. He spent all of 2009 in the majors with the Red Sox, playing in 45 games with 93 at bats. Though he spent the month of August on the disabled list, he gave up his 2010 rookie status in mid-May.
Gamel, Iribarren, and Kottaras are not the only little-used rookies. Follow the jump for a list of all such position players to appear in the majors in 2008 or 2009. Please note it is lengthy and full of guys who have no chance at winning an award anyway. I will post a list of pitchers in the next few days.
Non-Rookies with 130 or fewer career AB:
- Mat Gamel, 130 career AB
- Joaquin Arias, 129 AB
- Argenis Reyes, 127 AB
- Jose Morales, 122 AB
- Ivan Ochoa*, 120 AB
- Michel Hernandez, 118 AB
- Curtis Thigpen*, 118 AB
- Ramiro Pena, 115 AB
- Josh Whitesell, 115 AB
- Luke Carlin, 112 AB
- Chris Gimenez, 111 AB
- Tyler Greene, 108 AB
- Sam Fuld, 103 AB
- Reid Brignac, 100 AB
- Francisco Cervelli, 99 AB
- George Kottaras, 98 AB
- Freddy Guzman, 95 AB
- Robinson Cancel, 94 AB
- Guillermo Rodriguez, 92 AB
- Steve Holm, 91 AB
- Justin Ruggiano*, 90 AB
- Nathan Haynes*, 89 AB
- Diory Hernandez, 85 AB
- Don Kelly, 83 AB
- Dane Sardinha, 80 AB
- Luis Maza*, 79 AB
- Paul Hoover, 78 AB
- Edwin Maysonet, 76 AB
- Dusty Ryan, 70 AB
- Clint Sammons, 68 AB
- Tug Hulett, 67 AB
- Drew Sutton, 66 AB
- J.R. House*, 60 AB
- John Mayberry, 57 AB
- Gregorio Petit, 54 AB
- Brian Myrow*, 51 AB
- Chris Stewart*, 48 AB
- Justin Christian*, 40 AB
- Travis Denker*, 37 AB
- Gustavo Molina*, 34 AB
- Hernan Iribarren, 27 AB
- Ryan Budde, 23 AB
* - last appeared in the majors in 2008
I warned you. If I missed anyone or included someone who should not be on the list, let me know in the comments.