Sophomore jinx
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The sophomore jinx, in baseball, refers to the tendency for a player to follow a good season in his rookie year with a disappointing season. While some superstitious players may believe there is a curse or hex on second-year players, the usual causes for it are injury and/or other teams learning how to adjust to the player's style of play.
Many Hall of Famers were exceptions to the sophomore jinx, as were some current stars, notably Albert Pujols. Many players adjust after a season or two and go on to lead productive careers. However, in some extreme cases, the player fails to adjust and quickly disappears into obscurity.
Examples of the sophomore jinx
- Joe Charboneau won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1980 with the Cleveland Indians and then never hit above .214 again.
- Mark Fidrych won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1976 with the Detroit Tigers, winning 19 games, and then went 10-10 over the course of the four following seasons.
- Bob Hamelin won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1994 with the Kansas City Royals, then hit .168 the following season and only approached his rookie numbers once, as a part-time player in 1997. He hit .219 in 1998 and was out of baseball.