Cookie Rojas
Rojas was that rare middle infielder who could hit for average while playing Gold Glove defense — a Cuban refugee who became one of the American League's most reliable second basemen through the 1960s and 70s. His five All-Star selections tell the story of sustained excellence rather than peak dominance, consistently delivering .260-.290 averages when league offense was depressed.
His 1971 campaign with Kansas City stands as the pinnacle: a .300 average with an OPS+ of 112, representing his only season significantly above league average offensively. That year showcased what made him valuable — reliable contact hitting paired with defensive wizardry that kept him in lineups for 16 seasons across four different franchises.
Career · Batting
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | CIN | 39 | 86 | 0 | 6 | .221 | .546 | — |
| 1963 | PHI | 64 | 77 | 1 | 2 | .221 | .545 | — |
| 1964 | PHI | 109 | 340 | 2 | 31 | .291 | .728 | — |
| 1965 | PHI | 142 | 521 | 3 | 42 | .303 | .736 | — |
| 1966 | PHI | 156 | 626 | 6 | 55 | .268 | .639 | — |
| 1967 | PHI | 147 | 528 | 4 | 45 | .259 | .627 | — |
| 1968 | PHI | 152 | 621 | 9 | 48 | .232 | .554 | — |
| 1969 | PHI | 110 | 391 | 4 | 30 | .228 | .561 | — |
| 1970 | KC | 121 | 431 | 2 | 30 | .244 | .585 | 82 |
| 1971 | KC | 115 | 414 | 6 | 59 | .300 | .763 | 112 |
| 1972 | KC | 137 | 487 | 3 | 53 | .261 | .646 | 97 |
| 1973 | KC | 139 | 551 | 6 | 69 | .276 | .692 | 98 |
| 1974 | KC | 144 | 542 | 6 | 60 | .271 | .649 | 94 |
| 1975 | KC | 120 | 406 | 2 | 37 | .254 | .626 | 89 |
| 1976 | KC | 63 | 132 | 0 | 16 | .242 | .568 | 83 |
| 1977 | KC | 64 | 156 | 0 | 10 | .250 | .605 | 83 |
| Career | 1822 | 6309 | 54 | 593 | .263 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.