Baseball digest's 2001 rookie all-star team.(baseball)

Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki and the Cardinals' Albert Pujols are top freshmen among talented group that includes pitchers Roy Oswalt and C.C. Sabathia and infielders Jimmy Rollins, Alfonso Soriano and Marcus Giles

TIMING ISN'T EVERYTHING BUT IT often tips the scales in baseball and there seldom has been better proof of that than in the competition for the 2001 Rookie of the Year awards.

Almost any year starting pitchers with the credentials of left-hander C.C. Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians and right-hander Roy Oswalt of the Houston Astros could clear space for their trophies well before season's end. Sabathia would be a walkover for the American League prize and Oswalt a cinch in the National League.

Sabathia and Oswalt, however, made their spectacular debuts in the wrong year to capture rookie trophies--if at the right time to boost their teams toward post-season competition. Sabathia's undeniable brilliance was eclipsed by the incredible first-season showing of outfielder Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners while Oswalt's sparkle was overshadowed by versatile slugger Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals.

"If it weren't for Ichiro, Sabathia almost certainly would be the A.L. rookie of the year," said John Hart, Indians general manager.

Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker could have paraphrased Hart's words except for changing the names to Pujols and Oswalt and the league to the N.L.

Of course, it must be noted that favorable timing also played a major part in Pujols' case in enabling him to claim the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award for 2001.