@@kurtzmann22If you are wondering what kind of stats a pitcher with 3 UCL surgeries puts up, so far Chris Capuano provided the best. In a few years the Dodgers will be paying that contract to a full time DH and possible swing man. Giving him that contract knowing full well he had another UCL tear was foolish at best.
Jose "Coco" Laboy, .258, 18 HRs, 83 RBIs with the Montreal Expos in 1969. Selected ROY by the Sporting News. Suffered from Sophomore Jinx in 1970, lost his everyday job at 3B to Bob Bailey and spent the rest of his career coming off the bench.
Honorable mention could go to Cubs catcher Rick Wilkins. 1993... .303 30 HR, 73 RBI. His only other good year was 1996 .243 14 HR 53 RBI. But that was with Houston and San Francisco combined.
I remember as a kid thinking the Cubs had something in 30 HR Wilkins and 30/30 Sosa. Too bad they didn’t have the pitching to go with the bats after losing Maddux in ‘92 😢
I always remember Dick Dietz. 1970, All Star and a 6.5 WAR (5.9 WAR the rest of his 8 yr career). He had a decent 1968 and 1971 but was out of baseball after 1973. Oh, and he had a cool 1972 Topps In Action card.
He was heavily involved in the players union, after the 72 strike, that may have been a reason his career came to a sudden and final halt(not that anyone would admit it even if true).
The Mule. He was the center of controversy when the ump claimed he didn't get out of the way of a Drysdale pitch(with the bases loaded) to stop DD's scoreless inning binge. Was BS.
Esteban Loaiza, 2003. 21-9, 2.90, AL Starting Pitcher at the All Star Game, led the league in K’s and runner up for the Cy Young Award Never before or after won more than 12 games. He did went to 2 ASGs
Zoilo Versalles winning the American League MVP in 1965 was very surprising! Here's why: Zoilo Versalles may have been the least likely MVP winner in MLB history.
I remember Zoilo Versalles winning the AL MVP award. I would turn eight later that year and was just beginning to follow baseball beyond my hometown Cardinals. Even then, I thought it unusual that the Twins shortstop would get any attention on a Harmon Killebrew - Tony Oliva team. Baseball will often surprises its followers. I was reminded of this when Jose Altuve was picked for AL MVP over Aaron Judge a few years ago. I think even Bill James was surprised - although Altuve was his choice. Sometimes, Baseball gets it right....
Fidrych was definitely overworked his rookie season, pitching over 250 innings. His subsequent arm injuries are probably the reason you don't see many rookie pitchers today throwing over 200 innings in a season.
I don't think the Boston Braves would have been playing the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. I think it was probably the Philadelphia Athletics.
Losing to Boston led to Connie Mack dismantling the A’s. They went from winning pennants in 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914 to finishing dead-last from 1915-1921. Woof…
@@GizmoBeachA couple of years before this, Mack had an offer to manage in New York with the Highlanders, and go up against John McGraw for media attention. Mack went to Ben Shibe of the A's, told him he was seriously considering taking the offer, Shibe offered Mack 50 percent of the A's, and total control of the personnel end(Shibe ran the business end). Mack took the offer, knowing he had control over his destiny, and only he could fire himself. Which meant after the 1914 WS, with salaries up and attendance down, he broke up the great A's team, and while he likely didn't plan to fall as far as they did, he could take that chance with his total job security.
And the following year (1915) It was the American league Red Sox vs the National League Phillies . Boston was led by Tris Speaker, Harry Hoover and Dusty Lewis (what a freakin' OF) and a young pitcher named Babe Ruth --- who barely played.
17:46: WOW! I JUST finished a book on Bill James and the 1914 "Miracle" Boston Braves. KUDOs for going back in history. The Braves manager George Stallings relied on three starting pitchers that entire season. James and two others started 107 of the team's 153 games with James starting 37 ( with 30 of them being complete games) and entering 9 more in relief. His arm was blown out even before the World Series. There is speculation today that he tore his rotator cuff and that was probably common in those days when pitchers started 30 plus games a season and often pitched the entire nine innings. The pitching hero of the 1912 World Series, Smoky Joe Wood, is a similar story. There is also speculation that he really did not like the travel involved in Major League Baseball which kept him away from his family. That added fuel to his desire in contract negotiations for a better salary. Baseball to him was not a passion, but a Take it or Leave It.
If James hadn't hurt his arm, the Braves might well have won a second straight pennant, as they came on again late in the season to challenge the Phillies. Wood at least managed to pitch enough innings to go 15-5 with the World Series champion Red Sox in 1915, leading the league in winning percentage (.750) and ERA (1.49). After moving to the outfield, he played 61 games with the World Series champion Indians in 1920, hit .366 in 66 games in 1921, and ended his career by hitting .297 with 8 homers and 92 RBIs in 142 games in 1922.
@@disneyfan8178 Good point ... and tidbit clarification: Boston and Philadelphia had a team in both the American and National Leagues in 1914 and 1915. National league Boston Braves beat American League Philadelphia Athletics in 1914. The Red Sox in American League defeated the National League Philadelphia Phillies in 1915. Babe Ruth had one PH for Red Sox in 1915.
The story of the 1914 Boston Braves really is amazing. From last place in early July with a 26-40 record, the team then went on an unrelenting tear, going 68-19 (a .782 winning percentage) over the remaining 87 games to win the National League, and it wasn't close - at the end of the season, the second place Giants were 10.5 games back. Bill James, Dick Rudolph, and Lefty Tyler assumed practically all of the pitching chores during this run, and all three of them posted excellent records. For the World Series, the Braves were still considered underdogs to the Athletics, who had gone 99-53 for a .651 percentage, but the Braves still swept the Athletics in four straight, with James, Rudolph, and Tyler pitching every inning and holding the Athletics' batters to a .172 batting average. It was truly a mythical season for the Braves, who wouldn't win another pennant for 34 years.
Kevin Elster was a light-hitting shortstop before exploding for the Rangers in 1996 with 24 HRs, 32 doubles, two triples, 99 RBI and a .252 batting average. A true one-year wonder.
This list is with one exception (Braves 1914) all from the last half century. So it misses a lot including Hurricane Bob Hazel’s 1957 season with Milwaukee Braves. He only played in 41 games but batted .403. MLB career was only parts of four seasons, but it was over .300 (thanks to that ‘57 season). Injuries, etc.
1970 was the year of the one hit wonder. Not only was there the aforementioned Cito Gaston but Dick Dietz, Wes Parker, Tommy Harper and Jim Hickman all had stellar years far exceeding any of their other years. That was Tommy Harper's 30/30 year and the other three all had over 100 rbi in 1970.
@@SlipKid1975 Just in case anyone wondered I took the time to figure out how good or mediocre some players were (from comments) who were NOT on the video for, basically, a good 'longevity' reason: Bert Campaneris made 6 all star games (one with the Rangers in 77 -- totally forgot about the Rangers years...) including 4 in a row as the SS for the great A's teams of the early 70's. He had over 2200 hits just under 1200 runs and 649 SBs (even though, yes, 1970 was by far 'Campy's' best power season). Even Tommy Harper who had that one 30/30 season just missed a 20/20 twice -- by 2 HR's in '65, scoring a career high 126 runs that year -- and missing a 20/20 in '73 with 17 HR's ... with 54 SBs. He stole 70 bases the year b4 his one 30/30 All-star season. Harper totaled 1609 hits 408 Steals and 146 HR's. 1970 was a fascinating year though. Two years after the mound was lowered to help the hitters it sure appeared to help. Wes Parker ! good call. BY FAR the best year he had. Wow. The 47 doubles doubled (heh) his previous high; and the 110 RBI shattered his next best of 62 RBI. He did manage 1100 hits over 9 years. Wes Parker never made an All-star game despite finishing 5th in MVP voting in 1970 and winning a Gold Glove (one of two GGs). hmm. well I found that interesting. Good name dropping. Jim Hickman, probably the closest to making the one hit wonder list. He only had 3 other seasons besides 1970 with 100 hits when Hick had 162. In his other 11 MLB seasons combined he didn't muster up 500 runs or 500 RBI totals but he scored 102 and drove in 115, respectively, in the magical year 1970. Hickman was an All-star for Cubs that year with 32 HRs a .315 Avg to far surpass his career .252 Avg. All said he still managed 159 HRs and 1002 Hits for career and his 560 RBI surpassed Wes Parker's 9 yr total of 470. sorry, I found all that stat checking fun. Baseball stats👍🤓
@@sandyboggs8099 Larry Sheets is close to legit admittance to the One and Done video. Sheets hit .316 in 1987 with 31 HRs and 94 RBI to go along with 148 hits which surpasses his only other season with 100 hits by 44 -- the following 1988 season. But Sheets played 6 years in a row accumulating between 102-136 games per (5 with the O's) totaling 607 hits 94 HRs and 339 RBI. That is just one too many 12 HR 49 RBI per 'average' seasons (average for sure) to qualify for One and Done's. Great Larry Sheets reminder, though
1983 - Dickie Thon .286, 20 HR, 79 RBI, 34 SB as a SS. OPS+ 127. bWAR 7.4. He made his only All-Star appearance. He was beaned in the face at the beginning of 1984, and although he played 9 more seasons after that he was never the same as a hitter. His career bWAR was 23.9 and 13.5 of that was in 1982 and 1983. Although, he also lead the NL in triples in 1982 so he's better suited for a "good for just two seasons" video.
Mark Fidrych's injury woes started in Spring Training 1977. He was shagging flies in right field, when Rusty Staub came over and told him to stop horsing around. On the next fly, Fidrych jumped up to catch, came down awkwardly and hurt his knee. He would miss the start of the season, come back in late May and pitch well enough to make the All Star Team but miss it because he was on the DL by July 19 with shoulder pain that would turn out to be a torn rotator cuff. Fidrych never fully rehabbed his knee and it altered his delivery, hurting his arm.
He also has a lifetime .362 OBP and topped .400 once and .390+ twice. He always had a knack for getting on base even early in his career when he didn't hit for a good average.
Yup. Fans on KC’s website took to calling him Berro-error after that year, when they went from 83-79 back to losing 100 or more again (4 out of 5 years.)
No 1980 STEVE STONE?! Also... You broke your own rule: Fidrych was a 2x All-Star. ;) But yeah, still SO belongs on this list. Also, I think DAVE STAPLETON deserves an honorable mention. Hit .321 his rookie year, and then set a record for the longest career (7 years) in which his batting average declined ever single season. Lol
Now that’s a great one! His other years are nothing. Very surprised Capra didn’t make this list. I bet he has more war than others on this list (for their special season).
That summer of 1976 and the year of Mark "The Bird" Fidrych is something I will never forget. I wish I still had my Sports Illustrated magazine with him and Sesame Street's Big Bird on the cover and the May 5, 1977 issue of Rolling Stone. It is a shame how he died doing something he enjoyed.
Congrats on living thru that. I lived thru the 90s, mostly 96 on. Sometimes wish the 70s and 80s had been a part of my life. The lore might be better though. Hard to say. Loved the 90s aura. But I like to hear from the folks who experienced the older years.
It's the lore. During the 70s there was a nostalgia bent for the 50s. Movies like lords of Flatbush, American graffiti, happy days, the music etc.... far from a magical time. Plus the boomers had come of age and their destruction had just started.
@@nap871, yeah.. oh so destructive, not like those millennials in MINNY, SEATTLE and ST.LOU in 2020. What “construction” they/your buddies(?) did! How many millions, or was it billions, of dollars worth of black-owned federally funded(thru CDBG funds allocations) were burned down or vandalized, or people were killed in that of course, quiet, constitutional😉 Summer of LOVE 😍peaceful fundraiser, errr riot-fest for BLM? Quick, Millennial(?), jump in and tell me how many! Or, do you have the educative literacy to know?
I saw Fidrych pitch for Pawtucket in a game against my hometown Richmond team. He didn’t last long in that game; in warmups he’d throw a bullet for a strike, then bounce one halfway to the plate. There were two injuries that wrecked his career after 1976. He was getting over the first, then some knee or leg injury altered his motion when he came back too quickly; ruined his arm same as Dizzy Dean, disappointing.
I know it is impossible to list everyone in this category, but you missed a couple of my favorites, Walt Dropo and Norm Larker. Dropo had a few decent years with the Tigers in the mid-50s, but nothing like his 1950 season with the Red Sox (34 HR, 144 RBI, .322 AVG). He may have made more than one All-Star game, which would disqualify him from your list. For Larker, 1960 season was his only one of note. He finished second in the NL with a .323 average, barely being edged out by MVP Dick Groat.
The immortal Buzz Capra. In 1974, 16-8 for the Braves with an NL-leading 2.28 ERA, five shutouts, and an IP to Hits ratio of 217/163. He was an All-Star. And then...poof. Although he did become a long-time minor league pitching coach.
Atlee Hammaker gave up the grand slam to Fred Lynn in the 1983 All Star Game. I watched it live back then... (and as far as I know, nobody else has ever hit a grand slam in an all star game since)
I saw that live on TV as it happened. I was a Toronto fan in those days, huge Dave Stieb fan. The AL got off to an inauspicious start, but he K’d the side to keep it 1-0 after two errors started the frame. The AL was ahead when Atlee came in. The Giants lefty was hammered, Lynn fought off several pitches before smacking that baby dude into the White Sox stands. I was over the Moon…13-3 AL and the game has meant little to me, since.
@@billysikes1374 my uncle left me all his movies and comic books but his baseball card collection was massive, he had all Topps cards from 1973 thru 1995 he passed away in 2004 but he left me all of them in his will as well. I have the Phil Plantier Boston Red Sox rookie card 😊👌
@@ptccombatfitness6726 Jesus Christ has nothing to do with it. Phil was called up in the middle to late June, he hit 11 homeruns and drove in 35, just playing in 108 games but did well enough to be voted in for 8th place in the Rookie of the Year ballot. Probably was his best year batting average wise.
Pat Listach, Brewers ROY 1992 - 18th in MVP votes .290 avg 54 SB's .701 OPS 168H 93 R's in 149 games 4.7 BR WAR - in the league 5 more years never did nothing after that only one other season with more than 100 games played but had a (-) war in that season batting only .219 that season
The Baltimore Orioles should make up a lot of this list: OF: Mike Young had one year in 1985 hit .273 .348 .513 with 28HR and never hit like that before or since. SP: Jeff Ballard in 1989 went 18-8 with a 3.43 ERA and pitched 215 innings. He also set his career high for strikeouts that season with 62. Wow. C: Charles Johnson 2000: He was always known as a very good defensive catcher, but this season he hit .304 .379 .582 with 31HR. This is from a career .240 hitter
In 2017, the Astros cheated, leading to career best seasons that far exceeded their averages, for a number of players Josh Reddick had his best year, with an OPS of .847, 100 points higher than his lifetime OPS of .747, Carlos Correa had his best year, with an OPS of .941, 116 points higher than his lifetime average OPS of .825, Jake Marisnick had his best year, with an OPS of .815, nearly 150 points higher than his lifetime average of .666, and Marwin Gonzalez had his best year, with an OPS of .907, nearly 200 points (!!) higher than his lifetime average OPS of .709. Amazing what a difference the cheating made.
I'd like to nominate Kevin Maas for #1B on this list. More than adequately replace an injured Don Mattingly at 1B in 1990, setting the rookie HR record (at the time) for fastest to 10 HR (in 90ish at-bats). Finished 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting (behind Sandy Alomar Jr. who was pre-selected at the start of the season to win it) with a line of .252, 21 HR (in less than half of a season). Managed 23 HR in his 2nd season (a FULL season) while average dropped to .220. At the end of 1995 he was out of the majors.
Others I remember: Wayne Simpson Jim Umbarger Wil McEnaney Pat Darcy Santo Alcala Butch Metzger Barbaro Garbey Dickie Thon Pete Schorek Alfredo Simon Aristedes Aquino Earl Williams Matt Nokes Kevin Maas Oscar Gamble
Alcala wasn't that good; he was 11-4 as a rookie, but with a 4.70 ERA, a run above the team and league average, indicating that he benefited from good batting support. Thon was an excellent player until his beaning in 1984; Bill James (the SABR guy, that is) thought he might have made the Hall of Fame if he had continued his current pace. Williams hit 33 homers to win NL Rookie of the Year in 1971, but it wasn't a great rookies, and he hit just .260. A year earlier, Carl Morton of the Expos won the award with an 18-11 record, but he really wasn't that great; it was by far his best season, although he had at least one good year with the Braves. Kevin Maas and Shane Spencer were great half-season sensations, as was Wayne Simpson.
Oscar Gamble was a fine hitter, just had one big power year for Chicago. But he still hit well for years after, in that deep-crouch stance we joked about as teens in the 80’s.
In 1876 George Bradley threw Professional Baseball’s first recognized No Hitter, finishing the year with a 45-19 record, led the majors with a 1.23 ERA & 16 shutouts. In the 8 seasons after that 1876 season, he never won more than 25 games as a pitcher, and led pro baseball with 40 losses in 1879. He had a 25-15 record in 1884, his last season in pro baseball.
Atlee Hammacker was the pitcher who surrendered Fred Lynn's grand slam home run in the 1983 All Star Game, the only time in All Star Game history that one was hit as the American League trounced the National League 13-3 in the midsummer classic.
Another one l would think would qualify here would be Jim Bouton.He had about a year and 1/2 of being phenomenal.Then he had the beginning of arm issues and was never the same.. staying with the Yankees through '68 until he was drafted by Seattle Pilots..and hence we have Ball Four .
RA Dickey won double digit games for 5 straight years after his big season....He is not really comparable to anyone on this list as he wasn't terrible afterward
Jerome Walton's 1989 teammate Dwight Smith Sr. doesn't quite qualify: After a great rookie season that year, he had an almost-as-good season 4 years later. But what drove Met fans like me crazy in 1989 was that Walton and Smith came out of nowhere to have their best seasons TOGETHER in the SAME year. The pair were instrumental in the Cubs winning the NL East over the Mets.
Those two, Gracie and a one year FANTASTIC starting staff featuring Moyer and Maddux finished just above Mets AND Cards… fitting finish for the three best nl teams ( 6 div. Titles from 82-89) :)
this was a lot of fun to watch. I remember many of the players on here except for your number one of course. Frydrich was something else. Jim Gentel had a solid career but nothing like 1961. this would be a great hot stove, topic sitting around coming up with off the rail seasons for certain players.
Mark Fid-Rich. My dad Jim was a PCL Padres Batboy from 1955-59 when they were AAA team for Cleveland. Ken Aspramonte was player who became Cleveland Manager in the 1970 s. We would drive up fromSan Diego to Anaheim to see Kenny when the Indians. Kenny was gone I think when Joe Charboneau was playing but we went up and I saw Joe Charboneau put on display in BP. Joe played with a terrible spinal column injury that would later need surgery to correct. He also played on what he thought were shin splints but he had a broken leg which really ended his career at the MLB level. I think Joe was in the movie “The National “ and last time I saw him on HBO he was a liquor or Beer Salesman. Is Joe still around????Cito Gaston Nate Colbert and all the Padres players from that era had to hit a HR over a 17 foot wall. It was 330 down both lines and 420 to dead CF. Imagine the numbers Nate and Cito and other players from the 1970 s and early 80 s Like Dave Winfield could have put up if they had the shorter wall like Steve Garvey had in 1984 playoffs!!!That should be The Natural “ not the National. This phone sucks!!!
1970 was a vintage year for this sort of thing. Grabarkewitz singled as part of the 12th-inning rally that won the All-Star Game; he was followed by Jim Hickman, who singled home Pete Rose with the famous winning run. Hickman hit .252 with 159 home runs in an average 13-year major league career, but that year he hit .315 with 32 homers, 33 doubles, and 115 RBIs. Wayne Simpson, a half-season sensation as a rookie pitcher with the Reds, was named to the NL All-Star team, but missed the game because of injury. A few weeks later, he suffered the most dreaded of all pitching injuries, the undiagnosed torn rotator cuff, and he was never the same after that. There are so many names that can be added to the list. Some that come to mind: Louis Sockalexis, 1897--He hit .338 with 3 homers and 42 RBIs in 66 games with the Cleveland Spiders, and was out of the NL after 1899, leaving with an average of .313 in 94 games. Wilcy Moore, 1927--A 30-year old rookie with the legendary 1927 Yankees, he was 19-7, leading the American League in ERA (2.28), saves (13), and several other categories. Although he led the AL in saves in 1931 (10), he never approached his rookie form, and his career record was 51-44. Johnny Beazley, 1942--A rookie with the great 1942 Cardinals, he was 21-7 with a 2.13 ERA. He then joined the "lost it in the Army" club, not returning to the majors until 1946. His career record was 31-12, and 1942 was the only season in which he pitched more than 103 innings. Gene Bearden, 1948--20-7 with an AL-leading 2.43 ERA with the World Series champion Indians, and would have been AL Rookie of the Year if there had been separate awards for each league. Hitters adjusted to him after that, and he never won more than 8 games in a season, finishing 45-38 for his career. Stan Lopata, 1956--the first of just two seasons in a 13-year major league career in which he played more than 99 games. In 146 games with the Phillies, he hit .267 with 32 homers and 33 doubles, and 95 RBIs. Charlie Maxwell, 1956--a .264 hitter in a 14-year major league career, he hit .326 with the Tigers that year, with 28 homers and 87 RBIs, and was especially known for hitting home runs on Sunday. Bob Hazle, 1957--.403 with 7 homers and 27 RBIs in 41 games as a rookie outfielder replacing the injured Bill Bruton with the World Series champion Milwaukee Braves, he was hitting .179 in 20 games in 1958 before being dealt to the Tigers, where he hit .241 with 2 homers in 43 games. He was out of the majors after 1958, and played only 110 regular season games in 3 seasons. Luis Arroyo, 1961--a journeyman, he pitched well in limited action with the Yankees in 1960 and then caught fire in 1961, going 15-5 with a 2.19 ERA in an AL-leading 65 games, leading the league with 29 saves for the World Series champions. His major league career ended just 2 years later, and he left with a record of 40-32 with a 3.93 ERA and 44 saves in 244 games over 8 seasons. Wally Bunker, 1964--19-5 with a 2.69 ERA as a rookie with the Orioles in 1964, leading the AL in winning percentage (.792). He hurt his arm pitching in cold weather in his first start of 1965 and was never better than average after that, although he did pitch a shutout in game 3 of the 1966 World Series. His career ended in 1971 with a record of 60-52. Sam Bowens, 1964--a teammate of Bunker's he hit .263 with 22 homers and 71 RBIs in 139 games. It was the only season in which he played more than 89 games, and he finished his career with an average of .223 and 45 homers in 479 games from 1963-1969. Coco Laboy, 1969--A 10-year veteran of the Mexican League, he hit .258 with 18 homers and 83 RBIs in 157 games with the expansion Expos, and was runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year. He declined considerably after that (.199, 5 homers, 53 RBIs in 137 games in 1970), and played his last big league game in May 1973, finishing at .233 with 28 homers and 166 RBIs in 420 games. Buzz Capra, 1974--unable to work many innings in his early years because of the depth of the Mets' pitching staff, he was traded to the Braves after 1973, and was 16-8 in 1974, leading the NL with a 2.28 ERA. Arm problems limited him to just 10 wins after that, and he played his last big league game in 1977, leaving with a record of 31-37 and a 3.87 ERA in 142 games over 7 years. Mike Vail, 1975--called up to the Mets in August, he set a rookie record with a 23-game hitting streak, finishing at .302 with 3 homers and 17 RBIs in 38 games. He never played more than 114 games in any season of his 10-year major league career, finishing at .279 with 34 homers and 219 RBIs in 665 games. Dave Rozema, 1977--like his Detroit teammate Fidrych, Rozema had a terrific rookie season, going 15-7 with a 3.09 ERA. He never won more than 9 games in a season after that, leaving the majors after 1986 with a record of 60-53 and a 3.47 ERA. Miguel Dilone, 1980--He hit .265 in 800 games in an 800-game, 12-year major league career (1974-1985), but 1980, when he was a teammate of Charboneau, was the only big year he had as a full-time player, batting .341 with 61 stolen bases in 132 games. His fellow Dominican and outfielder Alfredo Edmead were rookie teammates with the Salem Pirates of the Carolina League in 1974, and Pittsburgh scout Howie Haak called Edmead the greatest prospect he'd ever seen. However, Edmead was killed in a horrific collision on August 22, 1974 while diving for a fly ball; you can look up the gruesome details for yourself. Jack Armstrong, 1990--the All-American Boy pitched well enough in the first half of the season with the Reds to be selected to the NL All-Star team; he declined after that, finishing 12-9 with a 3.42 ERA for the season. It was the only season in which he reached double figures in wins, finishing with a record of 40-65 with an ERA of 4.58 in 152 games over 7 seasons (1988-1994). Kevin Maas, 1990--he hit 21 homers in 79 games as a half-season rookie sensation with the Yankees, but just 44 in the remainder of his big league career, leaving after 1995 with an average of .230 with 65 home runs in 406 games in 5 years. Shane Spencer, 1998--he hit .373 with 10 home runs and 27 RBis in just 27 games after being called up to the World Series champion Yankees, but was just an average player after that, concluding his 7-year major league career in 2004 with an average of .262 with 59 homers and 242 RBIs in 538 games.
Joe Christopher, 1964--He hit .260 with 29 home runs and 173 RBIs in 638 major league games in an 8-year major league career (1959-1966), but this was his only big year, hitting .300 with 16 homers and 76 RBIs in 154 games with the woeful Mets.
Bert Husting, 1902--He was in his third major league season, with a career record of 9-6, when he was acquired by the Philadelphia Athletics, going 14-5 in 17 games with the AL pennant winners. He retired after that season to practice law, and remained on friendly terms with Connie Mack.
Discovered your channel due to the TH-cam suggestions. I will say this; Albeit I am only familiar with a handful of your list, players(i.e. baseball football basketball etc) who were/are average players that had a BREAKOUT or SEASON TO REMEMBER and then go back to being average(or worst below average) there are numerous reasons for this and you pretty much mentioned those.... But the ONE that stood out to me from this list was Bob Hamlin. Never heard of him until today, But the fact that he QUIT not only in the middle of the game.... but he quit on this teammates and MOST IMPORTANTLY.... himself. Interesting
@@BunnEFartz He was traded from the Phillies to the Giants during the 1975 season, and finished with a combined average of .302. Maddox said he was flattered to be traded for a player as good as Montanez. Willie was traded to the Braves in mid-season in 1976, with a combined average of .317 (.309 with SF, .321 with Atlanta).
Add Mike Norris’ 1980 season with the A’s. He was 22-9 with a 2.53 ERA and was second in the Cy Young voting. He didn’t win more than 12 games during any other season in his 10 year career. His arm was ultimately blown out by Billy Martin’s mismanagement of the A’s pitching staff in the early 80’s.
Yea idk about 12 year guys making this list. Last a decade in the show and you kinda surpass the list. Like chase headley, dickey, tatis for example . They all had decent careers, not sure about calling them 1 hit wonders
That’s a fantastic one. Like buzz Capra. He was very mediocre before Martin got there so was his arm blown out or did he just have one of those years. Don’t know.
@@kenw2225 Doesn't matter how many years. Point is the player had one great year, and only one. Mike Norris was the first guy I thought of when I saw the title. He should've won the Cy Young that year, and in every other full season he was below average. Funny enough, the guy that did win the Cy that year, Steve Stone, is more deserving of being on the list than Dickey.
Jack had a solid first half for the Red's that year winning just about every start until the break. A book I read about the 1990 Reds stated that Armstrong reached back for a little "extra" during his inning he pitched and felt something weird in his shoulder afterwards. Velocity went way down in the second half. He did have a moment when he went 3 innings scoreless in Game 2 of the WS against the A's that fall but pretty much faded into obscurity after that remarkable first half of 1990.
In first grade I started collecting baseball cards in 1980 and Joe charbonneau was one of my favorites. At that age I couldn't comprehend how he just fell off the map..... Hell it's still hard for me to understand today, and it must be incomprehensible for him
He had a poor swing mechanics. Others are tim andersen and joe gallo. Gallo is really poor. They found charbanous hole, he failed to adjust. It's that simple.
How about Junior Felix of the Blue Jays? He hit a homerun on the first pitch he saw in 1989, his rookie season. Later that season, he had a monster series against the Red Sox at Fenway in which he hit an inside-the-park grand slam homerun and drove in 10 runs in a four-game sweep. He was the early favourite for rookie of the year 1989 until he came down to earth. He had decent numbers for a few years more, but the first two months of his career looked like the beginning of a great career.
For those of us old enough to remember. Dwight Gooden was only truly elite for that one season. It was a legendary season. But otherwise he was solid middle of the rotation guy but nothing more
3 great seasons, 4 good season and a couple more solid seasons. 194 wins and a 3.51 ERA is better than middle of the rotation. One of the ultimate what ifs, if not for the drugs that is.
Phillies fans will never forget when Dom Brown FINALLY broke out, made the AS game & was ready to be the top player he was pegged to be as our top prospect...yeah, about that.....
As a Blue Jays fan, I think at least a mention is deserved for Justin Smoak and Aaron Sanchez, Smoak was only all star caliber for like half of 2017 then faded off back to mediocre in years following and Sanchez, converted fo a starter and won the era title in 2016 then couldn't stay healthy if his life depended on it and was never even half of his 2016 self again
Good video, lot of nice info. Just wanted to say Bill James faced the Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series, not the Phillies as stated in the video.
Domonic Brown Philadelphia Phillies. He hit .272 with 27HR 83RBI and an All Star appearance in 2013. He was out of the MLB after the 2015 season and tried switching to a Pitcher but only lasted 1 Minor League season.
I was gonna say Davey Johnson, but he had at least a half dozen good years, but still never hit over 18 Homers in another season other than his 43 in 1973. Not really a flash in the pan..... Pretty much like Brady Anderson. I'd take off R.A. Dickey and put Cubs Catcher Rick Wilkins in there. In 1993 he hit .303 with 30 Homers and a .937 OPS with a 6.6 WAR. He had only one other season barely even close (1996).
Don Schwall - he a great rookie season for Boston and pitched in the All-Star game. He was Rookie of the Year in 1961 but was never a top-rated starting pitcher after that.
Never heard of Bill James, now I have. I've heard of most of the players. Mark Fidrych, that was my last year in Ohio. What a showman. He loved baseball and had a youthful enthusiasm. He was a joy to watch in an otherwise mediocre year for the Tigers.
Earl Williams had two decent seasons, 1971 33 hr's with Atlanta, in his rookie year and 28 the next with Baltimore. The big catcher never regained that ability and was out of baseball in 3 years
It’s wild going back to look at players like Jerome Walton on Baseball Reference… I remember having some of his rookie cards and thinking he was a future star… He had an OPS+ of 100 (league average) his rookie year 🤷♂️
What I remember about Hammaker is his All-Star game performance (I thought being an All-Star made him exempt - but then...) where he was POUNDED and gave up 7 runs in .2 innings! I was at Cal State Long Beach and 2 of my roomies were SF Giants fans (as I have to guess YOU are and THUS a Dodgers hater - don't feel bad; it comes with the territory) and were ready to option him to the minors at that point (yes over an All-Star appearance). So, as a Dodgers fan, I remember Billy "Grabs". Or I THOUGHT I did. I remembered him being the replacement for Maury Wills but he actually played 2nd or 3rd and his Dodgers career overlapped Will's last stint with the Dodgers from '69-'72. I DO remember that there was this 'urban legend' that he played better when the Dodgers were on TV (He seemed to hit a lead off home run a lot) but the realism is that IF they were on TV then it was a Sunday day game (And on the road) and he just liked to play when the sun made it warmer. And it should be pointed out that by 'being selected' to the All-Star team, it was by the NL AS coaching staff not the fans. SO...re RA Dickey. I was living the DFW area when he was with the Rangers. It was then that it was discovered that he would NEVER need Tommy John surgery as he didn't have an Ulnar Collateral Ligament to tear! He was lucky to be able to turn a doorknob let alone pitch a the MLB level! Should have called him Mark "The LOONEY Bird" Fidrych. I'd like to see the innings pitched on some of these - Fidrych and James. "Seattle" BIll James was 'sent home' to rest his arm. Back then a road trip - especially a deep east coast team like Boston - meant a MONTH, maybe MORE traveling by train! A team might play ALL seven teams in the league on ONE road trip. One might argue that the teams are "softer" today 'cause they travel by air. I remember growing up in LA as a Dodgers fan and on the last Thursday (once in a while Wednesday) home series game they would have a 'business man's special' game. It didn't make sense to me - my Dad was a business man and he wouldn't be able to go to a 1p game in the middle of the week. Well, most teams today call them "Getaway days". I ended up working for the Rangers and there was a time when they NEVER played a day game from 1July - 1 Sep. But then the ESPN Sunday night game of the week came along and there couldn't be any 'competition' ('cause by now almost EVERY game - even home games - were televised). The mid-week last game of the homestand/Sunday home game NOT the ESPN games were BRUTAL for us working the games. The smart fans would hang out in the clubs.
Bernie Carbo. Runner up ROY in 1970 with the Big Red Machine, 21 HRs, .310 BA. Hit .219 the following year. Hung around for another decade and had some decent years with 5 different teams but never approached 1970. Did hit a huge pinch hit WS homer in 1975 though.
Tatis was not an all star aside from his big year ,but he was still a good ball player for years with some power and years around .300...I don't think he lines up with what you're trying to do here...I'd love to hear how R.A. Dickey was a one and done like your title says?? Guy had two sub 3 era seasons and was a very good pitcher in the league for years...If you dig deeper,I think you'll find far more flash in the pans and one and dones than you think....The Wayne Garland spot was very good...
There will likely be another guy that hits two slams in one inning at some point. But I predict that it will NEVER again happen that both were hit off the same pitcher.
@@markkaminski2416 ...Grand Slam 1st inning, Grand Slam in the 2nd inning. Sacrifice fly later for total of 9 RBI's. Diamond Jim had 5 Grand Slams that year, tied Ernie Banks for the record. He also had 146 RBI's that season.
@@jacklaurie100Wow 146 RBI ! Do you recall the DNR tagged a giant Stripped Bass in the bay and nicknamed it Diamond Jim and offered a cash prize to the angler that caught it.
i saw Garland pitch with the rochseter redwings in triple a and tatis in college with Arizona state. they were both really good it's a shame they couldn't have great careers in the big leagues.
I remember Wayne Garland with the Orioles. He was among the first-ever MLB free agents and cashed in--as noted in the video--with that huge contract from Cleveland. By the time that contract expired, he was almost broke. He said himself that when he was making only $23,000 in his last season with the Orioles, he always had some money in his pocket. After he signed that contract with Cleveland, he never seemed to have any money. Just another example of an athlete for whom sudden wealth was more of a curse than a blessing.
"Wonderful Willie" Smith, Los Angeles Angels, 1964. He was acquired by the Angels from the Tigers as a pitcher. He didn't pitch much for the Angels when they saw what he could do with a bat. He batted .301 with 11 HRs and 51 RBI. He didn't become a regular in the outfield until mid-June. 1965 was not as good and would be the last year he would be a starting outfielder. The rest of his 9-year career he would be a very effective pinch-hitter.
Perhaps Norm Cash belongs on this list. The Tigers 1st baseman had a respectable 17-year career, but he wasn't much above average, except for in 1961, when he hit .361 to lead the league, had a league-leading 193 hits, hit 41 HRs, with 132 RBIs, all career highs. He never again hit over .300, or drove in over 100 RBIs.
Didn't SS Kevin Elster also play for the LA Dodgers in the year 2000? I hope I got this right but on Opening Day 2000 in the SF Giants brand new, 1st game at Pac Bell Park, Kevin Elster (SS) hit 3 home runs in that particular game.
I’m sure it’s been noted, but just in case… 1914 was a Philadelphia A’s, not the Phillies in the WS.
My mistake. I'll edit that part out as soon as I can. Right now I'm in a dispute over copyright so it won't let me cut it out.
No the Phillies were in that was look up records
@clayton7220 I did... Boston Braves vs Philadelphia A's
@@clayton7220 Phillies were in the 1915 WS
Dont matter, phillies were awful too.
2000 - Rick Ankiel the pitcher
2008 - Rick Ankiel the hitter
What might've been... Thankfully we have Ohtani these days!
@@kurtzmann22Ohtani is a flash in the pan. Lol.
@@kurtzmann22If you are wondering what kind of stats a pitcher with 3 UCL surgeries puts up, so far Chris Capuano provided the best. In a few years the Dodgers will be paying that contract to a full time DH and possible swing man. Giving him that contract knowing full well he had another UCL tear was foolish at best.
@@jamesfields2916 Hmm, lets see ... 1 ROTY Award, 4 All Star Teams, 2, soon to be 3 MVP's ... some flash in the pan. Lol.
@@seangleeson8073 all time great!
RA Dickey was the Mets best pitcher for 3 years (2010-2012). He was far from a one year wonder
Yeah RA Dickey was a good player even though he struggled early in his career
I agree with you.
He had some good years, but only one truly elite season.
He had a good career period. He only had the one cy young type season but he was far from a one year wonder
Yes....thank you!
RA Dickey had a solid stretch of 3 years with the Mets and was above average for the Blue Jays.
True but the Mets made the right move
@@brennanthabault1351his value was never gonna be higher.
Jose "Coco" Laboy, .258, 18 HRs, 83 RBIs with the Montreal Expos in 1969. Selected ROY by the Sporting News. Suffered from Sophomore Jinx in 1970, lost his everyday job at 3B to Bob Bailey and spent the rest of his career coming off the bench.
Good one bro 👍
I saw him in Jarry Parc during 1969
Honorable mention could go to Cubs catcher Rick Wilkins. 1993... .303 30 HR, 73 RBI. His only other good year was 1996 .243 14 HR 53 RBI. But that was with Houston and San Francisco combined.
I remember as a kid thinking the Cubs had something in 30 HR Wilkins and 30/30 Sosa. Too bad they didn’t have the pitching to go with the bats after losing Maddux in ‘92 😢
Great pick. Nothing came close to his ‘93 numbers.
Definitely
I remember him. Left hand batting catcher with lightning bat speed.
I remember this year vividly. I was so sure we had a future hall of fame catcher on our hands 😂
I always remember Dick Dietz. 1970, All Star and a 6.5 WAR (5.9 WAR the rest of his 8 yr career). He had a decent 1968 and 1971 but was out of baseball after 1973. Oh, and he had a cool 1972 Topps In Action card.
Hit a home run in the All Star game too.
He was heavily involved in the players union, after the 72 strike, that may have been a reason his career came to a sudden and final halt(not that anyone would admit it even if true).
The Mule. He was the center of controversy when the ump claimed he didn't get out of the way of a Drysdale pitch(with the bases loaded) to stop DD's scoreless inning binge. Was BS.
Esteban Loaiza, 2003. 21-9, 2.90, AL Starting Pitcher at the All Star Game, led the league in K’s and runner up for the Cy Young Award
Never before or after won more than 12 games. He did went to 2 ASGs
No shit he led league in ks by default. Every one but u knows that
Knows what?
@@elastic774 by “default”??…As in no-other pitcher-in the-entire-league-struck-out a-single-batter-so-he-wins-the K Crown
default??…😆
I remember him with the Pirates.
I was looking to see if anybody else remembered him.
Zoilo Versalles winning the American League MVP in 1965 was very surprising! Here's why: Zoilo Versalles may have been the least likely MVP winner in MLB history.
I remember Zoilo Versalles winning the AL MVP award. I would turn eight later that year and was just beginning to follow baseball beyond my hometown Cardinals. Even then, I thought it unusual that the Twins shortstop would get any attention on a Harmon Killebrew - Tony Oliva team. Baseball will often surprises its followers.
I was reminded of this when Jose Altuve was picked for AL MVP over Aaron Judge a few years ago. I think even Bill James was surprised - although Altuve was his choice. Sometimes, Baseball gets it right....
Zilo died broke he had to pawn his MVP award
Mark "the bird" Fidrych would've been good if injuries didn't ruin him also RIP to him too
Definitely.
Tragic life and ending. If you haven't read how he died , google it . Awful way to go
Fidrych was definitely overworked his rookie season, pitching over 250 innings. His subsequent arm injuries are probably the reason you don't see many rookie pitchers today throwing over 200 innings in a season.
He hurt his arm in a bar fight
@@migmadmarineBrian Taylor did that.
I don't think the Boston Braves would have been playing the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. I think it was probably the Philadelphia Athletics.
Indeed, it was the Athletics.
Losing to Boston led to Connie Mack dismantling the A’s.
They went from winning pennants in 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914 to finishing dead-last from 1915-1921. Woof…
@@GizmoBeachA couple of years before this, Mack had an offer to manage in New York with the Highlanders, and go up against John McGraw for media attention. Mack went to Ben Shibe of the A's, told him he was seriously considering taking the offer, Shibe offered Mack 50 percent of the A's, and total control of the personnel end(Shibe ran the business end). Mack took the offer, knowing he had control over his destiny, and only he could fire himself. Which meant after the 1914 WS, with salaries up and attendance down, he broke up the great A's team, and while he likely didn't plan to fall as far as they did, he could take that chance with his total job security.
And the following year (1915) It was the American league Red Sox vs the National League Phillies . Boston was led by Tris Speaker, Harry Hoover and Dusty Lewis (what a freakin' OF) and a young pitcher named Babe Ruth --- who barely played.
Braves won series in 1914 Phillies lost series in 1915
17:46: WOW! I JUST finished a book on Bill James and the 1914 "Miracle" Boston Braves. KUDOs for going back in history. The Braves manager George Stallings relied on three starting pitchers that entire season. James and two others started 107 of the team's 153 games with James starting 37 ( with 30 of them being complete games) and entering 9 more in relief. His arm was blown out even before the World Series. There is speculation today that he tore his rotator cuff and that was probably common in those days when pitchers started 30 plus games a season and often pitched the entire nine innings. The pitching hero of the 1912 World Series, Smoky Joe Wood, is a similar story. There is also speculation that he really did not like the travel involved in Major League Baseball which kept him away from his family. That added fuel to his desire in contract negotiations for a better salary. Baseball to him was not a passion, but a Take it or Leave It.
Also, the Boston Braves beat the Philadelphia A's, not the Phillies, in the 1914 World Series.
If James hadn't hurt his arm, the Braves might well have won a second straight pennant, as they came on again late in the season to challenge the Phillies. Wood at least managed to pitch enough innings to go 15-5 with the World Series champion Red Sox in 1915, leading the league in winning percentage (.750) and ERA (1.49). After moving to the outfield, he played 61 games with the World Series champion Indians in 1920, hit .366 in 66 games in 1921, and ended his career by hitting .297 with 8 homers and 92 RBIs in 142 games in 1922.
@@disneyfan8178 Good point ... and tidbit clarification: Boston and Philadelphia had a team in both the American and National Leagues in 1914 and 1915. National league Boston Braves beat American League Philadelphia Athletics in 1914. The Red Sox in American League defeated the National League Philadelphia Phillies in 1915. Babe Ruth had one PH for Red Sox in 1915.
Same for dimaggio. It was soley a business that fell into his lap. Far from the love of the game idealism of the sports writers version
The story of the 1914 Boston Braves really is amazing. From last place in early July with a 26-40 record, the team then went on an unrelenting tear, going 68-19 (a .782 winning percentage) over the remaining 87 games to win the National League, and it wasn't close - at the end of the season, the second place Giants were 10.5 games back. Bill James, Dick Rudolph, and Lefty Tyler assumed practically all of the pitching chores during this run, and all three of them posted excellent records. For the World Series, the Braves were still considered underdogs to the Athletics, who had gone 99-53 for a .651 percentage, but the Braves still swept the Athletics in four straight, with James, Rudolph, and Tyler pitching every inning and holding the Athletics' batters to a .172 batting average. It was truly a mythical season for the Braves, who wouldn't win another pennant for 34 years.
I remember Mark Eichorn on the Blue Jays back in 1986...his submarine delivery was just brutal, but never heard much about him after 86.
🤔👍⚾️
Kevin Elster was a light-hitting shortstop before exploding for the Rangers in 1996 with 24 HRs, 32 doubles, two triples, 99 RBI and a .252 batting average. A true one-year wonder.
Kevin Elster is the first guy who came to mind when I saw the name of the video
Seems like Rex Hudler did the same thing if I remember right
Dude was one of the best fielders I had ever seen as a kid.
@decker528 no Rex handlers didnt
Thanks auto spell. Rex handles also known as Rex hudler
coming soon Alek Manoah...
Yep! Also catcher Alejandro Kirk. I believe in the same year too. You could even throw Cy Young winner Robbie Ray in there as well.
Dick Hughes 1967 cardinals, lead the world series champions with 16 wins, only 2 wins in 1968 his last season
This list is with one exception (Braves 1914) all from the last half century. So it misses a lot including Hurricane Bob Hazel’s 1957 season with Milwaukee Braves. He only played in 41 games but batted .403. MLB career was only parts of four seasons, but it was over .300 (thanks to that ‘57 season). Injuries, etc.
1970 was the year of the one hit wonder. Not only was there the aforementioned Cito Gaston but Dick Dietz, Wes Parker, Tommy Harper and Jim Hickman all had stellar years far exceeding any of their other years. That was Tommy Harper's 30/30 year and the other three all had over 100 rbi in 1970.
Campy Campaneris hit 22 home runs that year and never hit more than 8 in any other year.
@@SlipKid1975 Just in case anyone wondered I took the time to figure out how good or mediocre some players were (from comments) who were NOT on the video for, basically, a good 'longevity' reason: Bert Campaneris made 6 all star games (one with the Rangers in 77 -- totally forgot about the Rangers years...) including 4 in a row as the SS for the great A's teams of the early 70's. He had over 2200 hits just under 1200 runs and 649 SBs (even though, yes, 1970 was by far 'Campy's' best power season).
Even Tommy Harper who had that one 30/30 season just missed a 20/20 twice -- by 2 HR's in '65, scoring a career high 126 runs that year -- and missing a 20/20 in '73 with 17 HR's ... with 54 SBs. He stole 70 bases the year b4 his one 30/30 All-star season. Harper totaled 1609 hits 408 Steals and 146 HR's.
1970 was a fascinating year though. Two years after the mound was lowered to help the hitters it sure appeared to help.
Wes Parker ! good call. BY FAR the best year he had. Wow. The 47 doubles doubled (heh) his previous high; and the 110 RBI shattered his next best of 62 RBI. He did manage 1100 hits over 9 years. Wes Parker never made an All-star game despite finishing 5th in MVP voting in 1970 and winning a Gold Glove (one of two GGs). hmm. well I found that interesting. Good name dropping. Jim Hickman, probably the closest to making the one hit wonder list. He only had 3 other seasons besides 1970 with 100 hits when Hick had 162. In his other 11 MLB seasons combined he didn't muster up 500 runs or 500 RBI totals but he scored 102 and drove in 115, respectively, in the magical year 1970. Hickman was an All-star for Cubs that year with 32 HRs a .315 Avg to far surpass his career .252 Avg. All said he still managed 159 HRs and 1002 Hits for career and his 560 RBI surpassed Wes Parker's 9 yr total of 470.
sorry, I found all that stat checking fun. Baseball stats👍🤓
Larry sheets
@@sandyboggs8099 Larry Sheets is close to legit admittance to the One and Done video. Sheets hit .316 in 1987 with 31 HRs and 94 RBI to go along with 148 hits which surpasses his only other season with 100 hits by 44 -- the following 1988 season. But Sheets played 6 years in a row accumulating between 102-136 games per (5 with the O's) totaling 607 hits 94 HRs and 339 RBI. That is just one too many 12 HR 49 RBI per 'average' seasons (average for sure) to qualify for One and Done's.
Great Larry Sheets reminder, though
Gaston first black manager to win a world series.
1983 - Dickie Thon .286, 20 HR, 79 RBI, 34 SB as a SS. OPS+ 127. bWAR 7.4. He made his only All-Star appearance. He was beaned in the face at the beginning of 1984, and although he played 9 more seasons after that he was never the same as a hitter. His career bWAR was 23.9 and 13.5 of that was in 1982 and 1983. Although, he also lead the NL in triples in 1982 so he's better suited for a "good for just two seasons" video.
Yep 1982 and 1983 two bunched but an interesting story.
I say three or more pretty decent seasons
Loved him. Sad when he got drilled by Mike Torres.
16:19 - A good list. But note that the name of Mark Fidrych is pronounced "fid-rich", not "fid-rik".
Mark Fidrych's injury woes started in Spring Training 1977. He was shagging flies in right field, when Rusty Staub came over and told him to stop horsing around. On the next fly, Fidrych jumped up to catch, came down awkwardly and hurt his knee. He would miss the start of the season, come back in late May and pitch well enough to make the All Star Team but miss it because he was on the DL by July 19 with shoulder pain that would turn out to be a torn rotator cuff. Fidrych never fully rehabbed his knee and it altered his delivery, hurting his arm.
20:20 Indeed, Brady Anderson is the first person I think of when this subject comes up. I did not know that he was a three-time All Star.
He had a few steroid-fueled seasons in Baltimore where he suddenly became a power hitter.
He also has a lifetime .362 OBP and topped .400 once and .390+ twice. He always had a knack for getting on base even early in his career when he didn't hit for a good average.
Angel Berroa. 2003 Rookie of the year and never made it to the all star team. 1 great year 2003 and never did anything else
Yup. Fans on KC’s website took to calling him Berro-error after that year, when they went from 83-79 back to losing 100 or more again (4 out of 5 years.)
No 1980 STEVE STONE?! Also... You broke your own rule: Fidrych was a 2x All-Star. ;) But yeah, still SO belongs on this list. Also, I think DAVE STAPLETON deserves an honorable mention. Hit .321 his rookie year, and then set a record for the longest career (7 years) in which his batting average declined ever single season. Lol
Fantastic list! You really did some SERIOUS homework 🎉
How about Buzz Capra with the 1974 Braves All Star that year and won the NL ERA title out of the majors by 1978
Now that’s a great one! His other years are nothing. Very surprised Capra didn’t make this list. I bet he has more war than others on this list (for their special season).
Atlee Hammaker got shelled in the 1983 All Star Game, and was never the same after that.
That Lasorda bastard purposely left him in. AH's claim to fame was one yr he led the league in era.
yup! Fred Lynn of the Angels socked a Hammaker pitch, a grand slam, which was the very first grand slam in all star history!
As a mets fan, that's three year run with RA Dickey, he was absolutely lights out. So much fun to watch him pitch.
Steve Howe of dodgers.
@@CraigPrice-zq5wz Howe had several excellent seasons.
That summer of 1976 and the year of Mark "The Bird" Fidrych is something I will never forget. I wish I still had my Sports Illustrated magazine with him and Sesame Street's Big Bird on the cover and the May 5, 1977 issue of Rolling Stone. It is a shame how he died doing something he enjoyed.
Congrats on living thru that. I lived thru the 90s, mostly 96 on. Sometimes wish the 70s and 80s had been a part of my life. The lore might be better though. Hard to say. Loved the 90s aura. But I like to hear from the folks who experienced the older years.
It's the lore. During the 70s there was a nostalgia bent for the 50s. Movies like lords of Flatbush, American graffiti, happy days, the music etc.... far from a magical time. Plus the boomers had come of age and their destruction had just started.
I have been looking for that issue of S.I.
@@nap871, yeah.. oh so destructive, not like those millennials in MINNY, SEATTLE and ST.LOU in 2020.
What “construction” they/your buddies(?) did!
How many millions, or was it billions, of dollars worth of black-owned federally funded(thru CDBG funds allocations) were burned down or vandalized, or people were killed in that of course, quiet, constitutional😉 Summer of LOVE 😍peaceful fundraiser, errr riot-fest for BLM?
Quick, Millennial(?), jump in and tell me how many!
Or, do you have the educative literacy to know?
I saw Fidrych pitch for Pawtucket in a game against my hometown Richmond team.
He didn’t last long in that game; in warmups he’d throw a bullet for a strike, then bounce one halfway to the plate.
There were two injuries that wrecked his career after 1976. He was getting over the first, then some knee or leg injury altered his motion when he came back too quickly; ruined his arm same as Dizzy Dean, disappointing.
I know it is impossible to list everyone in this category, but you missed a couple of my favorites, Walt Dropo and Norm Larker. Dropo had a few decent years with the Tigers in the mid-50s, but nothing like his 1950 season with the Red Sox (34 HR, 144 RBI, .322 AVG). He may have made more than one All-Star game, which would disqualify him from your list.
For Larker, 1960 season was his only one of note. He finished second in the NL with a .323 average, barely being edged out by MVP Dick Groat.
The immortal Buzz Capra. In 1974, 16-8 for the Braves with an NL-leading 2.28 ERA, five shutouts, and an IP to Hits ratio of 217/163. He was an All-Star. And then...poof. Although he did become a long-time minor league pitching coach.
Atlee Hammaker gave up the grand slam to Fred Lynn in the 1983 All Star Game. I watched it live back then... (and as far as I know, nobody else has ever hit a grand slam in an all star game since)
always felt that the as game performance destroyed him
I saw that live on TV as it happened. I was a Toronto fan in those days, huge Dave Stieb fan. The AL got off to an inauspicious start, but he K’d the side to keep it 1-0 after two errors started the frame.
The AL was ahead when Atlee came in. The Giants lefty was hammered, Lynn fought off several pitches before smacking that baby dude into the White Sox stands. I was over the Moon…13-3 AL and the game has meant little to me, since.
Phil Plantier. 34 and 100 in 1993. never had another season of 20 HR or 50 RBI
His 1991 rookie cards were so expensive
3.31 batting average for the Boston Red Sox his rookie year, he had two decent years not one
@@billysikes1374 my uncle left me all his movies and comic books but his baseball card collection was massive, he had all Topps cards from 1973 thru 1995 he passed away in 2004 but he left me all of them in his will as well. I have the Phil Plantier Boston Red Sox rookie card 😊👌
@@Robert-qm5so He had 148 at bats. Jesus Christ
@@ptccombatfitness6726 Jesus Christ has nothing to do with it. Phil was called up in the middle to late June, he hit 11 homeruns and drove in 35, just playing in 108 games but did well enough to be voted in for 8th place in the Rookie of the Year ballot. Probably was his best year batting average wise.
Pat Listach, Brewers ROY 1992 - 18th in MVP votes .290 avg 54 SB's .701 OPS 168H 93 R's in 149 games 4.7 BR WAR - in the league 5 more years never did nothing after that only one other season with more than 100 games played but had a (-) war in that season batting only .219 that season
He won Rookie of the Year over Kenny Lofton, too!
After his great 1992 season, us Brewers fans thought he was the second coming of Paul Molitor. He wasn’t.
@@ppsh43 far from it indeed
The Baltimore Orioles should make up a lot of this list:
OF: Mike Young had one year in 1985 hit .273 .348 .513 with 28HR and never hit like that before or since.
SP: Jeff Ballard in 1989 went 18-8 with a 3.43 ERA and pitched 215 innings. He also set his career high for strikeouts that season with 62. Wow.
C: Charles Johnson 2000: He was always known as a very good defensive catcher, but this season he hit .304 .379 .582 with 31HR. This is from a career .240 hitter
Jeff Ballard-1989. Won 18 games for the Orioles, never did anything close to that before or after
Wally Bunker also won 19 games in his rookie year with the Orioles in 1966. Never came close again.
Great video man I remember a lot of these players! Bob Hamelin looked like a 40 year old rookie! 😂
In 2017, the Astros cheated, leading to career best seasons that far exceeded their averages, for a number of players
Josh Reddick had his best year, with an OPS of .847, 100 points higher than his lifetime OPS of .747,
Carlos Correa had his best year, with an OPS of .941, 116 points higher than his lifetime average OPS of .825,
Jake Marisnick had his best year, with an OPS of .815, nearly 150 points higher than his lifetime average of .666, and
Marwin Gonzalez had his best year, with an OPS of .907, nearly 200 points (!!) higher than his lifetime average OPS of .709.
Amazing what a difference the cheating made.
Keep doin what you’re doin! Love it!
I'd like to nominate Kevin Maas for #1B on this list. More than adequately replace an injured Don Mattingly at 1B in 1990, setting the rookie HR record (at the time) for fastest to 10 HR (in 90ish at-bats). Finished 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting (behind Sandy Alomar Jr. who was pre-selected at the start of the season to win it) with a line of .252, 21 HR (in less than half of a season). Managed 23 HR in his 2nd season (a FULL season) while average dropped to .220. At the end of 1995 he was out of the majors.
Others I remember:
Wayne Simpson
Jim Umbarger
Wil McEnaney
Pat Darcy
Santo Alcala
Butch Metzger
Barbaro Garbey
Dickie Thon
Pete Schorek
Alfredo Simon
Aristedes Aquino
Earl Williams
Matt Nokes
Kevin Maas
Oscar Gamble
@robertmurdock1848 Matt Nokes had a couple more decent seasons. Trade him out for Darnell Coles and you have a winner.
Alcala wasn't that good; he was 11-4 as a rookie, but with a 4.70 ERA, a run above the team and league average, indicating that he benefited from good batting support. Thon was an excellent player until his beaning in 1984; Bill James (the SABR guy, that is) thought he might have made the Hall of Fame if he had continued his current pace. Williams hit 33 homers to win NL Rookie of the Year in 1971, but it wasn't a great rookies, and he hit just .260. A year earlier, Carl Morton of the Expos won the award with an 18-11 record, but he really wasn't that great; it was by far his best season, although he had at least one good year with the Braves. Kevin Maas and Shane Spencer were great half-season sensations, as was Wayne Simpson.
I thought Barbaro Garbey was gonna be an all star for many years.
Coco Laboy
Oscar Gamble was a fine hitter, just had one big power year for Chicago. But he still hit well for years after, in that deep-crouch stance we joked about as teens in the 80’s.
In 1876 George Bradley threw Professional Baseball’s first recognized No Hitter, finishing the year with a 45-19 record, led the majors with a 1.23 ERA & 16 shutouts. In the 8 seasons after that 1876 season, he never won more than 25 games as a pitcher, and led pro baseball with 40 losses in 1879. He had a 25-15 record in 1884, his last season in pro baseball.
Great list. Randy Jones called and asked you not to do one for players with just two great consecutive seasons.
Nice video.
Shazam.
Atlee Hammacker was the pitcher who surrendered Fred Lynn's grand slam home run in the 1983 All Star Game, the only time in All Star Game history that one was hit as the American League trounced the National League 13-3 in the midsummer classic.
Remember Cito.....but if I remember right he went under the name of Clarence Gaston.
You'll notice that his 1971 signature is "Clarence Gaston" Cito on that later card.
Another one l would think would qualify here would be Jim Bouton.He had about a year and 1/2 of being phenomenal.Then he had the beginning of arm issues and was never the same.. staying with the Yankees through '68 until he was drafted by Seattle Pilots..and hence we have Ball Four .
Correct, coming from a SD resident at the time.
Bobby Crosby: 2004 ROTY. After that very pedestrian numbers
RA Dickey won double digit games for 5 straight years after his big season....He is not really comparable to anyone on this list as he wasn't terrible afterward
The Bird was so much fun in 1976
Jerome Walton's 1989 teammate Dwight Smith Sr. doesn't quite qualify: After a great rookie season that year, he had an almost-as-good season 4 years later. But what drove Met fans like me crazy in 1989 was that Walton and Smith came out of nowhere to have their best seasons TOGETHER in the SAME year. The pair were instrumental in the Cubs winning the NL East over the Mets.
Those two, Gracie and a one year FANTASTIC starting staff featuring Moyer and Maddux finished just above Mets AND Cards… fitting finish for the three best nl teams ( 6 div. Titles from 82-89) :)
this was a lot of fun to watch. I remember many of the players on here except for your number one of course. Frydrich was something else. Jim Gentel had a solid career but nothing like 1961. this would be a great hot stove, topic sitting around coming up with off the rail seasons for certain players.
"Grabs" maybe the best nickname for an infielder of all time
Fun fact: Joe Charboneau appeared in The Natural.
WTF
Correct!!
@@emilrwolanski where and when
John Maine NYM. 15 wins in 07 never got back to that level again after arm injuries
Henry Rodriguez
Benny Agbyani
Kevin Maas
Rick Ankiel (pitcher)
Tuffy Rhodes
Pat Mahomes (Sr)
Joe McEwing
Pedro Alvarez
Shea Hillenbrand
Mark Fid-Rich. My dad Jim was a PCL Padres Batboy from 1955-59 when they were AAA team for Cleveland. Ken Aspramonte was player who became Cleveland Manager in the 1970 s. We would drive up fromSan Diego to Anaheim to see Kenny when the Indians. Kenny was gone I think when Joe Charboneau was playing but we went up and I saw Joe Charboneau put on display in BP. Joe played with a terrible spinal column injury that would later need surgery to correct. He also played on what he thought were shin splints but he had a broken leg which really ended his career at the MLB level. I think Joe was in the movie “The National “ and last time I saw him on HBO he was a liquor or Beer Salesman. Is Joe still around????Cito Gaston Nate Colbert and all the Padres players from that era had to hit a HR over a 17 foot wall. It was 330 down both lines and 420 to dead CF. Imagine the numbers Nate and Cito and other players from the 1970 s and early 80 s Like Dave Winfield could have put up if they had the shorter wall like Steve Garvey had in 1984 playoffs!!!That should be The Natural “ not the National. This phone sucks!!!
1970 was a vintage year for this sort of thing. Grabarkewitz singled as part of the 12th-inning rally that won the All-Star Game; he was followed by Jim Hickman, who singled home Pete Rose with the famous winning run. Hickman hit .252 with 159 home runs in an average 13-year major league career, but that year he hit .315 with 32 homers, 33 doubles, and 115 RBIs. Wayne Simpson, a half-season sensation as a rookie pitcher with the Reds, was named to the NL All-Star team, but missed the game because of injury. A few weeks later, he suffered the most dreaded of all pitching injuries, the undiagnosed torn rotator cuff, and he was never the same after that.
There are so many names that can be added to the list. Some that come to mind:
Louis Sockalexis, 1897--He hit .338 with 3 homers and 42 RBIs in 66 games with the Cleveland Spiders, and was out of the NL after 1899, leaving with an average of .313 in 94 games.
Wilcy Moore, 1927--A 30-year old rookie with the legendary 1927 Yankees, he was 19-7, leading the American League in ERA (2.28), saves (13), and several other categories. Although he led the AL in saves in 1931 (10), he never approached his rookie form, and his career record was 51-44.
Johnny Beazley, 1942--A rookie with the great 1942 Cardinals, he was 21-7 with a 2.13 ERA. He then joined the "lost it in the Army" club, not returning to the majors until 1946. His career record was 31-12, and 1942 was the only season in which he pitched more than 103 innings.
Gene Bearden, 1948--20-7 with an AL-leading 2.43 ERA with the World Series champion Indians, and would have been AL Rookie of the Year if there had been separate awards for each league. Hitters adjusted to him after that, and he never won more than 8 games in a season, finishing 45-38 for his career.
Stan Lopata, 1956--the first of just two seasons in a 13-year major league career in which he played more than 99 games. In 146 games with the Phillies, he hit .267 with 32 homers and 33 doubles, and 95 RBIs.
Charlie Maxwell, 1956--a .264 hitter in a 14-year major league career, he hit .326 with the Tigers that year, with 28 homers and 87 RBIs, and was especially known for hitting home runs on Sunday.
Bob Hazle, 1957--.403 with 7 homers and 27 RBIs in 41 games as a rookie outfielder replacing the injured Bill Bruton with the World Series champion Milwaukee Braves, he was hitting .179 in 20 games in 1958 before being dealt to the Tigers, where he hit .241 with 2 homers in 43 games. He was out of the majors after 1958, and played only 110 regular season games in 3 seasons.
Luis Arroyo, 1961--a journeyman, he pitched well in limited action with the Yankees in 1960 and then caught fire in 1961, going 15-5 with a 2.19 ERA in an AL-leading 65 games, leading the league with 29 saves for the World Series champions. His major league career ended just 2 years later, and he left with a record of 40-32 with a 3.93 ERA and 44 saves in 244 games over 8 seasons.
Wally Bunker, 1964--19-5 with a 2.69 ERA as a rookie with the Orioles in 1964, leading the AL in winning percentage (.792). He hurt his arm pitching in cold weather in his first start of 1965 and was never better than average after that, although he did pitch a shutout in game 3 of the 1966 World Series. His career ended in 1971 with a record of 60-52.
Sam Bowens, 1964--a teammate of Bunker's he hit .263 with 22 homers and 71 RBIs in 139 games. It was the only season in which he played more than 89 games, and he finished his career with an average of .223 and 45 homers in 479 games from 1963-1969.
Coco Laboy, 1969--A 10-year veteran of the Mexican League, he hit .258 with 18 homers and 83 RBIs in 157 games with the expansion Expos, and was runner-up for NL Rookie of the Year. He declined considerably after that (.199, 5 homers, 53 RBIs in 137 games in 1970), and played his last big league game in May 1973, finishing at .233 with 28 homers and 166 RBIs in 420 games.
Buzz Capra, 1974--unable to work many innings in his early years because of the depth of the Mets' pitching staff, he was traded to the Braves after 1973, and was 16-8 in 1974, leading the NL with a 2.28 ERA. Arm problems limited him to just 10 wins after that, and he played his last big league game in 1977, leaving with a record of 31-37 and a 3.87 ERA in 142 games over 7 years.
Mike Vail, 1975--called up to the Mets in August, he set a rookie record with a 23-game hitting streak, finishing at .302 with 3 homers and 17 RBIs in 38 games. He never played more than 114 games in any season of his 10-year major league career, finishing at .279 with 34 homers and 219 RBIs in 665 games.
Dave Rozema, 1977--like his Detroit teammate Fidrych, Rozema had a terrific rookie season, going 15-7 with a 3.09 ERA. He never won more than 9 games in a season after that, leaving the majors after 1986 with a record of 60-53 and a 3.47 ERA.
Miguel Dilone, 1980--He hit .265 in 800 games in an 800-game, 12-year major league career (1974-1985), but 1980, when he was a teammate of Charboneau, was the only big year he had as a full-time player, batting .341 with 61 stolen bases in 132 games. His fellow Dominican and outfielder Alfredo Edmead were rookie teammates with the Salem Pirates of the Carolina League in 1974, and Pittsburgh scout Howie Haak called Edmead the greatest prospect he'd ever seen. However, Edmead was killed in a horrific collision on August 22, 1974 while diving for a fly ball; you can look up the gruesome details for yourself.
Jack Armstrong, 1990--the All-American Boy pitched well enough in the first half of the season with the Reds to be selected to the NL All-Star team; he declined after that, finishing 12-9 with a 3.42 ERA for the season. It was the only season in which he reached double figures in wins, finishing with a record of 40-65 with an ERA of 4.58 in 152 games over 7 seasons (1988-1994).
Kevin Maas, 1990--he hit 21 homers in 79 games as a half-season rookie sensation with the Yankees, but just 44 in the remainder of his big league career, leaving after 1995 with an average of .230 with 65 home runs in 406 games in 5 years.
Shane Spencer, 1998--he hit .373 with 10 home runs and 27 RBis in just 27 games after being called up to the World Series champion Yankees, but was just an average player after that, concluding his 7-year major league career in 2004 with an average of .262 with 59 homers and 242 RBIs in 538 games.
Joe Christopher, 1964--He hit .260 with 29 home runs and 173 RBIs in 638 major league games in an 8-year major league career (1959-1966), but this was his only big year, hitting .300 with 16 homers and 76 RBIs in 154 games with the woeful Mets.
Bert Husting, 1902--He was in his third major league season, with a career record of 9-6, when he was acquired by the Philadelphia Athletics, going 14-5 in 17 games with the AL pennant winners. He retired after that season to practice law, and remained on friendly terms with Connie Mack.
BOB HAMELIN MENTIONED 🎉🎉🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
He had a pretty good 1997 season--18 HRs and a .853 OPS
Another great video from Humm baby!!!!
Discovered your channel due to the TH-cam suggestions.
I will say this;
Albeit I am only familiar with a handful of your list, players(i.e. baseball football basketball etc) who were/are average players that had a BREAKOUT or SEASON TO REMEMBER and then go back to being average(or worst below average) there are numerous reasons for this and you pretty much mentioned those....
But the ONE that stood out to me from this list was Bob Hamlin.
Never heard of him until today,
But the fact that he QUIT not only in the middle of the game.... but he quit on this teammates and MOST IMPORTANTLY.... himself.
Interesting
Dude, great video! Please make more! ; )
Willie Montanez hit 30 homers in his rookie year and never came close to that many for the rest of of his career
@TTony-tu6dm True, but I think he still hit over .300 in a couple of seasons.
@@BunnEFartz He was traded from the Phillies to the Giants during the 1975 season, and finished with a combined average of .302. Maddox said he was flattered to be traded for a player as good as Montanez. Willie was traded to the Braves in mid-season in 1976, with a combined average of .317 (.309 with SF, .321 with Atlanta).
He wore killer oversized wristbands
Excellent video!
Was Jose Lima considered for this?
Add Mike Norris’ 1980 season with the A’s. He was 22-9 with a 2.53 ERA and was second in the Cy Young voting. He didn’t win more than 12 games during any other season in his 10 year career. His arm was ultimately blown out by Billy Martin’s mismanagement of the A’s pitching staff in the early 80’s.
Yea idk about 12 year guys making this list. Last a decade in the show and you kinda surpass the list. Like chase headley, dickey, tatis for example . They all had decent careers, not sure about calling them 1 hit wonders
That’s a fantastic one. Like buzz Capra. He was very mediocre before Martin got there so was his arm blown out or did he just have one of those years. Don’t know.
@@kenw2225 Doesn't matter how many years. Point is the player had one great year, and only one. Mike Norris was the first guy I thought of when I saw the title. He should've won the Cy Young that year, and in every other full season he was below average. Funny enough, the guy that did win the Cy that year, Steve Stone, is more deserving of being on the list than Dickey.
1980 had a lot of good player seasons Miguel dilone
No Jack Armstrong"????? Started the 1990 all-star game.
He was one I thought of; like Hammaker, he was a half-season sensation, but never did much after that.
Jack had a solid first half for the Red's that year winning just about every start until the break. A book I read about the 1990 Reds stated that Armstrong reached back for a little "extra" during his inning he pitched and felt something weird in his shoulder afterwards. Velocity went way down in the second half. He did have a moment when he went 3 innings scoreless in Game 2 of the WS against the A's that fall but pretty much faded into obscurity after that remarkable first half of 1990.
Butch Metzger 1976 Padres. Co-ROTY in 76. 11-4 sub 3 ERA. Never came close to that level again
His co-rookie Pat Zachary 14-7.
In first grade I started collecting baseball cards in 1980 and Joe charbonneau was one of my favorites. At that age I couldn't comprehend how he just fell off the map..... Hell it's still hard for me to understand today, and it must be incomprehensible for him
Back injuries will get you every time.
He had a poor swing mechanics. Others are tim andersen and joe gallo. Gallo is really poor. They found charbanous hole, he failed to adjust. It's that simple.
How about Junior Felix of the Blue Jays? He hit a homerun on the first pitch he saw in 1989, his rookie season. Later that season, he had a monster series against the Red Sox at Fenway in which he hit an inside-the-park grand slam homerun and drove in 10 runs in a four-game sweep. He was the early favourite for rookie of the year 1989 until he came down to earth. He had decent numbers for a few years more, but the first two months of his career looked like the beginning of a great career.
For those of us old enough to remember. Dwight Gooden was only truly elite for that one season. It was a legendary season. But otherwise he was solid middle of the rotation guy but nothing more
No he had 2 great seasons. His rookie season and his second season were lights out. He fell back down to earth in his third season.
3 great seasons, 4 good season and a couple more solid seasons. 194 wins and a 3.51 ERA is better than middle of the rotation. One of the ultimate what ifs, if not for the drugs that is.
DR. K was great for more than 1 season, come on man
Phillies fans will never forget when Dom Brown FINALLY broke out, made the AS game & was ready to be the top player he was pegged to be as our top prospect...yeah, about that.....
As a Blue Jays fan, I think at least a mention is deserved for Justin Smoak and Aaron Sanchez, Smoak was only all star caliber for like half of 2017 then faded off back to mediocre in years following and Sanchez, converted fo a starter and won the era title in 2016 then couldn't stay healthy if his life depended on it and was never even half of his 2016 self again
Pat Listach was the 1992 ROY. After that, I don't know what happened.
Good video, lot of nice info. Just wanted to say Bill James faced the Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series, not the Phillies as stated in the video.
Domonic Brown Philadelphia Phillies. He hit .272 with 27HR 83RBI and an All Star appearance in 2013. He was out of the MLB after the 2015 season and tried switching to a Pitcher but only lasted 1 Minor League season.
Great video thanks for the memories
One of my favorite topics. Noticed quite a few Tennessee boys on this list. I would include Wes Parker & Jim Hickman, both 1970...
I was gonna say Davey Johnson, but he had at least a half dozen good years, but still never hit over 18 Homers in another season other than his 43 in 1973. Not really a flash in the pan..... Pretty much like Brady Anderson. I'd take off R.A. Dickey and put Cubs Catcher Rick Wilkins in there. In 1993 he hit .303 with 30 Homers and a .937 OPS with a 6.6 WAR. He had only one other season barely even close (1996).
My Central European grandmother could hit 30 home runs in Wrigley Field. LOL.😄😃😃
@@anonymike8280 Too bad we'll never get to find out 😁
Don Schwall - he a great rookie season for Boston and pitched in the All-Star game. He was Rookie of the Year in 1961 but was never a top-rated starting pitcher after that.
Those old time uni's were so awesome. The Angels home white and black with red trim were beautiful and the Indians all red's were simply gorgeous....
Never heard of Bill James, now I have. I've heard of most of the players. Mark Fidrych, that was my last year in Ohio. What a showman. He loved baseball and had a youthful enthusiasm. He was a joy to watch in an otherwise mediocre year for the Tigers.
Earl Williams had two decent seasons, 1971 33 hr's with Atlanta, in his rookie year and 28 the next with Baltimore. The big catcher never regained that ability and was out of baseball in 3 years
It’s wild going back to look at players like Jerome Walton on Baseball Reference…
I remember having some of his rookie cards and thinking he was a future star…
He had an OPS+ of 100 (league average) his rookie year 🤷♂️
good video. at least most of these guys cashed in on their one good season.
What I remember about Hammaker is his All-Star game performance (I thought being an All-Star made him exempt - but then...) where he was POUNDED and gave up 7 runs in .2 innings! I was at Cal State Long Beach and 2 of my roomies were SF Giants fans (as I have to guess YOU are and THUS a Dodgers hater - don't feel bad; it comes with the territory) and were ready to option him to the minors at that point (yes over an All-Star appearance).
So, as a Dodgers fan, I remember Billy "Grabs". Or I THOUGHT I did. I remembered him being the replacement for Maury Wills but he actually played 2nd or 3rd and his Dodgers career overlapped Will's last stint with the Dodgers from '69-'72. I DO remember that there was this 'urban legend' that he played better when the Dodgers were on TV (He seemed to hit a lead off home run a lot) but the realism is that IF they were on TV then it was a Sunday day game (And on the road) and he just liked to play when the sun made it warmer. And it should be pointed out that by 'being selected' to the All-Star team, it was by the NL AS coaching staff not the fans.
SO...re RA Dickey. I was living the DFW area when he was with the Rangers. It was then that it was discovered that he would NEVER need Tommy John surgery as he didn't have an Ulnar Collateral Ligament to tear! He was lucky to be able to turn a doorknob let alone pitch a the MLB level!
Should have called him Mark "The LOONEY Bird" Fidrych.
I'd like to see the innings pitched on some of these - Fidrych and James.
"Seattle" BIll James was 'sent home' to rest his arm. Back then a road trip - especially a deep east coast team like Boston - meant a MONTH, maybe MORE traveling by train! A team might play ALL seven teams in the league on ONE road trip. One might argue that the teams are "softer" today 'cause they travel by air. I remember growing up in LA as a Dodgers fan and on the last Thursday (once in a while Wednesday) home series game they would have a 'business man's special' game. It didn't make sense to me - my Dad was a business man and he wouldn't be able to go to a 1p game in the middle of the week. Well, most teams today call them "Getaway days". I ended up working for the Rangers and there was a time when they NEVER played a day game from 1July - 1 Sep. But then the ESPN Sunday night game of the week came along and there couldn't be any 'competition' ('cause by now almost EVERY game - even home games - were televised). The mid-week last game of the homestand/Sunday home game NOT the ESPN games were BRUTAL for us working the games. The smart fans would hang out in the clubs.
Bernie Carbo. Runner up ROY in 1970 with the Big Red Machine, 21 HRs, .310 BA. Hit .219 the following year. Hung around for another decade and had some decent years with 5 different teams but never approached 1970. Did hit a huge pinch hit WS homer in 1975 though.
That was the only season of his 12 that he had more than 100 hits, or more than 20 HRs, or hit over .300.
Tatis was not an all star aside from his big year ,but he was still a good ball player for years with some power and years around .300...I don't think he lines up with what you're trying to do here...I'd love to hear how R.A. Dickey was a one and done like your title says?? Guy had two sub 3 era seasons and was a very good pitcher in the league for years...If you dig deeper,I think you'll find far more flash in the pans and one and dones than you think....The Wayne Garland spot was very good...
Great video!
Excellent topic, well done.
There will likely be another guy that hits two slams in one inning at some point. But I predict that it will NEVER again happen that both were hit off the same pitcher.
1961 Jim Gentile. Fantastic season. Only one.
I was 10 years old in 1961 but remember "Diamond Jim" as he called in Baltimore. I believe he had two grand slams in a game.
@@markkaminski2416 ...Grand Slam 1st inning, Grand Slam in the 2nd inning. Sacrifice fly later for total of 9 RBI's. Diamond Jim had 5 Grand Slams that year, tied Ernie Banks for the record. He also had 146 RBI's that season.
@@jacklaurie100Wow 146 RBI ! Do you recall the DNR tagged a giant Stripped Bass in the bay and nicknamed it Diamond Jim and offered a cash prize to the angler that caught it.
Oh my Cousin's Cleveland family hated that Garland contract.
Love the channel
i saw Garland pitch with the rochseter redwings in triple a and tatis in college with Arizona state. they were both really good it's a shame they couldn't have great careers in the big leagues.
These stories really are a bummer. I suffered a bad back injury when I was 13. Never been the same since. I always wonder what would have been.
I remember Wayne Garland with the Orioles. He was among the first-ever MLB free agents and cashed in--as noted in the video--with that huge contract from Cleveland. By the time that contract expired, he was almost broke. He said himself that when he was making only $23,000 in his last season with the Orioles, he always had some money in his pocket. After he signed that contract with Cleveland, he never seemed to have any money. Just another example of an athlete for whom sudden wealth was more of a curse than a blessing.
"Wonderful Willie" Smith, Los Angeles Angels, 1964. He was acquired by the Angels from the Tigers as a pitcher. He didn't pitch much for the Angels when they saw what he could do with a bat. He batted .301 with 11 HRs and 51 RBI. He didn't become a regular in the outfield until mid-June. 1965 was not as good and would be the last year he would be a starting outfielder. The rest of his 9-year career he would be a very effective pinch-hitter.
20:05 Somebody shot a fish.
What about Herman Munster? Leo Durocher said he was the best project he ever saw
Ohhhhh LILY!!!
Durocher was also on The Beverly Hillbillies catching Jethro's "Possum Ball'.
Couldn’t hit the curveball .
Perhaps Norm Cash belongs on this list. The Tigers 1st baseman had a respectable 17-year career, but he wasn't much above average, except for in 1961, when he hit .361 to lead the league, had a league-leading 193 hits, hit 41 HRs, with 132 RBIs, all career highs. He never again hit over .300, or drove in over 100 RBIs.
Didn't SS Kevin Elster also play for the LA Dodgers in the year 2000? I hope I got this right but on Opening Day 2000 in the SF Giants brand new, 1st game at Pac Bell Park, Kevin Elster (SS) hit 3 home runs in that particular game.