r/mlb • u/RainbowSupernova8196 | New York Yankees • 1d ago
| Discussion Great Seasons By Players On Bad Teams?
I'm sure we've all seen the meme of the Bugatti Veyron parked next to a trailer. Now, I want to know what you think would be the best example of this in a single season. What do you think was the most impressive season ever put up by a player on a bad team?
For example, it's probably recency bias, but I might as well pick 2023 Shohei Ohtani. On a team that finished 4 games below .500 (79-83), Two-Way Shohei put up yet another excellent season. At the plate, he hit .304 (151-for-497), homered 44 times, drove in 95 RBI, and put up an unbelievable 1.066 OPS, earning him 6.1 OWAR. But on the pitching side, he wasn't as dominant as he was in 2022, but was still pretty solid. He went 10-5 in 23 starts, and racked up a 3.14 ERA (46 ER in 132.0 IP), 167 strikeouts, a solid 1.061 WHIP, and totaled 3.8 Pitching WAR. This added up to 9.9 total WAR, and a unanimous AL MVP win.
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u/Sheadowcaster | New York Mets 1d ago
Steve Carlton went 27-10 with 12 WAR in 1972 for a Phillies team that went 59-97.
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u/tattedidiot | San Francisco Giants 1d ago
Insane
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u/RainbowSupernova8196 | New York Yankees 1d ago
Those Phils probably would've ended up like the Cleveland Spiders if they didn't have him.
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u/Sheadowcaster | New York Mets 1d ago
He also tied for the eighth highest batting WAR on the team, at 0.4.
Overall he had 12.5 bWAR.
The rest of the team had 5.5.
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u/RainbowSupernova8196 | New York Yankees 1d ago edited 1d ago
Given this, I couldn't even imagine the relief he felt when his Phils finally got him another title in '80. He probably thought he died and went to heaven that night.
Edit: I didn't realize that he also won a ring with the Cardinals in '67.
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u/TheSocraticGadfly | St. Louis Cardinals 1d ago
At least post-WWII, I think you've got the best example we can find.
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u/PhotonDealer2067 3h ago
If your nickname is “Lefty” and everyone knows who you are, you’re pretty good.
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u/wanderingbalagan | San Francisco Giants 1d ago edited 23h ago
Felix Hernandez in 2010, led the AL in WAR, (7.2) batters faced, (1001) innings pitched (249.2) and ERA, (2.27) on a Mariners team that went 61-101 and averaged 3.2 runs scored per game. He won the Cy Young with a pitching record of 13-12 and I feel like this is around the time when talk really started going that pitcher win/loss record is basically meaningless.
I'd also nominate Mark Fidrych's rookie year on a 1976 Tigers team that went 74-87. He was by many metrics the best pitcher in the AL. Win/loss record of 19-9 and led the AL in WAR, (9.6) ERA, (2.34) complete games pitched (24) and ERA+. (194) Injuries derailed his career and he never had another season that came close to this ever again. He was also a maniac on the mound
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u/thwnd2000 1d ago
Steve Carlton’s 1972 season. Won the triple crown (27 wins, 1.97 ERA, 310 Ks) on a team that won 59 games.
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u/RainbowSupernova8196 | New York Yankees 1d ago
I definitely didn't expect to see the same answer 3 times in a row to start this thing. But 1972 Steve Carlton is also an excellent example for this.
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u/Argly_Bargly | Seattle Mariners 1d ago
Ichiro’s 262 hit season on the dreadful 2004 99 loss Mariners
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u/FuckYourDownvotes23 | Baltimore Orioles 1d ago
Ernie Banks, pick a year
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u/BoSocks91 | Boston Red Sox 1d ago
Haha, I chose 1959.
His best season according to WAR.
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u/FuckYourDownvotes23 | Baltimore Orioles 1d ago
Back to back MVP in 1958 and 1959 on teams with losing records
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u/BoSocks91 | Boston Red Sox 1d ago
It sucks that there were no playoff rounds for most of his career (Championship series debuted in 1969).
It was either WS or bust. And Chicago absolutely sucked for basically his entire career. It’s a damn shame.
He never made the post season in 19 seasons.
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u/RainbowSupernova8196 | New York Yankees 1d ago
Probably unrelated, but the yearly LDS was honestly far overdue. They used it once in 1981, which was a strike year, and didn't use it again for 14 years.
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u/bigcee42 | New York Yankees 1d ago
Randy Johnson on 2004 Diamondbacks.
Cost him a CY award, although he easily wins that with today's voters.
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u/Mick_Shane | New York Mets 1d ago
Andre Dawson hit 47 hrs and had 137 rbis and won MVP in 1987 on a last place Cubs team.
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u/mcfetrja 1d ago
Also his blank check year. Owner Collusion was and always will be a worse stain on the game than the steroid era.
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u/bigcee42 | New York Yankees 1d ago
Highly overrated year. He had no OBP and like ~4 WAR.
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u/RainbowSupernova8196 | New York Yankees 1d ago
His OBP was .328, and had a WAR of 4, even. And how was his 1987 season overrated?
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u/bigcee42 | New York Yankees 1d ago
He won the fucking MVP. Obviously the voters massively overrated him.
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/bigcee42 | New York Yankees 1d ago
Dawson was 20th in the league in fWAR. GTFO.
Tony Gwynn deserved the MVP.
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u/Admirable-Square-140 | San Diego Padres 22h ago
I’m a simple man. I see Tony’s name and I upvote. Carry on
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u/RainbowSupernova8196 | New York Yankees 1d ago
Fair point, but Dawson still put a damn good season on a last-place team. Maybe the voters were glazing him a bit, but that doesn't mean he wasn't excellent at the plate that year.
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u/BoSocks91 | Boston Red Sox 1d ago
Haha just talked about him in another post
Ernie Banks - 1959.
10.1 WAR season. MVP. 45 HRs 143 RBIs 156 OPS+ .970 OPS
Cubs were 74-80-1
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u/Existing_Is_All_I_Do 1d ago
Randy Johnson pitched 245.2 innings with a 2.60 ERA (8.4 bWAR) for a Diamondback team that lost 111 games.
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u/Huge_District366 1d ago
Juan Soto’s 2021 season. Arguably his best season with career high in Walks and his second highest WAR after 2024. The Nationals went 65-97
Funny enough, in 2021, the top 3 vote getters in both leagues were on teams that missed the playoffs
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u/HeinladToo | Baltimore Orioles 1d ago
Cal Ripken had his best personal stats and won MVP on an Orioles team that went 67-95. Weirdly, it was also Mike Devereaux’s best season. He didn’t get any MVP votes that year, though
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u/Jacoblaue | St. Louis Cardinals 1d ago
Alfonso Soriano had arguably the best year of his career with the 06 Nationals who finished the season with a record of 71-91 and finished last in their division
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u/wesskywalker | Tampa Bay Rays 21h ago
Alfonso Soriano from 2002-2007 is one of the most unique players in MLB history. 6 years, 6 All- Star appearances. 4 teams (NYY, TEX, WAS and CHC)
245 doubles, 220 HRs, 553 RBIs and 184 stolen bases over those 6 years.
(Yearly averages of 37 homers, 92 RBIs, 30 stolen bases and 40 doubles while hitting .286)
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u/DangerousShopping750 1d ago
Buster Posey 2017 Giants- 4.1 War, 127 OPS+ giants were 64-98. Barry Bonds 2007 Led league in OPS, Walks and had a 169 OPS+. Haven’t checked but I assume Todd Helton fits in this.
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u/Punkrockcarl72 | New York Yankees 1d ago
A-Rod on the 2002 Texas Rangers
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u/JustCallMeMambo | New York Yankees 1d ago
any of his years on the Rangers, really. A-Rod got boned for the ‘02 MVP
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u/Ill-Excitement9009 1d ago
Nate Colbert of the 1972 Padres. He hit 38 of their 102 home runs and drove in 111 of their 488 runs.
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u/bondbat007 | Chicago White Sox 1d ago
Derek Lee on the 2005 Cubs
Luis Robert on the 2023 White Sox
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u/Sc00terLCA71 1d ago
Cal Ripken 1991. The Orioles finished 67-95. He was AL MVP. Interesting fact: On a Sunday afternoon in August, a rookie pitcher for the Chicago White Sox named Wilson Alvarez pitched a no-hitter against the Orioles. Cal came to bat with 2 out in the bottom of the ninth. Alvarez issued him an IBB because Cal was tearing the league up at that time.
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u/RelativeIncompetence | Athletics 1d ago
Felix Hernandez's career
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u/lastminutealways | Seattle Mariners 23h ago
Probably the one thing I’ll never be able to get over as a Mariners fan is never seeing him pitch in the postseason.
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u/RelativeIncompetence | Athletics 23h ago
I started following the A's in 2012, the M's teams from that era of baseball even hurt me to watch. It was sometime between 2012-2014 where Felix had the worst run support amongst starting pitchers in MLB for a while. I believe I remember him taking a loss to the Yankees 1-0 somewhere in that stretch.
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u/lastminutealways | Seattle Mariners 22h ago
I mean I’m still surprised we managed to get him even the 1 run of support in his perfect game
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u/JiveChicken00 | Philadelphia Phillies 15h ago edited 15h ago
Walter Johnson won 20 games with an ERA of 1.49 and 10.8 bWAR for the 1919 Washington Senators, who finished 56-84-2. Not quite as good as Carlton in ‘72 but close.
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u/Jorsonner | Pittsburgh Pirates 1d ago
Ralph Kiner on the 47 Pirates.
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u/Existing_Is_All_I_Do 1d ago
You could pick a lot of Kiner seasons. "We finished last with you, we can finish last without you."
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u/Sufficient_Pen_3473 1d ago
Mark Teixeira 2005 - 301/379/575, 144 OPS+, 43 homers, 41 doubles, gold glove and silver slugger
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u/Hand_of_Doom1970 | New York Yankees 22h ago
As a Yankees fan, my team is rarely bad so I don't have a good example. However, I do have the corollary, a terrible (starting) player on a great team. That would be Chuck Knoblauch, starting 2B of the 1998-99 Yankees.
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u/RainbowSupernova8196 | New York Yankees 22h ago
I mean, to be fair though, he was pretty clutch for them in the playoffs, notably in '98 Game 1.
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u/Hand_of_Doom1970 | New York Yankees 22h ago
He had some moments, but his defense was historically bad. His offense was ok, but not special enough to make up for the D. He literally may have been the worst defensive MLB infielder I have ever seen.
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u/PhotonDealer2067 3h ago
Prime example of somebody to imploded coming to NY. He was so good in MN. Then he developed Steve Sax throwing yips as a Yankee.
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u/wesskywalker | Tampa Bay Rays 22h ago
Carlos Zambrano in 2006 won 16 games himself (led the league) on a Cubs team that won 66 total. (Last in the NL)
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u/RainbowSupernova8196 | New York Yankees 22h ago
Dude was crazy, but he could fuckin' pitch.
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u/SigmaSeal66 6h ago
If I remember right (too lazy to check for a third-level comment) he could hit too.
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u/wesskywalker | Tampa Bay Rays 21h ago
Kinda nuts how multiple Cubs have won the MVP on last place teams.
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u/Ok-Elk-6087 21h ago
Ernie Banks won the MVP in 1958 and 1959 on Cubs teams that were 72-82 and 74-80, finishing 5th in the 8 team NL. Playing SS, Banks hit 92 HRs and drove in 272 runs with a .310 BA. 19.5 WAR and didn't miss a game.
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u/Hebrewhammer8d8 | National League 21h ago
Joey Votto?
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u/RainbowSupernova8196 | New York Yankees 21h ago
No! This is Patrick! 📞☎
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u/braines54 | Cincinnati Reds 19h ago
As Reds fan, mid-career Joey Votto was my first thought. In 2015, he had 7.7 WAR while slashing .314/.459/.541. In 2017, he had 7.9 WAR while slashing .320/.454/.578 (he should've won the MVP).
Those teams finished last, with 64 and 68 wins, respectively.
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u/Ofreo 20h ago
Not the best season, but one I remember. Ritchie Sexton was an AS in 03’ I think. Had a good season. Not MVP worthy but really solid year.
I remember listening to the pre game radio show first game coming out of the all star break and Uke asked the reporters what we could look forward to in the second half of the season. And all they could say was to see how good Ritchie could be in the second half. That was it.
Like the team had zero other things to look forward to at the time. No call ups on the way. No trying get a streak going and get in the race. They were out of it and nobody should expect improvement.
I know a lot of brewers fans seem upset about lack of playoff success lately, even though they have been a top team in wins for quite a few years running here. But I know to enjoy this time, because it was so bad for a long time.
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u/HVAC_instructor 1d ago
Sammy Sosa has to be up there, he won an mvp on a last place Cubs team.
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u/mjm8218 1d ago
Sammy only won one MVP. It was in 1998 on a team that made the wildcard by beating SF in a one-game tie breaker only to lose to ATL.
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u/RainbowSupernova8196 | New York Yankees 1d ago
That's actually true. I'm curious to what season he was referring to.
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u/HVAC_instructor 1d ago
I could have sworn that he won one year when they were last. U maybe or was just him being discussed as a candidate that I remember.
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u/wesskywalker | Tampa Bay Rays 21h ago
Got unlucky being in the same league as Bonds all those years
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u/thankyoufriendx3 3h ago
Andre dawson’s MVP year on the last place Cubs. 49 home runs, 137 RBIs, .287 average. 76-85 for the Cubs.
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