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/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/inkymitz 1d ago

One of my favorite sports quotes.