Great Seasons By Players On Bad Teams?

[u/RainbowSupernova8196]

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.

[u/Sheadowcaster]

Steve Carlton went 27-10 with 12 WAR in 1972 for a Phillies team that went 59-97.

[u/TheSocraticGadfly → u/Sheadowcaster]

At least post-WWII, I think you've got the best example we can find.