Who had the ultimate career year? You decide.

Skinpinch

I would like to hear from posters on their choices as the ultimate career year(in baseball). Which player just played out of his gord for one season, a season which was never closely replicated before or after that season. There are many candidates for this baseballl phenomenon.

bri2327

Brady Anderson 1996. 50 HR's, only more than 20 two other times with a high of 24.

Steve Stone 1980. 25-7, only won more than 12 one other time.

Bobby Shantz 1952. 24-7, only won more than 11 one other time.

Walt Dropo, 1950. .322 ave 34 HR's 144 RBI's. Never batted .300 again, never hit 30 HR's again, never drove in 100 runs again.

Davey Johnson 1973. 43 HR's 99 RBI's. He never hit more than 18 in any other season.

Gene Bearden 1948. 20-7, never won more than 8 any other year, career 45-38.

1420sports

Not taking anything away from Maris, but hitting 61 is way up there.

OT - only three other players hit over 60 after he did, and all three probably have tiny wee-wee's now ...

ctsoxfan

Dwight Gooden, 24-4 in 1985, had a few good seasons after that, but none like 1985 (268 K's, and 16 CG's - 8 of them shutouts).

thegemmintman

Maris, when you consider the magnitude of beating Babe.

Axtell

Brady Anderson, 1996:

.297, 50 HRs, 110 RBI, .637 SLG; career averages: .256, 19, 67, .425. (it was the only year he hit more than 24 HR).

Kevin Mitchell, 1989:

.291, 47 HRs, 125 RBI, .635 SLG, he had 19 home runs the year before in nearly the same number of at bats.

Ron Guidry, 1978:

25-3, 1.74 ERA, .946 WHIP; career ERA was 3.29 and WHIP was 1.184.

Luis Gonzalez, 2001:

.325, 57 HRs, 142 RBI, .688 SLG; career averages, .285, 24 HR, 94 RBI, .487 SLG.

ToppsCo1lector

Adrian Beltre:
.334 BA, 48 HR, 121RBI Career averages of .271/24/86

Previously mentioned Brady Anderson.

80sToyguy

There were lots of guys in 87, Boggs with 24 homers (way more than any other year), Larry Sheets had 30ish, Schmidt and Murphy had really good years then the following year were basically done (and Schmidt retired)--have to think, but 1987 was probably the craziest year in my memory, take a look at that year and see.
Jay

dallasactuary

For hitting, I don't know that anybody can match what Norm Cash did in 1961; he led the league in Runs Created with 170 (kicking Maris' butt) and never before or again got higher than 101.

Not quite as dramatic as Gooden, but probably more than Guidry, was Dean Chance in 1964. He beat out, deservedly, Sandy Koufax for the Cy Young Award with his 1.65 ERA and 11 shutouts, and never again received - or deserved - a single vote for the CYA again.

Skinpinch

Cash had a huge uptick, but at least he had some other excellent seasons. Guidry? Yeah, he had a monster year, but the very next year his ERA was 2.78, and he had other excellent seasons as well, in both Innings and ERA.

ESTEBAN LOAIZA. He was the poster boy for being "hittable" during his American League tenure, then all of a sudden in 2003 he throws 226 innings and had a 2.90 ERA. His best second AL ERA was 4.56, and he was routinely around 5.00. He had a 3.77 NL ERA last year, and that would translate(including the park and league) to around 4.50 as well. Compared to his 2.90 ERA of 2003, he gets my vote as the ultimate career year.

In his 226 inings he gave up only 196 hits! He was always over 1 hit per inning, and by huge margins some seasons. He somehow struck out 207 batters. His best AL total was 137.


ADRIAN BELTRE gets a second from me. I have never seen such an established and consistent batting line from a guy, and then all of a sudden BAM, he goes nuts. Then the following year, SLAP(the sound of reality hitting his face), he is right back to the pitiful on base hitting, and mediocore to below average normalcy. Cash had a bigger uptick over any other season, but all of Beltre's seasons are a big distance apart from the lucky season he had.

DirtyHarry

I concur on Brady Anderson. Many of the others mentioned here had "career years" in good careers.

1420sports

Chris Sims and Cadillac Williams probably had career years last year ... same with TO

Axtell

<< <i>Chris Sims and Cadillac Williams probably had career years last year ... same with TO >>



Jealousy's a stinky cologne - let it go, man.

ToppsCo1lector

The same can be said for Donovan McNabb of 2 seasons ago. Look at the difference in his passing numbers.

perkdog

I vote for Beltre. The guy just reeks of a bad investment.

Michigan

Mark "the Bird" Fidrych pitcher for the Tigers in the 1976 season.


One great season and he never came close after that.

I remember the hype and hoopla.

Detroit area radio stations started playing the old song "Surfer bird" by the Trashmen.

A goofy novelty number that went "don't you know about the bird well everybodys heard that the
bird is the word"

"bird bird bird bird is the word". etc.


Silly but fun.

Brian48

Maris.

dallasactuary

<< <i>Maris. >>



I don't think a guy who won back-to-back MVPs is even eligible in this category, even if he didn't deserve either one.

Griffins

Cash admitted later his bat was corked that season. Might've helped a bit, but in light of all the steroids seems pretty minor now.

Axtell

<< <i>Cash admitted later his bat was corked that season. Might've helped a bit, but in light of all the steroids seems pretty minor now. >>



A corked bat got Sosa absolutely crushed in the media.

ToppsCo1lector

It didn't crush Albert Belle, his personality did that for him. But a player coming out and saying ALL of Alberts bats were corked wasn't good news either.

Connecticoin

Denny McLain, 1968: 31-6, 1.96 ERA.

I think there is a better shot of someone hitting .400 again than ever winning 30 games again.

The only pitcher in recent history I even thought had a whiff of a chance was Pedro in 1999, but ended up not even close (23-4).

bri2327

I dont think Maris should be considered either. He won the MVP the year before. It was my understanding that the question was aimed towards players who were average at best but had one enormous season. Same goes for whoever said Guidry. He was a monster in 78 but won 20 two other times.

Griffins

Axtell, Sammy said his corked bat was only used during batting practice

How about Joe Charboneau and Tony Horton? Both Rookies of the year, then nada.

kcballboy

Ken Caminiti had a huge year in 96 (I think) when he won the MVP. Hit around .315, 40 hrs and 130 rbi. He was always a solid player, but never like that year.

ToppsCo1lector

Ken admitted to being a Roid Boy. Quite a club nowadays huh.

Skinpinch

Bri, right. I was kind of looking for the guy who if you plotted his career on a graph that it would be the great plains, then straight up to the ROcky Mountain top, and then straight back down to the great plains. Still good to discuss all the types though.

I certainly agree wtih questioning the mention of Guidry. Kind of hard to put him in the same group that features Esteban Loaiza.

Maris's '60 seasons is close to his '61 season. His Rocky Mountain would have a slight plateau. There should be no plateaus. Mclain has a slight plateau too.

We need the dramatic rise, and then bam, the dramatic fall to reality with hardly a middle area anywhere.

bri2327

Skin, did you happen to check out a couple of the guys I mentioned ? You are far better than I at delving into the numbers but it seemed to me at least that guys like Dropo, Bearden, and Davey Johnson were all prime examples of that phenomena. Also, check out a guy named Cy Ceymour and his season in 1905 compared with the rest of his career.

stown

In '94, Bagwell was having one of the greatest years I've ever witnessed before breaking his hand.

39 HRs, 116 RBIs, .750 SLUGGING, .451 OBP, and batting .368 in only 110 games