I think there should be a clear distinction between a guy who arguably hung around too long bouncing from team to team (like a Murray or a Giambi or a Carlton) and someone who had a high peak before flaming out quickly and disappearing into obscurity at a relatively young age (King Felix, Lincecum, etc).I definitely hear what you're saying, but I have trouble believing that someone who played for 21 seasons could have faded away. I guess there are many definitions of what fits the criteria.
Radatz was hurt before he left Boston. He spent the rest of his bounce around career trying play through it.Dick Radatz, to a T.
Damn, dude threw 13 SO innings….twice!Frank Tanana went from being a dominant 9+Ks an inning 130-150 ERA+ guy for 3 years until age 23, to being a league average innings eater and junkballer (a quotable guy, he called his fastball "my '79 Blazer" in those later years). He hurt his arm after averaging about 250 IP from ages 20 to 24. It was an immediate decline but quite stable in its averageness after the early brilliance, made possible by knowing how to change speeds and excellent control. By the end of his career I think most people had forgotten how good he'd been at the start.
Dustin was KO´d by Machado. Never recovered from that knee injury and we know he was dying to go out there and play. I still remember him taking grounders on his knees when he had broken his ankle in 2010.Dustin Pedroia.
To a lesser extent, Kevin Youkilis.
Alex Rios and Vernon Wells.I always thought that Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield fit this mold. Both had a few big seasons when they were young (mid-20s) in the mid-1980s (and along with Joe Carter were expected to become a perennial All-Star outfield for the Blue Jays), but then each one kind of came back to Earth and had several unmemorable seasons thereafter.
I think you mean George Bell rather than Joe Carter. When Moseby and Barfield shared the outfield in Toronto, Carter was in Cleveland.I always thought that Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield fit this mold. Both had a few big seasons when they were young (mid-20s) in the mid-1980s (and along with Joe Carter were expected to become a perennial All-Star outfield for the Blue Jays), but then each one kind of came back to Earth and had several unmemorable seasons thereafter.
Yes, you're absolutely right. It was Bell, not Carter.I think you mean George Bell rather than Joe Carter. When Moseby and Barfield shared the outfield in Toronto, Carter was in Cleveland.
Definitely a great fit for the thread though. Barfield led the AL in HR at age 26, won two Gold Gloves in RF, and out of the league before age 33. Moseby didn't quite have the same highs but he was done by age 31. Even Bell fits. MVP in 1987, fourth in 1989. Done by 1993 at age 33.
Traded by the Cubs to the cross-town White Sox for Sammy Sosa.Definitely a great fit for the thread though. Barfield led the AL in HR at age 26, won two Gold Gloves in RF, and out of the league before age 33. Moseby didn't quite have the same highs but he was done by age 31. Even Bell fits. MVP in 1987, fourth in 1989. Done by 1993 at age 33.
Jose Iglesias!That's fair. Has there ever been another player who was only good while with one team, no matter how many times he came and went?
Morneau had a huge concussion I believe in 2010 and he was never the same afterwards. It's a real shame.Justin Morneau came to mind. He even had a great year the 3rd year before he retired in Colorado and then the injuries finally caught up to him.
Strawberry had a bit of a revival with the Yankees in the 1990's.Do Dwight Gooden or Daryl Strawberry count?
Addiction rather than injury.
Kazmir was never really a reliever (only two MLB relief appearances). He looked pretty toasty in Anaheim, struggling with velocity and keeping his K:BB ratio above 1. He had a pretty brutal line in AAA (15.1 IP, 17.02 ERA, 22 hits, 20 walks, 14 K's, 6 HBPs, 5 wild pitches) and then put up a 5.34 ERA for Sugar Land in 2012. He made a pretty good comeback the year after with Cleveland and put up a 3.75 ERA from 2013-16 with various teams before getting hurt. What also made it surprising was that he did a pretty good job limiting walks (2.8 BB/9) considering he had a career 4.2 BB/9 prior to 2013. He did make one more brief comeback in 2021 after missing 2017-2020.I know he had a good career as a reliever for awhile, but Scott Kazmir was crazy good as a starter until he got hurt and was never really the same afterward. Not sure if he would fit the bill.
Rich Porcello might, though. He won a surprise CYA in 2016 and was out of the league as of 2020.
2003-09: .280/.376/.520, 131 OPS+, 22.5 WAR in 3897 PASpeaking of, how about Jason Bay?
Strawberry declined but he didn't fade away. He was CONSTANTLY getting media coverage in his troubled years (basically the 90s). He was also still productive when he managed to get on the field.Do Dwight Gooden or Daryl Strawberry count?
Addiction rather than injury.
Carlos Pena.Remember when Cruz Jr was on the Sox? Similar to Adam Laroche, Sean Berry, and another 1b who I can’t remember right now….blink and you missed it.
Don’t recall the year but the Sox claimed him off waivers late in the season but he didn’t want to come back to Boston.Johnny Damon, retired 241 hits shy of 3k, but once he joined the MFY, he faded into obscurity even on his own team. Did you know he played for the Tigers, Rays & Indians after the Yanks?
edit: he wasn't terrible during the fade, just obscure and nowhere near as exciting.
Hank Blalock, Morgan Ensberg. Richard Heldago (this isn't his name, what is his name?). Like 100 other Texas and Houston players.Travis Hafner - A late bloomer, he became a Cleveland's full time DH in 2003, his age 26 season.
Age 27 he slashed .311/.410/.583 (league leading 162 OPS+)
Age 28 he slashed .305/.408/.595 (second in league 168 OPS+)
Age 29 he slashed .308/.439/.659 (league leading 181 OPS+)
Hafner finished 24th, 5th, and 8th in MVP voting between 2004-2006. The most interesting thing about Hafner is that he never made an All-Star team; I guess there was only room for one DH, and Ortiz was the bigger star.
He had a big drop off at age 30, hitting .266/.385/.451 (a still very good 120 OPS+) After that he mostly played partial seasons for Cleveland due to injuries. From ages 31-35, Hafner averaged 86 games a year, slashing .259/.353/.436 (117 OPS+). At age 36 he signed with the Yankees and hit .202/.301/.378 in 82 games.
Jesse Barfield is a really nice guy and does lots of youth coaching with the Jays. He said he had a back issue that never really stopped him from playing but reduced his flexibility after he left Toronto. He said after he retired a physio helped him with it, but it was written off as aging when he played. He and Dwayne Ward both told the parents they thought they had injuries that current baseball medicine would have solved. They both thought the medical advancements of the game were a bigger factor in the game changing than anything else. Ward thought the number of relievers who come out of the pen throwing 95+ had to do with people understanding how to look after the pitchers and stop them from getting hurt when they are young. He said when he came up the minors were a "war-zone" where tons of pitchers got hurt, and were released.I think you mean George Bell rather than Joe Carter. When Moseby and Barfield shared the outfield in Toronto, Carter was in Cleveland.
Definitely a great fit for the thread though. Barfield led the AL in HR at age 26, won two Gold Gloves in RF, and out of the league before age 33. Moseby didn't quite have the same highs but he was done by age 31. Even Bell fits. MVP in 1987, fourth in 1989. Done by 1993 at age 33.
Rico Brogna?Remember when Cruz Jr was on the Sox? Similar to Adam Laroche, Sean Berry, and another 1b who I can’t remember right now….blink and you missed it.
He's having a pretty good year. Played more games than Story, Batting .300, ops .729Jose Iglesias!
Hall of Famers that the Mets signed way too late could be a decent threadWas Roberto Alomar mentioned? Which reminds me of his teammate, Carlos Baerga.
edit: Alomar was coming off a career year, got paid by the Mets and just fell off. 7.3 WAR in 2001. The next 3 years, -0.3.
He had a bad concussion that affected him for quite some time after, IIRC2003-09: .280/.376/.520, 131 OPS+, 22.5 WAR in 3897 PA
2010-13 .229/.314/.373, 91 OPS+, 2.3 WAR in 1361 PA
Loved him in his brief time in Boston (hence the name).
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e45Pob6WbR8
It wasn’t Brogna but he probably qualifies. Maybe JT Snow? Shane Andrews? Cal Pickering? Or…Roberto Petagine.Rico Brogna?