Every MLB Team's Biggest One-Year Wonder Hitter in Recent History
The one-year wonder is a fascinating phenomenon throughout professional sports, with the stars aligning for certain players over the course of one glorious season, only for them to fade back into oblivion just as quickly as they emerged.
To be clear, labeling someone as a one-year wonder is not meant to be an insult.
Countless players have come and gone without ever having that one year in the sun, and oftentimes those short-lived standouts endear themselves to their fan base as the years go by and nostalgia kicks in.
Ahead we've highlighted every MLB team's biggest one-year wonder in recent memory, focusing exclusively on position players this time around. Pitchers will be highlighted in their own separate article.
The "recent history" cutoff here was the 2010 season, so each of these one-year standouts turned in their surprise performance sometime in the last 13 years.
Enjoy!
Arizona Diamondbacks: IF Ryan Roberts
1 of 30
Year: 2011
Stats: 108 OPS+, .249/.341/.427, 46 XBH (19 HR), 65 RBI, 86 R, 2.3 WAR
Better known as the "TatMan" thanks to his dual arm sleeves, Ryan Roberts joined the Diamondbacks organization ahead of his age-28 season with just 18 career MLB games under his belt.
Two years later, he put together a career year, tallying 19 home runs and 18 steals in 555 plate appearances while playing primarily third base. The D-backs won 94 games and the NL West title that year, and he went 7-for-20 with two home runs in the NLDS.
Atlanta Braves: 3B Johan Camargo
2 of 30
Year: 2018
Stats: 115 OPS+, .272/.349/.457, 47 XBH (19 HR), 76 RBI, 63 R, 3.2 WAR
It's hard to believe that just three years ago, there was a legitimately compelling position battle between Johan Camargo and an up-and-coming Austin Riley about who would win the starting third base job for the Atlanta Braves.
Camargo had a terrific first full season in the majors at the age of 24 in 2018, but he hit just .212/.260/.361 for a 58 OPS+ in 393 plate appearances over the next three years. He spent 2022 with the Philadelphia Phillies and has played in eight games for the San Francisco Giants this season.
Baltimore Orioles: IF Hanser Alberto
3 of 30
Year: 2019
Stats: 98 OPS+, .305/.329/.422, 35 XBH (12 HR), 51 RBI, 62 R, 3.5 WAR
Hanser Alberto was one of the few bright spots on a 108-loss Orioles team in 2019, finishing fourth on the team with 3.5 WAR after he was claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees prior to the season.
His 98 OPS+ overall might not jump off the page, but he was one of the best hitters in baseball against left-handed pitching, posting a .398/.414/.534 line in 227 plate appearances against southpaws.
Boston Red Sox: C Sandy León
4 of 30
Year: 2016
Stats: 122 OPS+, .310/.369/.476, 26 XBH (7 HR), 35 RBI, 36 R, 2.9 WAR
Sandy Leon began the 2016 season in the minors while catching duties in Boston were split between Christian Vázquez, Ryan Hanigan and Blake Swihart. He was finally called up to the majors on June 7, and from there he steadily emerged as the team's most productive catcher while hitting .310 over 283 plate appearances.
To say that level of production is an outlier would be an understatement. He has hit just .188/.258/.289 in 1,211 plate appearances in the seven seasons since that unexpected career peak, though he is still finding work as a defensive-minded backup.
Chicago Cubs: 1B Bryan LaHair
5 of 30
Year: 2012
Stats: 110 OPS+, .259/.334/.450, 33 XBH (16 HR), 40 RBI, 42 R, 0.1 WAR
The 2012 season was a transition year for a Chicago Cubs team getting ready to transition from rebuilding to a youth movement, and Bryan LaHair spent the first half of the season keeping the first base position warm for a rising star in the minors named Anthony Rizzo.
He hit .286/.364/.520 with 14 home runs and 30 RBI during the first half to earn a surprise selection to the NL All-Star team. His playing time was cut once Rizzo was promoted during the second half, and he hit just .202 with two home runs in 119 plate appearances after break in what would be his final MLB action.
Chicago White Sox: DH Daniel Palka
6 of 30
Year: 2018
Stats: 110 OPS+, .240/.294/.484, 45 XBH (27 HR), 67 RBI, 56 R, 0.6 WAR
The White Sox lost 100 games in 2018, and Daniel Palka finished as the team's home run leader with 27 long balls as a 26-year-old rookie who had been claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins the previous November.
In a compelling three-player AL Rookie of the Year race that year between Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees teammates Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres that year, Palka received one third-place vote from a Chicago beat writer.
Cincinnati Reds: C Devin Mesoraco
7 of 30
Year: 2014
Stats: 147 OPS+, .273/.359/.534, 50 XBH (25 HR), 80 RBI, 54 R, 4.9 WAR
The No. 15 overall pick in the 2007 draft and a top prospect throughout his time in the Cincinnati farm system, Devin Mesoraco turned potential into production in a big way during the 2014 season with a 147 OPS+ and 25 home runs in 114 games as one of the most productive catchers in baseball.
The Reds rewarded him with a four-year, $28 million extension that January, but injuries limited him to just 95 games over the next three seasons and in 2018 he was flipped to the New York Mets in exchange for Matt Harvey. That ended up being his last MLB season, and he played his final game in the big leagues at the age of 30.
Cleveland Guardians: C Roberto Pérez
8 of 30
Year: 2019
Stats: 99 OPS+, .239/.321/.452, 34 XBH (24 HR), 63 RBI, 46 R, 4.0 WAR
Roberto Pérez spent years as a defensive-minded platoon partner with Yan Gomes behind the plate in Cleveland, but he got a shot at an expanded role in 2019 after Gomes was traded to the Washington Nationals during the offseason.
A career .205 hitter with 21 home runs in 295 games heading into that season, he launched 24 home runs and won Gold Glove honors. He won the Gold Glove again the following season, but he quickly regressed offensively, and he has hit just 10 more home runs in the four seasons since his unexpected power outburst.
Colorado Rockies: 1B Ben Paulsen
9 of 30
Year: 2015
Stats: 99 OPS+, .277/.326/.462, 34 XBH (11 HR), 49 RBI, 42 R, 1.1 WAR
Ben Paulsen hit .317/.348/.571 with four home runs and 10 RBI in 31 games in his first MLB action during the 2014 season, and he got a shot at the everyday first base job the following year while Justin Morneau missed 114 games with a neck strain and concussion symptoms.
He provided some nice offensive production and showed decent pop, but Morneau returned to the starting job in September and the following season veteran slugger Mark Reynolds was added to serve as the team's primary option at first base.
Detroit Tigers: OF Akil Baddoo
10 of 30
Year: 2021
Stats: 112 OPS+, .259/.330/.436, 40 XBH (13 HR), 55 RBI, 60 R, 18 SB, 2.1 WAR
There is still time for Akil Baddoo to remove himself from this list, as he just turned 25 years old last month, but so far he has been unable to match the surprising production he provided as a Rule 5 success story in 2021.
He hit .391/.400/1.043 with four home runs and 10 RBI in his first eight games in the big leagues, and showed a nice mix of power, speed and defense throughout his rookie campaign. In the two years since, he has hit .217/.306/.326 for a 77 OPS+ while tallying just 1.4 WAR in 166 games.
Houston Astros: UT Marwin Gonzalez
11 of 30
Year: 2017
Stats: 146 OPS+, .303/.377/.530, 57 XBH (23 HR), 90 RBI, 67 R, 3.9 WAR
It's almost like Marwin Gonzalez knew exactly what pitch was coming in 2017...
A useful utility player who was a career .257/.298/.389 hitter with 38 home runs in 1,639 plate appearances over his first five seasons in the big leagues, Gonzalez overnight became one of the most productive hitters on a stacked Houston roster. His walk rate more than doubled from 4.2 to 9.5 percent during his peak season.
To his credit, he was the first player from the 2017 Astros team to publicly apologize for the team's sign-stealing scandal.
Kansas City Royals: 3B Hunter Dozier
12 of 30
Year: 2019
Stats: 124 OPS+, .279/.348/.522, 65 XBH (26 HR), 84 RBI, 75 R, 2.8 WAR
In one of the first clear examples of a team getting creative with its draft bonus pool, the Kansas City Royals selected Hunter Dozier with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2013 draft and signed him to a $2.2 million bonus, which was roughly $1 million below slot value. With that savings, they landed Sean Manaea on an above-slot deal at No. 34 overall.
Everything seemed to finally click for Dozier at the plate in 2019 and the Royals signed him to a four-year, $28 million extension in 2020. However, he produced minus-3.8 WAR in 301 games over the first three seasons of that extension before he was released in May, and the Royals are still on the hook for another $10.25 million in 2024.
Los Angeles Angels: 1B Jared Walsh
13 of 30
Year: 2021
Stats: 127 OPS+, .277/.340/.509, 64 XBH (29 HR), 98 RBI, 70 R, 2.8 WAR
Jared Walsh came out of nowhere to post a 157 OPS+ with nine home runs in 108 plate appearances during the 2020 season, and the Angels released Albert Pujols to clear a path for him to be the everyday first baseman the following year.
Walsh hit .278/.336/.556 with 22 home runs and 65 RBI during the first half of the 2021 campaign to earn an All-Star selection, but his OPS dropped more than 100 points after the break and he has hit just .202/.265/.353 in 532 plate appearances the past two years.
The Angels designated him for assignment in July and he went unclaimed on waivers, so he is currently playing in Triple-A, but he will almost certainly be non-tendered this winter.
Los Angeles Dodgers: OF Scott Van Slyke
14 of 30
Year: 2014
Stats: 157 OPS+, .297/.386/.524, 25 XBH (11 HR), 29 RBI, 32 R, 2.7 WAR
To provide some context, the out-of-nowhere season that Trayce Thompson produced last season bears a striking resemblance to what Scott Van Slyke did for the Dodgers in 2014:
- Thompson: 239 PA, 149 OPS+, 14 2B, 13 HR, 39 RBI, 2.0 WAR
- Van Slyke: 246 PA, 157 OPS+, 13 2B, 11 HR, 29 RBI, 2.7 WAR
Van Slyke was used to great success as a platoon player, posting a 1.045 OPS with eight home runs and 17 RBI in 130 plate appearances during his peak season.
Miami Marlins: OF Justin Ruggiano
15 of 30
Year: 2012
Stats: 142 OPS+, .313/.374/.535, 37 XBH (13 HR), 36 RBI, 38 R, 14 SB, 2.3 WAR
The 2012 Miami Marlins are among the most disappointing teams in recent memory, as a shiny new stadium and an offseason spending spree that included long-term deals for Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell quickly devolved into another losing season.
However, a 30-year-old Justin Ruggiano did prove to be a bright spot with a .313 average and 23 doubles, 13 home runs and 36 RBI in 320 plate appearances. He did have an 18-homer, 15-steal season the following year, but he hit just .222 while his OPS fell more than 200 points.
Milwaukee Brewers: 2B Keston Hiura
16 of 30
Year: 2019
Stats: 138 OPS+, .303/.368/.570, 44 XBH (19 HR), 49 RBI, 51 R, 1.9 WAR
Viewed by many as the best pure hitter in the 2017 draft class when he went No. 9 overall out of UC Irvine, Keston Hiura jumped into the thick of a playoff race in 2019 and by season's end he was hitting cleanup.
He seemed destined to be an offensive star for the next decade, but he racked up an NL-leading 85 strikeouts in 59 games during the shortened 2020 season, and he hit just .205/.293/.394 in the three years that followed his impressive debut. The 27-year-old has spent the entire 2023 season in the minors.
On a side note, is there a more obscure 100-RBI season in the last 20 years than Casey McGehee in 2010?
Minnesota Twins: OF Oswaldo Arcia
17 of 30
Year: 2014
Stats: 109 OPS+, .231/.300/.452, 39 XBH (20 HR), 57 RBI, 46 R, 0.5 WAR
Oswaldo Arcia was the No. 41 prospect in baseball prior to the 2013 season, he had a solid debut later that year and followed it up with a 20-homer campaign in 2014 during his age-23 season.
However, he would play just 88 more games at the MLB level, and he spent the 2018 season in the Japanese League. The 32-year-old is still going strong this year in the Mexican League where he is hitting .333/.482/.579 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI in 84 games.
And yes, he is the older brother of Atlanta Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia.
New York Mets: 1B Dominic Smith
18 of 30
Year: 2020
Stats: 168 OPS+, .316/.377/.616, 32 XBH (10 HR), 42 RBI, 27 R, 2.0 WAR
In an alternate universe where the universal DH arrives a few years earlier and Dominic Smith is not stuck behind Pete Alonso on the New York Mets depth chart and playing out of position in the outfield, maybe his developmental path looks different.
As it stands, the 2013 first-round pick gave a glimpse of what could have been if it all came together when he received some down-ballot NL MVP votes during the shortened season. Two years later, he was non-tendered and he is currently hitting .258/.330/.347 for a 90 OPS+ playing on a one-year, $2 million deal with the rebuilding Washington Nationals.
New York Yankees: 3B Miguel Andujar
19 of 30
Year: 2018
Stats: 130 OPS+, .297/.328/.527, 76 XBH (27 HR), 92 RBI, 83 R, 2.9 WAR
Shohei Ohtani changed the game in 2018 when he burst onto the scene as a two-way player during his rookie season, posting a 151 OPS+ with 22 home runs and 10 steals in the batter's box and logging a 3.31 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 51.2 innings over 10 starts on the mound.
There were still five AL Rookie of the Year voters who thought Miguel Andujar had a better rookie season.
Following his stellar debut, Andujar hit just .228/.257/.331 for a 60 OPS+ in 276 plate appearances over the next three seasons with the Yankees, and he is currently playing with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Oakland Athletics: 1B Daric Barton
20 of 30
Year: 2010
Stats: 120 OPS+, .273/.393/.405, 48 XBH (10 HR), 57 RBI, 79 R, 5.5 WAR
Here's a quick look at all the first basemen who recorded at least a 4-WAR season in 2010:
- Albert Pujols: 7.5
- Joey Votto: 7.0
- Miguel Cabrera: 6.5
- Daric Barton: 5.5
- Kevin Youkilis: 5.4
- Justin Morneau: 4.7
- Adrian Gonzalez: 4.4
- Mark Teixeira: 4.1
With an AL-leading 110 walks and a stellar .393 on-base percentage, Barton provided elite value in his age-24 season and looked like a potential building block. He hit just .216/.323/.284 for a 72 OPS+ in 600 plate appearances over the next four seasons to close out his MLB career.
Philadelphia Phillies: OF Domonic Brown
21 of 30
Year: 2013
Stats: 124 OPS+, .272/.324/.494, 52 XBH (27 HR), 83 RBI, 65 R, 3.2 WAR
Domonic Brown hit .327/.391/.589 with 22 doubles, 20 home runs, 68 RBI and 17 steals as a 22-year-old in the upper levels of the minors in 2010, and he began the 2011 season as the No. 4 prospect in baseball.
Two years later, it looked like stardom was right around the corner when he hit .273/.320/.535 with 23 home runs and 67 RBI during the first half to earn an All-Star selection. However, a concussion limited him to 44 games after the break and he simply never returned to his 2013 first-half form again.
Pittsburgh Pirates: SS Kevin Newman
22 of 30
Year: 2019
Stats: 110 OPS+, .308/.353/.446, 38 XBH (12 HR), 64 RBI, 61 R, 16 SB, 3.0 WAR
The combination of batting average, power, speed and defense that Kevin Newman showed during his rookie season in 2019 had him poised to be a staple at the shortstop position for years to come in Pittsburgh.
Instead, he has hit .243/.288/.331 with 11 home runs in 1,288 plate appearances in the four years since, and he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds this past offseason. Still just 30 years old, he can still be a useful utility infielder going forward, but the upside he showed in 2019 has not surfaced since.
San Diego Padres: 2B Ryan Schimpf
23 of 30
Year: 2016
Stats: 132 OPS+, .217/.336/.533, 42 XBH (20 HR), 51 RBI, 48 R, 2.7 WAR
Nothing says unexpected breakthrough like a 28-year-old rookie who has never appeared on a top prospect list crushing 20 home runs in 89 games.
In what amounted to three full months in the majors, Ryan Schimpf managed to tie for fourth among all rookies during the 2016 season with 20 long balls, and he won NL Rookie of the Month honors in July. His already low batting average plummeted to .158 the following season and he played just 58 more games in the majors total after his surprisingly productive debut.
San Francisco Giants: OF Andres Torres
24 of 30
Year: 2010
Stats: 122 OPS+, .268/.343/.479, 67 XBH (16 HR), 63 RBI, 84 R, 26 SB, 5.3 WAR
Before Angel Pagán was patrolling center field and hitting leadoff for the San Francisco Giants, that role belonged to Andres Torres.
During the team's World Series run in 2010, Torres ranked second on the roster with 5.3 WAR. The 32-year-old set career-high marks in almost every offensive category, and in the other 511 games he played in the majors he only tallied 2.5 WAR total.
After a dip in his production in 2011 he was traded to the New York Mets in the deal to acquire the aforementioned Pagán.
Seattle Mariners: 1B Dae-Ho Lee
25 of 30
Year: 2016
Stats: 102 OPS+, .253/.312/.428, 23 XBH (14 HR), 49 RBI, 33 R, 0.1 WAR
One of the most accomplished hitters in the history of the Korean Baseball Organization, slugger Dae-Ho Lee spent two years in the Japanese League before joining the Seattle Mariners on the heels of a 31-homer, 98-RBI campaign in 2015.
He spent just one year stateside before returning to Korea, showing some solid power in a part-time role while establishing himself as a fan favorite. He hit .332/.379/.502 with 23 home runs and 101 RBI in his final season as a 40-year-old in 2022.
He retired with 486 home runs and 1,822 RBI in 22 seasons between the KBO, Japanese League and MLB.
St. Louis Cardinals: OF Jeremy Hazelbaker
26 of 30
Year: 2016
Stats: 104 OPS+, .235/.295/.480, 22 XBH (12 HR), 28 RBI, 35 R, 0.2 WAR
The Cardinals have done an excellent job unearthing value in late-round picks over the years, and one of their most memorable success stories was outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker who burst onto the scene in 2016 and went 13-for-27 with three home runs and seven RBI over his first eight games to kick off his rookie season.
His performance eventually leveled off, and he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks the following season where he played the final 41 games of his MLB career in 2017. The rise and fall of a 28-year-old rookie who was the talk of baseball, if only for a few weeks.
Tampa Bay Rays: 1B Logan Morrison
27 of 30
Year: 2017
Stats: 133 OPS+, .246/.353/.516, 61 XBH (38 HR), 85 RBI, 75 R, 3.0 WAR
A promising prospect in the Marlins system, Logan Morrison posted a 116 OPS+ with 23 home runs and 72 RBI during his first full season in the majors in 2011, but his career never quite took off from there as expected.
After a few seasons in Seattle and a forgettable debut in Tampa Bay in 2016, he exploded for a 38-homer campaign in 2017, but he would play just 133 more games and hit 18 more home runs over the final three seasons of his MLB career.
The 2017 season was a weird year in general for unexpected power outbursts, with Justin Smoak (38 HR), Jonathan Schoop (32 HR), Eric Thames (31 HR), Lucas Duda (30 HR), Domingo Santana (30 HR), Scott Schebler (30 HR) and Steven Souza Jr. (30 HR) among the other members of that year's 30-homer club.
Texas Rangers: UT Danny Santana
28 of 30
Year: 2019
Stats: 112 OPS+, .283/.324/.534, 57 XBH (28 HR), 81 RBI, 81 R, 21 SB, 2.0 WAR
Danny Santana hit .319/.353/.472 for a 130 OPS+ with 41 extra-base hits and 20 steals in 101 games for a 3.8-WAR rookie season in 2014, but he failed to match that level of production in the years that followed.
Five years later, he re-emerged on a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers and flashed some newfound power with a 28-homer, 21-steal campaign in a super-utility role. Then just as quickly as he popped back up, he was gone again, playing just 53 more games in the majors and hitting .170 with a 53 OPS+ the next two seasons.
Toronto Blue Jays: 1B/OF Chris Colabello
29 of 30
Year: 2015
Stats: 138 OPS+, .321/.367/.520, 35 XBH (15 HR), 54 RBI, 55 R, 0.7 WAR
Chris Colabello was the right-handed-hitting side of a terrific platoon at first base with Justin Smoak during the 2015 season when the Toronto Blue Jays reached the ALCS on the strength of one of the most potent offenses in baseball.
He went 2-for-29 in 10 games to begin the 2016 season before he was hit with an 80-game PED suspension. He was optioned to the minors once the suspension concluded and would not appear in another MLB game.
Washington Nationals: 1B Mike Morse
30 of 30
Year: 2011
Stats: 147 OPS+, .303/.360/.550, 67 XBH (31 HR), 95 RBI, 73 R, 3.4 WAR
Asked to name every player who has hit 30 home runs in a season over the past 25 years, Mike Morse might be one of the most common answers that the average baseball fan fails to recall.
The imposing 6'5", 245-pound slugger had several solid seasons throughout his career in a part-time role, but the only time in his career that he topped 500 plate appearances in a season was 2011 and he ended up receiving some down-ballot NL MVP support in the process.
He accounted for 3.4 of his 4.0 career WAR during the 2011 campaign.
