10 Biggest One-Hit Wonders in Baseball History

Whether it's a veteran that finally hits his stride, or a rookie that turns the head of anyone watching, we've all seen players post seasons that are a pleasant surprise and give hope that we might have something on our hands.

Unfortunately, these seasons all too often don't amount to a successful career, as it's far easier to have a singular success than it is to string along a solid track record.

Here are some of the most notable one-hit wonders in baseball history.

Oliver Perez

Oliver Perez had the makings of a great pitcher when he really burst onto the scene with a 12-win, 2.98 ERA campaign with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2004. That was good enough to earn him nearly $50 million in the next handful of seasons with the New York Mets.

Unfortunately for the Mets, injuries got in the way of his chance at stardom, and he's made only 39 appearances in the past four seasons. Perez missed the entire 2011 season before heading to Seattle this year.

Kevin Maas

When you're able to belt 10 home runs in your first 72 at-bats in the major leagues, the expectations will always inflate to a level that can't be lived up to.

After hitting 21 home runs in his rookie campaign, Maas hit 23 in 1991, but would play in only 179 games over the next four seasons combined before retiring with a career .229 average and .309 on-base percentage.

Jerome Walton

Jerome Walton took home NL Rookie of the Year honors with the Chicago Cubs in 1989 after he drove in nearly 50 runs while swiping 24 bases and hitting safely 139 times in 116 games.

Unfortunately for Walton, he never got a consistent career underway and averaged only 54 games over the next nine seasons.

His rookie year proved to be the only time he would steal more than 20 bases, and Walton would never drive in more than 20 runs for the remainder of his time in the league.

Tom Cheney

The history books will always remember Tom Cheney, since he's the only player to strike out more than 20 batters when he fanned 21 batters in a 16-inning affair with the Baltimore Orioles.

We'd never see something like this today, but Cheney somehow threw all 228 pitches in the team's win.

Cheney was never a 10-game winner, and though he displayed a great ability to stay on the mound that one day, he never actually pitched more than 173 innings and only once made 30 or more appearances.

Gregg Jefferies

Jefferies came up as a September call-up with the Mets in 1988.

He looked impressive, hitting six home runs and driving in 17 runs in 29 games while maintaining a .321 batting average.

He followed that up with 12 home runs and 56 RBI in 1989, but was largely average at best. That is, barring his two-year run with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1993 and 1994, in which he was an all-star in both seasons and finished in the top 20 of MVP voting.

Chien-Ming Wang

Chien-Ming Wang came into the league with the New York Yankees. After appearing in only 18 games in 2005, he exploded over the next two seasons for 38 wins and a second place finish in the Cy Young voting in 2006.

Unfortunately for Wang, he hasn't been the same since. He has won only 15 games since 2008 and posted an ERA north of 5.50.

Dontrelle Willis

After bursting onto the scene in 2003 with the Florida Marlins and winning 14 games en route to an NL Rookie of the Year trophy, Willis became a 22-game winner just two seasons later and finished second in Cy Young voting.

The bottom fell out after that.

Willis only appeared in 115 games over the next six seasons, averaging four wins per season as his control and composure got away from him.

At just 30 years old, Willis hung up his cleats this season.

Wayne Garland

During his first action as a starter in 1976, Wayne Garland was definitely a surprise 20-game winner for the Baltimore Orioles.

The outburst proved to come at the perfect time for Garland, who would sign a decade-long contract the following offseason with the Cleveland Indians.

Garland would lead the league in losses with 19 during the following season, and would win only 28 games with the Tribe in five seasons before retiring.

Pete Schourek

If not for a strong 1995 campaign from Greg Maddux, you'd have to think Pete Schourek would have had a chance to take home Cy Young honors with his 18-win, 3.22 ERA season with the Cincinnati Reds.

After that high point, Schourek wouldn't post another winning season. He notched only 25 victories in his next six seasons with an ERA above 5.00 while pitching for four different teams.

Joe Charboneau

Joe Charboneau came out with one of the strongest rookie seasons we've seen in quite some time after hitting 23 home runs with a .289 batting average in 1980. That was definitely good enough for AL Rookie of the Year honors.

However, injuries would prevent Charboneau from amounting to anything after that point. He would play in only two more seasons with the Cleveland Indians, appearing in only 70 total games over those seasons and showing a total lack of the power he previously displayed. He went deep only four times in 1981 and two times in 1982.