Never realized the 1950 Whiz Kid Phillies included a relief pitcher MVP in Jim Konstanty.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/konstji01.shtml
― timellison, Tuesday, 7 July 2015 23:34 (eight years ago) link
He gets a chapter in the first baseball book I read as a kid, so I learned about him before three-quarters of the people in the HOF.
https://img0.etsystatic.com/038/0/8035771/il_570xN.636016346_2pwo.jpg
He wasn't the worst choice ever, but, just among Phillies pitchers that year, Robin Roberts would have obviously been much better.
― clemenza, Wednesday, 8 July 2015 01:18 (eight years ago) link
Always thought Cito Gaston had more good years, but maybe not so much. 5.1 bWAR in 1970, but ended up with a negative for his career.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gastoci01.shtml
― timellison, Monday, 18 June 2018 20:27 (five years ago) link
As I've posted before (but seemingly not on this thread), 1970 is the mother of all outlier seasons.
― clemenza, Monday, 18 June 2018 22:37 (five years ago) link
Jim Gentile 1961. 141 RBI tied for lead league the year Maris broke the record.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gentiji01.shtml
― timellison, Saturday, 10 November 2018 23:28 (five years ago) link
Brady Anderson turns 55 today. With that in mind - when you think of one player in any sport having one season where they are mind-blowingly better than in any other year of their career - who do you think of and what year— Nick Shepkowski (@Shep670) January 18, 2019
― mookieproof, Friday, 18 January 2019 17:08 (five years ago) link
Another 1970 one, Tommy Harper:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/harpeto01.shtml
― timellison, Thursday, 2 May 2019 01:38 (four years ago) link
It's not epic, and it's not a season, but this seems as appropriate a place as anywhere--Brian Harper's few years catching for the Twins in the late-'80s/early-'90s. (His picture popped up today in that little photo gallery to the left of the Baseball Reference page.) From '79 to '87, he plays for five teams, plays all over the diamond, and basically does nothing. Then he has five-and-a-half really solid seasons with the Twins, hitting .294-.325 every year, with OBPs around .350 and slugging averages in the low-mid .400s (except for his last year there, very much a pitcher's era), and has a fantastic Series when the Twins win everything in '91. Then he leaves in '94, gets 300 more AB elsewhere the next two years, then he retires.
― clemenza, Monday, 12 August 2019 23:43 (four years ago) link
Dug up this:
http://www.banishedtothepen.com/brian-harper-a-baseball-life/
― clemenza, Monday, 12 August 2019 23:49 (four years ago) link
Jesus Aguilar is looking like a potential inner circle outlier season guy
― omar little, Tuesday, 13 August 2019 00:01 (four years ago) link
see also his former teammate, gio urshela
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 13 August 2019 02:12 (four years ago) link
rick porcello's 2016
― mookieproof, Thursday, 19 September 2019 17:41 (four years ago) link
a whole bunch of guys you forgot about the moment they retired
Similar Pitchers
Shane Reynolds (948.7)Charles Nagy (948.0)Brad Penny (945.6)Matt Morris (939.6)Jon Lieber (938.0)Denny Neagle (931.9)Pat Hentgen (931.0)John Smiley (928.9)Josh Beckett (927.4)Yovani Gallardo (923.9)
― omar little, Thursday, 19 September 2019 17:44 (four years ago) link
Epic outlier in reverse: Wade Boggs, 1992 (his last season in Boston). No recollection--what happened? The Margo Adams thing was a couple of years earlier.
― clemenza, Monday, 10 February 2020 14:15 (four years ago) link
mike marshall, 1974
― But guess what? Nobody gives a toot!😂 (Karl Malone), Tuesday, 11 February 2020 06:16 (four years ago) link
Only in the freakish 100+ games, though--he was arguably better in '73, and definitely better in '72.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 11 February 2020 14:43 (four years ago) link
he was good for the couple years around it, but: jake arrieta's 2015. tbf it would be an epic outlier for almost anyone -- he was all but unhittable
up-thread mention rick porcello is apparently out of baseball at age 32? has to be one of the crappier pitchers to win 150 games
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 7 July 2021 04:55 (two years ago) link
On a similar note, R.A. Dickey's Cy year.
― clemenza, Thursday, 8 July 2021 23:31 (two years ago) link
Arietta was in the ESPN body issue, that was awesome
― frogbs, Thursday, 8 July 2021 23:53 (two years ago) link
I recall sam miller calling arietta “built” on EW
― Its big ball chunky time (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Sunday, 11 July 2021 04:25 (two years ago) link