Top 10 MLB FLASHES IN THE PAN! HERE & GONE Players Who Were ELITE For A Moment in TIme...
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- Опубликовано: 12 дек 2022
- In today's presentation, we will look at 10 of the most talented and elite stars of MLB history who ended up being FLASH IN THE PAN Players! They were HERE then GONE but during their brief periods of dominance, these players were UNSTOPPABLE!!
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I wouldn’t consider Tim Lincecum a “flash in the pan.” He did more in his short career than most who’ve played for 20 years. If not for injuries, he would be HOF. Either way, he’s a giants legend
Absolutely right, not a flash in the pan. He loooked like a HOF for the first 5-6 years. The other half of his career was pretty terrible but still he looked legendary to start his career. Barry Zito on the other hand is more of a flash in the pan than Lincecum and even thats a stretch.
Agreed. Back to back CY awards. I would have put Brady Anderson in there for that lone Babe Ruthian season rather than Lincecum.
The freak, was NOT a flash in the pan!
I have to agree with the #1, what a wasted talent
His fall was caused by the MLB they made him stop smoking weed and his game went to shit #facts
Tim Lincecum’s time was short, but he made the most of it.
3 time Word Series rings, 2 Cy Young awards and 2 no hitters.
I’ll always love Timmy for what he has done for the Giants.
Agree. Sometimes it is not about having a long career as much as it is about hitting it big at just the right time. Tim helped make the Giants a great team at just the right time.
Agreed 100% Timmy was one of the most unique players of all time
@@Darbobski Yes Timmy was a Unicorn. And is one of the most fan favored giants. Flash in the Pans dont accomplish what Tim Lincecum did. Legend#55
Interestingly enough, Lincecum’s 2 no-hitters came well after his fall from grace. Its generally accepted that his last “Timmy-like” season was 2011. Those no-nos came in 2015 and 2016, I believe.
God I hate the giants!!!!
One guy I never hear mentioned is Brandon Webb. His stretch from 2006-2008 was great and then he made his last start in 2009.
Matt Harvey another one. I remember picking Webb in fantasy baseball back in the day. He was a beast
Webb could have won 3 straight Cy Youngs and then made one start and was out of the league
Was looking for Webb too.
Please note that Zoilo Versalles was not traded from the Senators to the Twins. The Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961 (to be replaced in Washington by an expansion team that adopted the Senators nickname), and Versalles moved with them.
good lord, how can someone who makes videos like this just go and make up a "trade" to fit their narrative ?
sloppy work there. kind of makes you want to go back and fact check the rest of the video.
Thank you was about to comment this
@@nickholman6089 In fairness, there was a long time where unless you were a Twins fan, the fact that the Twins had originally been the Nats was rather obscure baseball trivia, made more obscure by the fact that the Senators name and history had stayed in Washington and MLB did a lot at the time of the move to bury its significance (to appease triggered politicos in DC). It wasn't actually until the 2019 season that the Washington Senators' three championship banners first flew over Target Field.
Soon as I heard that I quit watching. Sorry pal, but if you do t know that about the Twins/Senators, you don’t know shit about baseball history.
@@katherineberger6329 I have never been a Twins fan, in fact paid little attention to the AL growing up, but I, and most of my baseball playing friends knew the Senators moved to MN. I was born the year they moved and started following BB in 1969. I will say I am older but to create a video the research is so easy with today's internet access is borderline lazy.
I'm not sure I'd consider a player with 1,736 Strikeouts (3x leader), 110 Wins, a 2x Cy Young, 2 No-Hitters, and 3x World Series winner a flash in the pan. He had about 8 quality seasons of his 10, four which he K'd over 200, seven 10+ Win seasons, (yes his ERA was high his last 5 seasons), but still...... I'd have listed Kerry Wood in that spot. He pitched much longer, making his first 4 or 5 seasons make him look like a true flash in the pan, even with his two pretty good relief years.
Just flip through the Baseball Reference. They are more real flashes in the pan then people would believe. His choices are silly.
Exactly, calling Tim Lincecum a flash in the pan it’s like calling Barry Bonds just a hitter.
What about Joba Chamberlain? The hype on him was so insane with the Yankees from like 2007-09 or so... then he got injured and non-tendered, and wasn't ever the same. Hilarious shit is that Max Scherzer was basically labeled the next Joba Chamberlain when he came up with Arizona.
As far as Jobah Chamberlain goes he can bug off😂😂😂
A few things hurt him. Torre not pulling his team off the field in the bug game. "Joba Rules", all tge weird kid gloves they put on him and tryibg to make him a starter. In 2009 they put him in the pen for their WS run a d he was excellent.
I blame his career on terrible decisions.
@@mikemiken1963 Joba was really good... so were the other flash in the pans
Max Scherzer: I Really Didn't Like That Cause I Know In My Heart That I Can Be Good
@@mikemiken1963100%. no exec wanted to be blamed for Joba getting hurt so they came up with these nuts rules that ended up ruining Joba. If they just let him pitch he would have been fine. Death by committee. Sad case.
1980: Steve Stone, the very definition of an average pitcher during his career, goes 25-7 and wins the AL Cy Young award for Baltimore. He only pitches one more season after this...some of you know him better for his work in the broadcast booth(Cubs, then ChiSox)
Brilliant pick!
Stone basically threw nothing but the curveball that year and just ran it until his arm blew out.
@@TheJohnnySlick thanks, I'd forgotten that was why Stone had only one more year
My favorite broadcaster
@@TheJohnnySlick I remember someone asking Stone if it was worth it. His answer was something like, "Of course it was. I had one year at the MLB level that was great."
I was a 10-year-old Orioles fan in 1976 when Mark Fidrych hit the scene. He was so exciting and fun to watch and he’s one of my fondest childhood baseball memories. It was heartbreaking to see him injured and retire from the game after just a few years in the MLB. It was so sad to hear of his untimely passing just a few years ago. I love The Bird!
A good friend of mine is from Detroit (W. Bloomfield) and he said Tiger 🐅 Stadium 🏟️ was PACKED every time the Bird pitched ⚾️ .
I believe that another flash was Lew Krausse who pitched with the White Sox. He had promise but didn't stick around long.
@@jasona9 That must have been an incredible event. I wish I could've been there to watch a game in person. Thanks for sharing, Jason.
@@jasona9
Are you 12 years old?
Injuries are unfortunate. I remember when Rich Harden burst onto the scene and he was great until he was plagued with injuries. Then it was just a matter of time before he quit the game for good.
Tim Lincecum is one of my favorite pitchers of all time. I personally think that his very aggressive pitching style finally caught up to him, but man those 3 years were special. He did more in his short time than most players do in an entire career
There was his pitching style but I remember him trying to put on a bunch of weight during an offseason and wasn’t the same
Timmy developed a reputation of having one bad inning usually early in the game. At that time I thought he would best effective if he became a full time reliever. That one bad inning thing and his insistence to remain a starter hurt his career. Still love " the Freak ".
Tim lincecum could not put down the bong and it ruined him. It slowed him down
If Lincecum had 1 or 2 extra runs of support or the bullpen didn't blow the game late in 2010 and 2011, those seasons could have seen a 22-8 record and a potential 3rd Cy Young in 2010 or second in voting, and a record of at least 20-11 in 2011.
He had two 1-0 loses and a 2-1 loss in 2011. And had 4 no-decisions because the bullpen collapsed in the 8th or 9th. That was brutal.
Ya he was a little guy that gave it his all, and maybe burnt himself out. But he did it right and will always be remember by how good he was.
How about 1980 AL Rookie of the Year Joe Charboneau? He had an incredible rookie year batting .289 with 23 homers and 87 RBIs, but hurt his back and slumped badly in 1981, then was released in 1983 by Cleveland. He tried to make a comeback with the Pirates in 1984, but that failed and he was out of baseball just 4 years after being named Rookie of the Year. He did get to appear as an extra in the movie The Natural.
Yup. And he was pretty much Cleveland's version of "The Bird" Fidrych, as in...a depressed city looking for a "hero" to give them some excitement. I still remember all the crazy stories about him eating glass, opening beers with his eye socket, getting stabbed in Mexico, etc. One of the very few Cleveland athletes to get any kind of press coverage in the national rags like Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News in the 70's-early 80's. "Super" Joe even had a .45 (vinyl, not caliber) made in his honor. Go Go Joe Charboneau....
He is why I clicked on this video in the first place. If ever there was a flash in the pan, it was Joe.
Super Joe!
@@mattfulmer4243 And he also had a novelty record made about him.
He opened beer bottles with his eye socket.
Steve Avery seemed to fit well into that elite Atlanta rotation for a little while, then fell off the face of the Earth. I bet he would be a good addition to the next list.
He never really flashed. I mean 1993 was a good year and his only AS appearance but it's not like he dominated that year, he was just really good. He had one or two other ok years and a bunch of mediocre years.
@@wingracer1614thats sounds like a flash to me. An all star game means you were considered one of the best in the league.
Steve Avery was the youngest player in MLB history to win 50 games.
@@kentuckyjerk323that’s because of Mark Lemke and Terry Pendleton
@@jigilous Nice to know that Glavine's three straight 20-win seasons and Cy Young during that time was thanks to Pendleton and Lemke. Might want to to include Jeff Blauser in there too.
Surprised Jake Arrieta wasn't on the list. He had a season-plus long stretch where he was absolutely unhittable and 10ish years of just being okay.
He won me my fantasy league that year
Jake was 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA in 2015. He threw 2 no hitters, won a Cy Young award and was clutch helping the Cubs win the World Series in 2016. After leaving the Cubs for the Phillies, it all went downhill. Also don’t forget Brady Anderson of the Orioles. A 50 home run season and nothing else. Also Luis Gonzalez of the Diamondbacks.
@@josephpanozzo4815 The last two you mentioned was all to do with steroids
@@bnegs521 so did arrieta
@@josephpanozzo4815 Luis Gonzalez had 2500+ hits for his career definitely nowhere close to a flash in the pain.
Kevin Maas coached me when I was 10-12 years old over in Castro Valley, CA and taught me how to play 1st base. He was a really good coach and his son was my teammate and was really nice too. Always find it cool to see him brought up anywhere.
What year was this, I'm from Oakland
@@andrem.thomas332 would’ve been around 09-11. Headfirst Baseball. Good times
He works for Charles Schwab now as a financial advisor
What a bum.
When I was young I thought Maas was the next babe ruth he was on the cover of everything...this was before the internet so I bought a bunch of rookie cards of his...the next year never heard squat...I learned a valuable lesson how big the New York hype train was and is!
Nobody in baseball history made such an epic impact as the “Bird”! Bird mania was wild in the summer of 76. I still believe he remains the greatest anomaly in all of baseball. The biggest What If ever.
As a kid I loved The Bird! It was really upsetting when he got injured because he was so cool.
@@robert.m4676 agreed! I remember reading that every time he pitched at Tiger Stadium they filled the seats. They were not a good team but he drew on average 35-40% additional attendance. He was a free spirit who truly pitched for the love of the game. I guess Jim Campbell gave him a raise for 1977 because he had no choice because of the revenue he manifested. Not mention all that he accomplished that year. Too bad they misdiagnosed his arm problem. Who can forget his Monday night baseball debut? I still remember Werner Wolf & Bob Uecker getting the biggest delight from him that night. The standing ovation at the end was epic. I think he would have pitched for peanuts. His passion will never be matched. Yet it was his immaturity that got him in trouble in the spring of 77 shagging fly balls. Rusty Staub warned him to take it easy. He blew out his knee & his troubles just never stopped after that. They should make a movie about him.
@Jay I think that the biggest “What If” ever would have been a sober Dwight Gooden.
@@Jay-yf8sy I remember it all. The Yankees game he was incredible and funny too! I would pay to see a movie and hopefully they can capture the magic of the whole mania that was overnight and gone too soon.
@@MRCANTGETANAME Doc through a no hitter, got another ring in 96'. If he and Strawberry, pun intended, could have kept their nises clean, though...
Shane Spencer !!!!...so much more than Honorable Mention!!
What I love most about Mark Fidrych is that, according to Doug Wilson’s book The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych, he didn’t compare his life to what it would have been like if he had entered MLB a few years later and earned a huge salary but rather compared it to a life where he didn’t play pro baseball. Yes, he earned less than $200k total, but for someone from rural Massachusetts who always struggled in school due to dyslexia, it was a dream come true and he was grateful for it.
Versailles wasn't "traded" from the Senators to the Twins. The Senators moved to Minneapolis to BECOME the Twins. The NEW Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers) bought him from Cleveland in 1969, long after his MVP season in '65. He died at 55 with heart problems.
Gagne? PEDs.
Lincecum had 4 good seasons. One of them he only went 13-14, but his ERA that year was 2.74. Those strikeouts blew out his arm.
The Bird blew out his arm back when they just didn't have the techniques to diagnose it, much less repair it He died tragically.
McLain's big year was the "Year of the Pitcher." He wasn't the only guy with amazing pitching records that year. But he definitely fits the criteria for this video. His legal troubles were more extensive and lasted longer than described here.
Excellent post!
Thank you. Some of us remember
I Caught that right away too!! WTF??
I think I just posted the same thing. Shoulda scrolled the comments first.
Thank you. I cringed when I heard Versailles was "traded."
Tell me you don't know baseball history without telling me you don't know baseball history.
Oh, here's another one - Detroit Tigers reliever Willie Hernandez. He won both the Cy Young Award (32 saves in 33 chances) and the AL MVP award in 1984, and was a big reason why the Tigers won the World Series that year. For three seasons, 1984-86, he made the All-Star team, and was one of the better relievers in the game. Then after '86, his career fell off. Even before those three seasons, he was known for having some attitude issues (he even admitted as much), and he played only three more years after '86, all with the Tigers. He attempted a comeback a few times after 1989, but never got back to the big leagues. Still, thirteen seasons, a Cy Young Award, and an MVP Award is still pretty cool.
Jeff Francour was on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the moniker "The Natural" given to him just a month or so into his big league career. While he had a long career in the bigs and was well liked, he was never more than a replacement-level player other than his ridiculous start in Atlanta when people actually thought he would continue to live up to the lofty expectations SI had set for him. He might have been a flash in the pan on the field, but he's the real deal in the booth, and I'm sure he'll have a long and fruitful career commentating for many years to come.
Clint hurdle II.
Frenchy
Francoeur had an absolutely disgusting arm in right field.
Met legend
Great Points
Phil Plantier, Morgan Ensberg, Hank Blalock, Jerome Walton, Pat Listach, Nick Esasky and Henry Rodriguez (outfielder) are a few other players that come to mind
I always wondered how Pat "Pencil Thin" Listach went from really good to really bad so quickly
I forgot about Phil planter. He had a few good seasons
Joe Charboneau, or Bob Hamelin. Listach & Hamelin beat out Kenny Lofton & Manny Ramirez for Rookie of the Year within a year or two of each other
@@earthsurgery1237Ken Reitz. He had that one big year with the Cards and everyone’s comparing him to George Brett. Then the Cubs trade Sutter for him and he sputters out.
@@madvocate0006 I remember that rookie class well. 4 players that were supposed to be the cornerstones for the Sox…Mike Greenwell, Ellis Burks, Todd Benzinger and Sam Horn. Benzinger was traded for Esasky, Horn was Pedro Cerano (he just couldn’t hit a curve) Greenwell was too proud to tell the team he was hurt which ended his career way prematurely and Burks just couldn’t stay healthy (thanks Greenie!)
tim played for 9 years,he is one of only 3 pitchers in history to win multiple World Series’, multiple cy youngs, throw multiple no-no’s and earn multiple all-star selections
I'm surprised that Chris Davis isn't on this list. 50+ home runs one season and then afterwards couldn't cross the Mendoza line. Went from being Crush Davis to Swish Davis because of all the strike outs.
Yupe!! Chris went from being a stud to being a dud in less than 3 or 4 years!
Speaking of the Orioles, Brady Anderson comes to mind as well.
Two that come to mind are Gregg Jeffries and Yasiel Puig.
No. Jeffries had a solid career.
@@BH02377
Yes Jeffries had a solid 14 year career that included an all star birth
Mark Fidrych was good for baseball and should be in the Hall of Fame. He was fun to watch, a super player, humble and even innocent or naive like a kid! What more do you have to be? Everyone loved him.
How did Matt Harvey not make the list?
Drugs
Harvey's on a different list, along with Johnny Manziel
Harvey is a great call. McClain should not be on this list as he was a top starter for 5 consecutive years. How about Yasil Puig? I think in 10 years we will look back and Ohtani will be number 1 on this list, injuries will be his undoing.
The pink knight?
@@neverpc4404
Harvey and McClain are similar. Both had too much success to be called a "flash in the pan". And that goes double for Lincecum.
If you grade a player off of their own grade curve, Dwight Gooden could be considered a "flash in the pan". His '84-'86 seasons were some of the most dominant pitching seasons in history. He never really came close to those numbers again. One of my favorites too. *Matt Harvey and David Wright also
I agree, he never played upto his potential.
Agreed. Same could be said for Lenny Dykstra. Lenny was one of the best clutch players of all time in my opinion and had 6th sense/baseball intelligence out the wazoo. If he would have kept the same trajectory he had while he was a Met I've no doubt he would have had a much longer career that would have taken him to Cooperstown. Him and Daulton were literally so loved by Phillies fans that they threw a parade celebration for them after the '93 World Series even though they LOST. Gooden and Dykstra at their best were everything that's great about baseball.
Earl Williams hit 33 hr's as a rookie catcher for the 71' Braves and 28 the next year but was quickly fizzled after that..
How about Shane Spencer?? I remember him coming up with the Yankees. He exploded on the scene. Hitting so many home runs . They thought he was The Natural. But like Kevin Maas, pitchers figured him out
Shane Spencer: The Home Run Dispenser!
I used Shane Spencer recently in a cpu sim league as an expensive pitch hitter. He was amazing.
Mr. September!
That was my first thought...ditto
Because you don't celebrate scabs
Another honorable mention: The sad case of Harold Patrick "Pistol Pete" Reiser. In his breakout rookie season in 1941, Reiser led the National League in doubles, triples, batting average, runs scored, slugging percentage and total bases. On defense, he threw out 14 baserunners and recorded a stellar fielding percentage of .981. Not only could Reiser switch hit, but he could switch throw. He was truly ambidextrous, and favored whichever arm was giving him the least amount of pain in the moment. He finished second in MVP voting to his teammate, Dolph Camili, even though Reiser's WAR for that season was 8.0 compared to Camili's 6.9 Together, they both helped the Dodgers win their first national league pennant in over 20 years. However, Reiser's hard style of play was his undoing: he had a nasty habit of crashing into concrete walls. He suffered multiple concussions over the course of his career, losing consciousness on at least on occasion in which he was removed from the field with a stretcher. He sophomore seasons saw a slight drop in performance, after which he was drafted into the military during World War II. He continued to play army baseball, and as a result, continued to get himself injured. He returned to the major leagues in 1946, but he was a shadow of his former self. Although he led the league in stolen bases, it was the only offensive category in which he was a league leader. His decline was even more precipitous in the following years, and the Dodgers released him after a disappointing 1948 season.
Reiser played for three different teams over the next four years, but he could not stay healthy and never again played more than 100 games in a season. By the end of 1952, his career in the big leagues was over.
Oh, what might have been if he played in an era with padded walls . . .
.......or if he'd had the sense to not run into concrete walls head first over and over
I feel his career would have been a little bit longer, but we can only take Soo much damage to our brain (concussions).
Sounds like the Ryan Freel of his era
@@glennstarkey7087 If Ryan Freel had 60-70 grade hit tools
Mickey Mantle wasn't a flash-in-the-pan, but one can only wonder how he would have fared had he not injured himself in the 1951 World Series, or had the DH had been implemented before the end of his career, rather than five years after he played his last season (1968). Obviously Mantle got into the Hall Of Fame in 1974, along with his former teammate Whitey Ford.
I bet Bellinger will be on this list in the future.
And yelich
@@jadprinz482 honestly yelich has had a nice career up to this point
Dodger fan here, I agree with you on that one. His biggest problem was striking out too much always going after the long ball.
That shoulder injury really messed him up
Beat me to it. 🤣
Chris Davis from the O's comes to mind. He went nuts for a year or 2 and then couldn't hit water falling out of a boat.
I remember watching Mark Prior. I'm an old head and so like a lot of people that are 50 now I grew up watching the Chicago Cubs more than any other team because of WGN. Every cable network in the country had WGN thrown into the package and so a lot of people had the Cubs as their second favorite team. They were in my top five anyhow.
That and TBS. Lol
Right, I grew up watching the Cubs and the braves.
@@sure2fckitupguy I grew up a Yankee fan but I would always watch. Opening day at Wrigley
The 2003 Cubs were awesome. When Kerry Wood hit that Homer, I thought he broke the curse! We coulda had Yankees/ Cubs world series. Glad they got one, cheers.
Steve Stone had a career record of 78-79 going into what would be his final full season in 1980. He would go 25-7 that season, winning the Cy Young award. He would only pitch in 15 more games after that.
Tommy Davis was an elite hitter in 1962-63. In 1965, he broke his ankle, and was never the same. He was a DH for the last 4 of his 18 seasons, a role that fit him well.
Much better than a flash in the pan
An oddity is during Gagne's 3 amazing years, he pitched exactly 82 1/3rd in each. Kinda like Khris Davis and Adam Dunn's weird hitting mirrors.
WOW!!
😂😂 damn what are the odds
I would add one thing about Eric Gagne. He holds one of the most unbreakable MLB records with his 84 consecutive saves.
"Flash in the pans". I love that title HBB! Glad you put Eric Gagne on the list. He was a meh starter, great closer until his arm blew out.
Tim Lincecum, while he did win 3 WS, it was just sad to see him just fall apart after being THE FREAK in 2009-2010.
Joe Charboneau could have easily made this list. He won the AL Rookie of the year in 1980 with Cleveland and then played a total of 70 games with a total of 210 at bats in 1981 and 1982 combined in Cleveland, and was then out of baseball.
I was waiting for someone to mention this guy. He'd be #1 on my list. One great year (1980) to start his career and that was it. His last MLB game was only 2 yrs later so even his tail off was a flash.
@@chrisbrown493 A back ailment that wasn't properly treated and didn't heal is what ended his career.
@@stevegallo8483 Yes. Didn't he suffer it in spring training the year after his ROY? "Super Joe", what could've been...
@@chrisbrown493 Could be. I don't remember when he suffered the back injury.
@@chrisbrown493 Yes sliding head first.
I came up with several other players who are more to my definition of "Flash in the pan".
1957 Bob Hazle - Call up after Bruton was injured for Milwaukee. He hit .403 over 155 PAs. Was out of the majors by 1959.
1979-80 Champ Summers - Came up with Oakland in 74 and bounced to Cubs and Reds without much success. 1979 he gets traded mid-season to the Tigers and has two great seasons. 1981 he regressed to his norms and ended up in San Diego where his last MLB AB was against the Tigers in the 1984 WS.
1970 Cito Gaston - had his one All-Star appearance due to slashing .318/.364/.543 with 29 HRs. Fell back to more normal performance (actually slightly below norm for him) the next season, slashing .228/.264/.364. Had a solid journeyman career after that, but nothing like 1970. Was a very good manager who won .516 for his career with two WS triumphs.
1914 Bill James - Was 26-7 with 30 CG for the 1914 Miracle Braves and won 2 more in the World Series. He won 37 games in his career and was basically out of the majors by 1916, though he had one start in 1919.
1911 Bris Lord - A career .256/.307/.344 hitter in the deadball era. Not good even for the deadball era. In 1911, his numbers were .310/.355/.429. He hit 3 of his 13 career HRs that season and the Athletics won the World Series.
Bill James' arm went dead on him in 1915, most likely because of that most dreaded of pitching injuries, the undiagnosed torn rotator cuff (see, e.g., Fidrych, Mark; Simpson, Wayne).
WOW! you know your baseball history. I never heard of that guy Bob Hazle. IN 1985 the Blue Jays brought up a guy named Tom Filer that went 7 and 0 on the season. And never had much success after all as he only won 22 games in his career. But he helped the Jays win the division that year.
Richard Hidalgo hit 44 homers in 2000 but slowly fell off.
That's who I was waiting on
Davey Johnson hit 43 hr's for the 73' Braves and never hit more than 18 in his career.
I'm a collectibles dealer and once had a booth right next to Denny McLain (the 2016 Sports Card National Convention in Atlantic City).... he's actually a personable guy and treated everyone around him with respect. Joking most of the week.. on the final show day he tossed me a ball he signed with about 50 different inscriptions and said thanks for talking to him throughout the week. A memory I won't forget.
That's a great story and memory.
Bo Jackson - dominant player 87-90, and who can forget the commercials. the injuries ruined him.
Chuck Knoblauch also comes to mind. He went from being a gold glove second baseman for the Twins to become a Yankee and couldn't remember how to throw the ball to first. 😊
I had Chuck Knoblauch's rookie card!
D-Train had a delivery that would never be sustainable. It was amazing to see him as a youngin' when he got traded to Detroit. Back then, I didn't really know that he was so much better in Miami.
During his very short stint with the Dbacks I was always pulling hard for him to make a comeback, but it wasn't to be. Enjoyed watching him with his quirky, unusual motion. Seemed like a good guy that had some bad breaks. Good to see him succeed as a commentator.
Former Orioles closer Jim Johnson who was a huge part in the Orioles renaissance back in 12. When we made the postseason for the first time in like 14 years. If I’m not mistaken he was perfect in saves. He was still decent after but just never the same where he ended up bouncing around.
Thank you for this video! If you make another one, you might consider including these players who at an elite level for a while and then their careers fizzled out: 1. Johnny Callison (1964 Phillies) 2. Milt Pappas (1965 Baltimore) 3. George Scott (1966 Boston)
4. Tony Conigliaro (1967 Boston) 5. Bob Horner (1980 Atlanta) 6. Joe Charbonneau (1980 Cleveland) 7. J.R. Richard (1980 Astros)
8. Bo Jackson (1989 Kansas City) 9. Chris Szabo (1990 Cincinnati) 10. Steve Avery (1992 Atlanta)
Good list...but I wouldn't include Conigliaro because of the horrible injury that led to his decline. Also Conigliaro managed to have a great year in 1970 36 HR's and 116 RBI's. But then struggled afterward.
Fidrych may have been a flash in the pan but he brought something to baseball that it needed and it was refreshing.
Dontrelle Willis is the MLB version of Robert Griffin III.
Eric Gagne was terrifying for those 2 years. He made people forget about Mo Rivera & Trevor Hoffman completely.
Mr bugs bunny change-up
Yeah no one forget about Rivera who could still kick Gagnes ass at the time. Hoffman was a joke of a closer. Put him in any pressure situation and he always fumbles apart.
@hydro.pl.27 The only time Hoffman was unreliable was in a non-Save situation, like a tie game or a 4+ run lead. I watched his entire career, and that was a running joke amongst my friends.
He converted just under 9 out of every 10 saves(88.8%).
Most seasons with 40+ saves(9), including 4 straight.
Most career strikeout per 9 innings(9.36).
He also played for a shit franchise his entire career... *¡Viva Los Padres!*
Don't diss Trevor like that.
If he played for the Yankees instead of Rivera, he'd have 900+ saves.
And Trevor had the *GREATEST INTRO EVER... HELL'S BELLS.*
ruclips.net/video/ngsXEeZ0v6E/видео.html
@@UnicornOfDepression Trevor blew so many big saves. You dont know what you are talking about. His biggest games. He blew them
@@hydro.pl.27 YOU ARE EXACTLY CORRECT. Truth teller
For me as a Braves fan, I'll think of Kris Medlen -and his unusual season in 2012. Starts in bullpen, promoted to starter at end of July, and became unhittable. 10-1 record, 1.57 ERA. Went 9-0 as a starter. But injuries wrecked his career as well.
Great point. I forgot all about him. But that is a awesome season.
Senators didnt trade Versailles to the Twins.....they BECAME the Twins
I was going to mention that. Of course the NEW Senators became the Texas Rangers. Wonder how long the Expos/Nats will last.
MLB has such a beautiful history, full of these stories!!
We saw a man with one hand, pitch a no-no....
I LOVED the story of The Birdman literally being forced into multiple curtain calls AT Yankee Stadium!!
1988 Ivan Calderon had an insane season for the White Sox, then disappeared.
1990 Jerome Walton for the Chicago Cubs, 3 triples, 5 doubles and 3 HR's in his 1st week as a rookie.
But MY vote, goes for Brady Anderson of the Baltimore Orioles....with a 51 HR season.
Maybe we need a 2nd list for Super flashrs in the pan like tuffy rhodes (who did parlay his white hot 3 months with the cubs into an iconic Japanese career) benny agbyani Tommy greene Billy Hamilton etc
I wouldn't call Billy Hamilton a flash in the pan. He's more of a specialized player (for his speed) who's still in MLB although currently not signed as a free agent. My guess is somebody will sign him this year for a small amount of money. He never really had great numbers to begin with. Regarding Brady Anderson who is mentioned in the top comment.... Anderson was merely a steroid guy. They could make a whole video on those guys.
@@johnmoore6853 thank you on Brady Anderson tho the rub with him is he didn't need that year he was a top leadoff guy before and after that year...the binge year hurt him more even at the time it happened
@@glennstarkey7087Good call on Greene and Agbayani
Brady Anderson was a steroids deal
Kevin Mitchell in 1989 could've also been on this list going 47 and 121 and winning MVP with the Giants. And also Davey Johnson in 1969 who hit 43 homeruns with the Orioles
Davey Johnson's 43 home runs came with the Braves in 1973.
Mitchell was a baller on the mets though. Great player
@@Windyyyyyyyyy Yup, he was such a powerful guy. In 1989 he hit the bottom of the Marlboro sign out in center field at Candlestick Park
Tim Lincecum was near unhittable for 3 seasons. Sad 😢 he wasn't able to keep it up. But he won a World Series Championship so he had a good 😊 career.
Id say he had a great career too and his sportscard value is still really high. Legend#55
3 rings 2 cy youngs 2 no hitters! strikeout leader twice.
@@helmuthare I agree, but it seems like a popular opinion because he didn’t exhibit longevity or show promise of his old self after 2012 .
Lincecum played 10 seasons. Thats a good career with tons of hardware.
Roberto Hernandez. He was known as Fausto Carmona during his dominant 2007 run with Cleveland when he went 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA. Minnesota center fielder Torii Hunter was quoted as saying, "I can't wait until we face normal pitchers. This guy's sinker is practically unhittable." But he never had a winning record in any season since
Marvin freeman 1994 season kinda belongs 10-2 2.80 Era for the rockies....
When showed a video of Tim Lincecum in a Salt Lake Buzz uniform at Cheney Stadium back in i guess 2015, I was there at that game, I have an autograph ball signed by him. I did remember when he fell down on the pitcher’s mound for a balk, that was embarrassing.
I’ll never forget Rickey Romero such high hopes for him
He used to own my Orioles
As a diehard Jays fan, I was devastated to see his career go down the tubes. I thought he was going to be our ace for years to come 😞
Joe Charboneau was another one
As a Padres fan, when I think FLASH IN THE PAN, I think of 1989's CY YOUNG WINNER (closer) LHP Mark Davis. He went from ELITE closer to mop-up an in a hurry!
Good one
With you being a Padres fan what are your thoughts of Randy Jones for this list? I remember him exploding on the scene in 1975, winning 20 games in BTB years, then only having one decent year after.
If you make a sequel to this, you should consider:
Joe Charboneau - Cleveland
Joe Black - Brooklyn
Daisuke Matsuzaka definitely fits in here
Carlos Quentin's 2008 season on the Southside of Chicago
Great pick for Number one! I never knew about Denny Mclain. His rise and fall would make an incredible documentary.
Thank you! 100%.. he deserves a solo video in the future sometime!
😄😅🤣 I just typed that very thing😄😅
Is he really a flash in the pan though? He had 5 straight elite seasons with 2 Cy Youngs. Yeah he went to crap after that so didn't get the 10 plus great years you would expect but that just makes him a tragic story of self destruction but not really a flash in the pan. I feel like three or more great seasons disqualifies a guy for this list. Those guys are just disappointments or in a few cases, late bloomers.
@@wingracer1614 exactly! His circumstances were much different. His demise I believe was more self inflicted. He doesn’t belong on this list because he had some longevity. He won a 131 games??
I was here to call you out if Denny McLain wasn't highly profiled. Great job!!
6:26 The Senators relocated and became the Twins in 1961
In1974 I was a ballboy for the London Majors of the Intercounty League, Denny McLain briefly played shortstop and maybe pitched for the Majors then. After a game I was asked to get something out of his car for him, I entered the back of his huge black Cadillac where I was taken aback by the massive back seat fully loaded bar. I thought he was so cool like Elvis or some other rock star of the time. I'm pretty sure he played half loaded most games he played in and was definitely a big fish in a small pond then.
Thanks for this. Great job! Entertaining! For me, as a White Sox fan, Yermin Mercedes will always be the BIGGEST Flash in the pan. I see that your list has players with longer success periods and longer pre and post down turns. But Yermin, had 8 straight hits to start his MLB career, and came out of nowhere. And in a few short months, it became apparent, MLB pitchers found his Achilles heel(s) and after Larussa called him out for homering off a utility player's pitching efforts, and that was it. Side note: Typical White Sox history giving up Denny McClain, along with Norm Cash, Earl Battey, and so many more.
Here's a name that breaks Oakland A's fans' hearts: Mike Norris. He came up in 1975 with all sorts of hype, battled all sorts of injuries and just plain bad luck, then in 1980, the year of Billyball, Mike went 22-9 with 180 K's and probably should have won the AL Cy Young award, had it not been for another flash in the pan named Steve Stone, who went 25-7 despite a much higher ERA and nowhere near the dominant year that Norris had. Or how about Jim Lonborg, who won the 1967 AL Cy Young with 22 wins and over 200 K's with the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox, only to suffer a career-threatening injury. He made it back and was a decent starter for the rest of his career in Milwaukee and Philadelphia, but never at that Cy Young level. His next best season was 1976 when he won 18 with the NL East champion Phillies, but he was out of baseball less than three years later.
It wasn't just Norris, Langford and Keough had almost identical careers and peaked at the same time with Oakland there, although Matt Keough is probably best remembered now for marrying one of the women from a ZZ Top video who is now on one of the Real Housewives shows
Saw Mitchell Page hit two homers at Fenway in '77. Then, poof.
@@stroodlebitestroodlechew5832 Yeah, I remember him. He had one really good year in 1977, then a decent year in '78, then his stroke totally deserted him and he was never a starting player again. I like the oblique Zappa reference in your username, by the way...
@@stevehardman4686 Langford and Keough were victimized by the same thing that likely killed Norris' career: no bullpen to speak of in Oakland. Keough was a member of a baseball family who sent multiple people to the show, and then he ended up marrying Playboy Playmate Jeana Tomasino, who as you said, was one of the ZZ Top girls.
@@stroodlebitestroodlechew5832 I saw him hit a home run in the Kingdome in 1977, and with the Tacoma Tigers of the PCL in 1981 hitting home runs out of Renfrew Park in Edmonton.
I remember Randy Jones doing great with SD with a 63 mph fastball !! A true control pitcher if a say so ! Also R.I.P. Big Bird ! So sad 😞 !!!
They both worked quickly, with relatively few strikeouts; a pitching duel between them would have been fun to see. Jones and another quick worker, Jim Kaat, hooked up in a duel in 1977, and the game was over in 1 hour 29 minutes.
A couple other names no one seems to be mentioning, Bob Hamelin won Rookie of the Year in much the same fashion as Maas did, and yet never was a fulltime player after that. I know it was not even half a season, but Shane Spencer with his OPS+ of 236 in 1998 had a lot of people thinking he would be a star.
Bob Hamelin should have been included in this video. He won the American League Rookie Of The Year Award during the strike shortened 1994 season for the Kansas City Royals, posting a. 282 batting average, and 24 home runs. He has vision problems, and abruptly retired from baseball in 1998 due to recurring problems with injuries.
Jon Bois covered him well
He had 1 year. His Rookie year Lol
hamlin only got r.o.y. because of the strike shorten season (and intrestingly made him only the 2nd d.h. to win r.o.y after eddie murray) i had someone try an trade him to me that offseason but i refused because i saw he slumped when the strike happened and said he would never make it and i was right.
You're reminding me of Tony Conigliaro and Dickie Thon
Hamelin was a tub DH
Going back quite a ways, but 1942 Johnny Beazley is a huge one. Couldn't figure out how to pitch and was released a time or 2 in the minors, Cardinals got him for their deep minor league system where it was hard to make yourself known, suddenly in 1942 he went from nobody to arguably the best pitcher in the majors. World War II certainly have something to do with his poor play afterward I would imagine, so maybe he belongs on a separate war time list, but around 2/3 of his wins and over half his decisions came in 1942.
I had never known the extent of Denny McLain's awful life of crime, though I recall that he had been sentenced to prison. I remember watching his 30th win of the '68 season vs. Oakland, which was the most exciting and suspenseful game I have ever seen. Only NBC televised games nationally then and only on Saturdays during the regular season. The odds of a 30th win being available to a national TV audience were long, and that made just getting to see the game a treat. It seems Denny's life was always dramatic -- the greatest achievements or the worst choices.
There must have been so many to choose from, and it's hard to argue with any of these picks. My nomination for a part 2 would be Mark Davis. Started for the Phillies in 1984, went 5-17. Moved to relief the following year, but didn't do much. Traded to the Padres in 1987, he became their closer in 88, and arguably dominated the NL in the 88 and 89 seasons. He took a big payday from the Royals in 1990, but never approached his numbers from those two seasons again. He was in the league for 15 seasons, but finished his career with an ERA over 4, and never got close to those two years with the Padres again. Great work you're doing here. Hope you find my humble contribution entertaining!
I grew up minutes from Yankee Stadium and as a kid, we'd spend as much time there as we could. I remember when Kevin Maas came up, all the women LOVED him. They'd all wear their shirts they called their "Maas-tops" while sitting in the right field. Whenever Maas hit a home run to right, the girls would get up, remove their tops and jump up and down until Maas finished circling the bases.
Suffice to say, my friends and I loved sitting in right field.
Enjoyed the list but one quick correction: Zolio Versalles was not traded from the Senators to the Twins. The Washington franchise moved to Minnesota before the 1961 season. That is how he became a Twin.
Paul "Daffy" Dean. Dizzy's younger brother won 19 games in each of his first two seasons, helping the Gashouse Gang to a World Championship, but arm troubles took their toll and he only won another 12 games over 7 seasons for the rest of his career.
Herb Score. Struck out a then-rookie record 245 batters in 1955, followed that with 263 Ks in 1956, winning 20 games. Off to a good start in 1957, he was hit in the right eye by a line drive, missed the rest of the season, came back, but had arm troubles and was never the same. Went on to become a beloved broadcaster for the Tribe.
Smoky Joe Wood. Came into the bigs at age 18, was an effective swing man for three years, then in his fourth year, won 23 games with a 2.02 ERA (162 ERA+), and 231 Ks. Followed that with a season for the ages, going 34-5, 10 shutouts, 1.91 ERA, 258 Ks, and won 16 straight games, tying the record of Walter Johnson, who he beat in a much-hyped 1-0 duel for his 15th. The Red Sox won the World Series that year. He was a very effective pitcher for three more years after that, but injuries limited him to 18, 14, and 16 starts. After that, he moved to the outfield, where he was moderately decent.
Ken Hunt hit 25 home runs and had 84 RBIs as a rookie with the L.A. Angels in 1961, but suffered a pair of serious injuries to his right shoulder in 1962--one of which came when he was flexing the bat behind his back while on deck--and never played another full season in the major leagues.
Not sure he makes the FITP list, but Kerry Wood definitely was one of those guys that just never quite developed into what so many were waiting for. I'll never forget getting home from school in April and hearing how KW just k'd 20 Astros in 1998. He and Sammy (gosh, another sad story) led the Cubs to a wildcard that year, only to get swept of course.
Two more players you could add here are Brady Anderson and Jeff D’Amico. Anderson was a decent hitter throughout his career but had one outlier season in which he hit 50 homers. D’Amico never realized his potential because of injuries but had one solid year where he had an ERA under 3.
Yupe!! I remember Brady Anderson in the 1990s when he was at his best, then he fell off!!
Mark Prior always fell in the "what could have been" bin for me. Prior, Pete Reiser (from what I've read about him), Grady Sizemore, and Troy Tulo to name a few others I have in that category.
Ubaldo is a perfect example for a flash in the pan though. He came out of nowhere and seemingly left just as fast as he came along. I remember rooting for him back then.
Eric Gange doesn't really fit this list for me. I remember his streak spanning over 2 seasons; not really flash in the pan material. I guess the same could be said for Lincecum as well, but everyone was in agreement that Timmy's windup would eventually be his downfall and it was only a matter of time before his dominance would end if he didn't make changes. Is it really a "flash in the pan" when everyone predicted it to a point that it didn't even feel like a prediction but just an, in due time type of thing.
Mike Hampton was the first name that came to mind for me. In 1999 and parts of 2000, he was perhaps one of the best pitchers in the league. He was runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award in 1999 with the Astros, and led the NL with 22 wins that year. He went to the Mets in 2000, and while he wasn't terrific for them, 15-10 was respectable, and he was NLCS MVP against the Cardinals. In 2001, he signed a deal with the Rockies (and claims it wasn't about the money), and immediately fell apart. He eventually went to Atlanta, and did win a Gold Glove with them in 2003, but was nowhere near his '99 or '00 totals.
I remember he used to hit bombs too lol
@@at2130 True, but that's not why they signed him, haha.
Willie Aikens, Joe Charboneau, Ron Leflore
Bob Hamelin. Oldest rookie of the year. He was the hammer. I crapped my pants when he shook my hand 😂
Great video Humm Baby. Proud of you. You’re one of the few RUclipsrs I know that consistently puts out great original videos that get great numbers and hosts great daily livestreams during the season. As always, I’m a Padres fan but that doesn’t matter. I love your channel and your thoughts. You seem like a solid guy
As a Reds fan, I remember all too well Tim Lincecum’s 2012 decline and how for one October afternoon/evening he just had to return to form one more time 😢
And the Buster Posey grand slam the next day. 😭
Long time astros fan here...my pick for flash in the pan is Glenn Davis first baseman for the astros in the mid to late 1980"s,
who was awesome in 1986, helped lead the Astros to the NLCS with 31 homers but after that year he never could match it
In those days the jump from NL to AL was a big adjustment & about the time he was coming through that a neck injury got him .
Would you pu J.R. Richards in this category?
@@littleblackduck3134 JR Richard was a freak of nature... REALLY could chuck it.
Add Shane Spencer to the Yankee list alongside Maas. Two other players from the 1950s should be on this list. One is Walt Dropo, who had an unreal rookie season for the Red Sox in 1950 (34 HR, 144 RBI unreal) but never got close to those levels in ten more MLB years. A shorter-term flash was Bob Hazle for the Milwaukee Braves in 1957, coming up to the majors with less than half the season to go. He hit .403 in 41 games and was a major factor in the Braves winning the pennant. He was injured the next year, hit just .211 and never played in the majors again.
Shance Spencer is the perfect flash in the pan. 10 HRs in like 2 weeks in Sept. He was on fire then just flew off the map.
Again, you compiled an excellent list. I'm old, I remember as far back as Zoillo in 1965.
Me too! Lol I just turned 65 (yrs old)!
I was in the womb in 65🤣🤣🤣
I was eight months old at the end of the '48 season and remember being disappointed by Pistol Pete Reiser's fall.
First time here, loved the video, looking forward to more content. One quick thing to note though; Versalles wasn't traded from the Senators to the Twins. Washington relocated to Minnesota in 1961 and he moved with the franchise
12:45. The only reason Gagne "won" the Cy Young award in 2003 was PEDs. Gagne admitted in his book that he was using at least HGH during that season. The guy who finished 2nd that year? Jason Schmidt, who would be a good honorable mention in this list. An average pitcher for a few years, he finally looked like he had found his groove. Great 2003 season (all-star, should've won the Cy Young). Backed that up with a very good 2004 season (All-Star). Took a step back in 2005 before rebounding in 2006 with another All-Star appearance. Signed a big deal with the Dodgers in the offseason and essentially never played again (injuries).
Keith Moreland, Jerome Walton, Mitch Williams, Derek Lee, Rick Wilkins, Geovany Soto, Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Jake Arrieta, Kris Bryant, and Javier Baez were all Cubs flash in the pans.
Man, I can't believe that Joe Charboneau of the Cleveland Indians didn't make your Top 10. After winning the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1980, Charboneau's career quickly flamed out amidst injuries, specifically a back ailment that never properly healed and restricted him for the next three years. He is one of the most oft-cited examples of baseball's fabled sophomore jinx, holding the record for the fewest career games played in the Major Leagues by a Rookie of the Year, with 201.
Agree. Similar scenario with Bobby Crosby.
Kevin Seitzer 200 hits in a rookie season is no small feat
Maybe the most bizarre flash in the pan was Bob "Hurricane" Hazle, who came up at the end of July for the Milwaukee Braves in 1957. Up til then he had been a journeyman minor leaguer, but he drove the Braves to the NL Pennant, hitting .403 with 7 HR's and 27 RBI's in 41 games. In 1958, he was hitting .179 when, the Braves sold him to Detroit, he played a few games for the Tigers, got his season average up to .211, and his Major League days were over. But he had a great two months.
My father used to talk about a pitcher named Karl Spooner, who broke in with the Brooklyn Dodgers at the end of the 1954 season. Spooner's first start he pitched a complete game shutout and struck out 15 batters. In his second, he pitched another shutout and struck out 12. He played only one more year and ended his career getting lit up for 5 runs in 1/3rd of an inning in starting game 6 of the 1955 World Series. The Dodgers came back and won game 7, so Spooner did get a World Series ring (as did Hurricane Hazle).
Allen Craig '11-'13
.312/.364/.500
Key stat: Average with runners in scoring position
'11: .316/.388/.617
'12: .400/.450/.680
'13: .454/.500/.639
Seemed like he was driving in runs every game in '12 and '13.
He played in the '11 and '13 World Series, batting .314/.415/.600 in 13 games. He was the guy that tripped over Middlebrooks for a walk-off defensive interference, injured himself IIRC, and was never the same.
Made a nice comeback in his final season, but the Padres were going through a tank job and never promoted him from AAA. I'm still mad about this.
Josh Hamilton has to be in the top 3 on this list for sure
For real.
A .290 batting average and 200 home runs in 1,027 major league games is not a flash in the pan.
You forgot Roy Hobbs. Lol
I was thinking of him also.
Chris Shelton 2006 Tigers had 9 homeruns in the first 13 games of the season. Got sent down before the season was over.
As a Jays fan I’ll never forget Aaron Sanchez having that monster year going 15-2 and then picking up Scott Boras as an agent thinking his money was coming. Safe to say that never happened.
For me, a little leaguer in 1976, Fidrych was pure magic.