Sometimes a player endures an MLB season that makes fans of the team believe he can be a vital part of the team for the unforeseeable future. It doesn’t occur though, as the player never comes close to reaching those heights again.

After looking at a 25-man roster of best players to never make an All-Star Game, let’s take a stab at a 25-man roster of one-year wonders. For this exercise, only players who debuted in 1990 or later were looked at.

While players such as Brady Anderson and Bernard Gilkey had clear-cut best seasons, they also brought value to the table in other years, so we’re not considering them (and other similar players) one-year wonders.

All stats were taken from Baseball-Reference.

Starting lineup

  • 1. Peter Bourjos - Angels, CF (2011)

Bourjos’ 2011 season saw him tie for the AL lead with 11 triples, and he also stole 22 bases while scoring 72 times.

  • 2. Fernando Tatis - Cardinals, 3B (1999)

In 1999, Tatis finished 10th in the NL in on-base percentage (.406), also batting .298 with 34 homers and 107 RBIs.

  • 3. Domonic Brown - Phillies, LF (2013)

In Brown’s All-Star season of 2013, he batted .272 with 27 home runs and an .818 OPS. FanSided recently looked at what he’s up to now.

  • 4. Bob Hamelin - Royals, DH (1994)

The 1994 AL Rookie of the Year, Hamelin slugged out 24 homers in 312 at bats and had a .987 OPS.

  • 5. Mike Morse - Nationals, 1B (2011)

Morse finished 19th in NL MVP voting in 2011 in a year where he hit .303 with 31 home runs and a .910 OPS.

  • 6. Jason Lane - Astros, RF (2005)

In his breakout 2005 campaign, Lane clubbed 26 home runs and 34 doubles.

  • 7. Rick Wilkins - Cubs, C (1993)

It was a fabulous 1993 for Wilkins who connected on 30 home runs while hitting .303 with a .937 OPS.

  • 8. Jason Bartlett - Rays, SS (2009)

In 2009, Barrett was seventh in the AL with a .320 batting average and tied for eighth with 30 steals while also hitting 14 home runs and scoring 90 runs.

  • 9. Junior Spivey - Diamondbacks, 2B (2002)

Spivey had a 14th-place finish in NL MVP voting in 2002 with a .301 batting average, 16 homers, 34 doubles, and 103 runs.

Bench

  • Andres Torres - Giants, CF (2010)

The starting center fielder on the World Series champion 2010 Giants team, Torres hit 43 doubles and 16 home runs while stealing 26 bases.

  • Angel Berroa - Royals, SS (2003)

Named the AL Rookie of the Year in 2003, Berroa’s productive year consisted of a .287 batting average, 17 home runs, 92 runs, and 21 stolen bases.

  • Kevin Maas - Yankees, 1B (1990)

The runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year in 1999, Maas hit 21 homers in just 254 at bats while owning a .902 OPS.

  • Devin Mesoraco - Reds, C (2014)

Mesoraco placed 21st in NL MVP voting in 2014 as he hit .273 with 25 homers and a .893 OPS.

Starting rotation

  • Justin Thompson, Tigers (1997)

An All-Star in 1997, Thompson finished the year fourth in the AL with a 1.14 WHIP and fifth with a 3.02 ERA.

  • Dave Fleming, Mariners (1992)

Coming in third place in the 1992 AL Rookie of the Year voting, Fleming went 17-10 with a 3.39 ERA.

  • Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox (2008)

A fourth-place finisher in 2008 AL Cy Young voting, Matsuzaka had an impressive 18-3 record to go along with a 2.90 ERA and a .211 batting average against.

  • Jeff D’Amico, Brewers (2000)

Making 23 starts in 2000, D’Amico was third in the NL in ERA (2.66) and fourth in WHIP (1.16).

  • Ricky Romero, Blue Jays (2011)

Romero was 10th in 2011 AL Cy Young voting in a season where he had a 2.92 ERA and 1.14 WHIP

Bullpen

  • Derrick Turnbow, Brewers (2005)

One of the most dominant closers in 2005, Turnbow turned in 39 saves, a 1.74 ERA, and 1.08 WHIP for the season.

  • Jorge Julio, Orioles (2002)

Julio was a third-place finisher in 2002 AL Rookie of the Year voting as he possessed a 1.99 ERA and 25 saves.

  • Jorge Sosa, Braves (2005)

Making 20 starts and 24 relief appearances in 2005, Sosa excelled in both roles ending with a 13-3 record and a 2.55 ERA.

  • Evan Meek, Pirates (2010)

Likely one of the most unrecognizable All-Star players in 2010, Meek had a 2.14 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 80 innings.

  • Carter Capps, Marlins (2015)

What an amazing 31 innings Capps threw in 2015 ending with a 1.16 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts.

  • Jim Henderson, Brewers (2013)

Henderson was worthy of the ninth-inning role in 2013 as he saved 28 games, had a 2.70 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and struck out 11.3 hitters per nine innings.

  • Joel Zumaya, Tigers (2006)

Possessing a triple-digit fastball, Zumaya ended the 2006 season with a 1.94 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 83.1 innings.
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