By Cory Fallon
These players were in the spotlight after a breakout season but were unable to duplicate their success again.
1) Mark Fidrych
#OTD in 1976 Mark Fidrych makes his first career start. He holds Cleveland to 2 hits and one walk in a complete game win pic.twitter.com/0Xd1Ew8m82
— Tigers History (@TigersHistory) May 15, 2022
‘The Bird’ took the baseball world by storm during his rookie season in 1976. He made 29 starts for the Detroit Tigers, going 19-9 with 24 complete games and an impressive 2.34 ERA, earning him Rookie of the Year honors while finishing runner-up in the Cy Young voting.
He’d injure his knee in early 1977 and tear his rotator cuff shortly after that, pitching only 160 innings after his rookie season. He was out of baseball by 1980.
2) Joe Charboneau
Joe Charboneau of the #Cleveland @Indians 1981 Fleer Rookie Card. #SuperJoe pic.twitter.com/Q01r6QkoHE
— John Skrtic (@SkrticX) January 21, 2021
Another young stud who immediately made an impact, ‘Super Joe’ was such a superstar in Cleveland that there was a literal song written about him. He easily took home 1980 Rookie of the Year honors, slashing .289/.358/.488 with 23 home runs and 87 RBI in 131 games for the Indians.
He’d injure his back in early 1981, playing 48 games that season and only 22 in 1982 before his Major League career was over after just 201 career games.
3) Kerry Wood
OTD 10 years ago, Kerry Wood made his final MLB appearance 🔥@Prevagen pic.twitter.com/zwge4VVaHc
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) May 18, 2022
Kerry Wood is an interesting case here. He threw arguable the best game in Major League history in his fifth career start in 1998, striking out 20 and allowing a single hit. He’d finish that season with a 13-6 record for the Chicago Cubs, striking out 233 over just 166.2 innings while taking home the Rookie of the Year award.
He underwent Tommy John surgery before the 1999 season began, and never quite returned for form. He was named an All Star in 2003 and 2008 but was unable to duplicate the success he generated after his rookie season. He’d retire following the 2012 season with 1,582 career strikeouts.
4) Joel Zumaya
Joel Zumaya excited about his bobblehead tomorrow!
See you tomorrow Whitecaps and Tigers fans! pic.twitter.com/yLI1azC4hU
— West Michigan Whitecaps (@wmwhitecaps) July 8, 2016
Joel Zumaya was the original flamethrower out of the bullpen. He debuted as a 21-year-old for the Detroit Tigers in 2006, topping out as high as 104 miles-per-hour, nearly unheard-of at a time when 97 was considered fast at the Major League level. Zumaya tossed 83.1 innings out of the bullpen in 2006, striking out 97 to the tune of a 1.94 ERA.
Injures would derail his career, and he only pitched 126.1 innings to the tune of a 3.78 after his electric 2006 season and was out of baseball following 2010.
5) Joba Chamberlain
June 1, 2009
Joba Chamberlain makes a diving catch off the mound, then doubles off the runner at second pic.twitter.com/NteW9hyoIo— NY Yankees Throwbacks (@yankeethrowback) December 18, 2020
Joba enjoyed a rather controversial career not because of what he did, but of how he was handled. He came into the league as a hard-throwing relief pitcher, and the Yankees tried to convert him into a starter much to the dismay of the fanbase. He threw 124.1 innings over his first two seasons to a combined 2.17 ERA, striking out 152 in the process.
Mismanagement and some injuries saw Joba pitch to a 4.28 ERA over the remainder of his career, throwing his last big league pitch in 2016 before retiring.
Photo Credit: Kowarski
