Forgotten Standout Seasons: MLB

Some people have conventional hobbies. On the flip side, I love to pass time by reminiscing on former niche athletes. The players below aren't necessarily niche, but they had some incredible seasons that have managed to go under-the-radar.

2012 R.A. Dickey

This is likely a product of me being pretty young when he was in his prime, but I always thought RHP R.A. Dickey was just a gimmicky knuckleballer that ate innings. He was fine as a Blue Jay; his knuckleball was hit-or-miss in Toronto. I assumed that was always the case for Dickey and he never pitched like an ace. Well, I was wrong. After several unimpressive seasons with various teams, Dickey found himself in Queens, New York for the 2010 season. After giving up 4.20 BB/9 in 2009, Dickey nearly cut that number in half to 2.7 BB/9 in 2010. With his improved command, Dickey posted a 2.84 ERA across 174.1 IP. In 2011, his ERA elevated to 3.28, but he surpassed 200 IP. Then, Dickey proceeded to have one of the most impressive single season performances in baseball history in 2012. Over 233.2 IP (33 GS), R.A. Dickey had a 2.73 ERA/3.27 FIP/3.27 xFIP. At surface level, those numbers are great, but not eye-popping. What is eye-popping, however, is that Dickey’s career high in strikeouts (prior to 2012) was 134, then he proceeded to lead the league with 230 Ks in 2012. His 8.86 K/9 isn’t dominant, but it equates to a lot of strikeouts when you exceed 200+ IP. While leading the league in innings pitched, Dickey also led baseball with five complete games. His average fastball velocity was only 84.9 MPH, but that pitch took a backseat to his legendary knuckleball, which he threw approximately 85% of the time in 2012. Advanced pitching metrics are scarce for seasons before 2015, but all you need to do is watch a few highlights of Dickey’s knuckleball to understand how devastating it was. With all of that put together, while also boasting a record of 20-6, the 2012 NL Cy Young Award went to R.A. Dickey. His career looked like it was over at 34, but Dickey had a career resurrection for the ages and won the most prestigious pitching award at the wise age of 37. Dickey couldn’t repeat this level of dominance after being traded to the Blue Jays in the 2012 offseason– a deal that netted the Mets C Travis d’Arnaud and RHP Noah Syndergaard– but he was durable and had decent stats up north through 2016. Dickey’s final stop in his career was 2017 with the Braves, when the 42 year-old managed to throw 190 IP. His ERA of 4.26 wasn’t stellar, but being any sort of asset at such an old age is rare. All told, R.A. Dickey won’t go down as one of the best pitchers in MLB history, he’ll be nowhere near that conversation. With that being said, Dickey reinvented himself at the age of 35 and knuckled his way to a Cy Young without sniffing 90 MPH, which is one of the greatest story arcs you’ll see in the sport. Knuckleballers are virtually extinct now, meaning that R.A. Dickey’s 2012 Cy Young season will likely never be replicated by an MLB player ever again.

2014 Josh Harrison

The Pittsburgh Pirates have struggled over the last 5+ seasons, but that hasn’t always been the case. From 2013 to 2015, the Pirates made three playoff appearances, including two seasons with over 90 wins. OF Andrew McCutchen was the star of these Pirates teams, but he wasn’t able to do it alone. After being a below-average afterthought throughout his first three seasons in the big leagues, utilityman Josh Harrison had a breakout 2014 season. In 143 games, Harrison slashed .315/.347/.490/.837 with a .365 wOBA, 137 wRC+, and 4.8 fWAR. Both by wRC+ and WAR, Harrison graded out as a top 25 player in all of baseball. Throughout his career, Harrison has had strong bat-to-ball skills, but he lacked power. In 2014, he was able to hone in on gap power, hitting 38 2Bs, 7 3Bs, and 13 HRs. His .490 SLG% from 2014 is nearly 100 points higher than his career average (.396). This isn’t exactly a coincidence, as his line drive and flyball rate rose to 62.7%, while his soft contact average fell to 14.9%. These numbers only scratch the surface of Harrison’s breakout at the plate, as Statcast analytics only date back to 2015 (ugh!). Interestingly enough, he was able to succeed while sparingly generating walks, posting a pedestrian 4.0 BB%.

His bat was great, but his value was even greater when you consider his versatility around the diamond. He spent most of his time 2014 manning the hot corner, but he ended up playing five different positions for extended periods of time. He didn’t just play multiple positions, he thrived at each. Harrison accumulated 11 DRS at 3B, 3 DRS in RF, 2 DRS at 2B, and 0 DRS playing SS and LF. For non-mathematicians, that adds up to 16 DRS, which is undoubtedly elite. Harrison was honored with his first All-Star Game appearance and wound up finishing in the top ten in NL MVP voting. Not to be forgotten, Harrison was also awarded the 2014 Heart & Hustle Award, given yearly to an active MLB player who uses his love and passion for baseball to give back and support his community. His organization, Josh Harrison for Hope Foundation, helped support low-income students in the Pittsburgh area receive adequate meals and additional clothing. His versatility never disappeared, but his bat regressed heavily to the mean as the seasons went on. Harrison didn’t struggle batting for average the following few years, but his inability to walk capped his OBP and he couldn’t replicate his slugging output. He managed to hover around league average at the plate and remained a valuable asset and swiss army knife, but his huge 2014 campaign looks to be a general outlier to his career norms. Outlier or not, Josh Harrison was quietly one of the best players in all of baseball and was a much-needed spark plug for the 2014 Pittsburgh Pirates.

2016 Michael Fulmer

There was no doubt that RHP Justin Verlander was the bona-fide ace of the Detroit Tigers pitching staff going into 2016, but the baseball world didn’t know that he would have a formidable rookie partner behind him. After being traded to the Tigers at the 2015 deadline in a deal that sent Yoenis Céspedes to the Mets, RHP Michael Fulmer rose to the top spot in Detroit’s farm system ahead of the 2016 season. Fulmer made his debut on April 29th, then struggled into May. On May 27th, something clicked for Fulmer. Over his next four starts, Fulmer threw 27.1 innings without surrendering a single run. He was off and running, performing at an elite level through the summer months. Despite showing signs of fatigue into September, Fulmer finished his season with a 3.06 ERA/3.76 FIP/3.95 xFIP and 139 ERA+ across 159.0 IP. He wound up winning the AL Rookie of the Year, edging out Yankees slugger Gary Sanchez, and placing in the top ten for AL Cy Young voting. What made Fulmer so successful in 2016? It wasn’t an overpowering fastball, as he sat at about 95.6 MPH and had a 7.47 K/9. Rather, Fulmer filled up the zone with strikes and induced weak contact with his cutter (25.8% usage), which opponents had a .203 BA/.315 SLG against, and changeup (17.5%), which opponents had a measly .167 BA/.198 SLG against. Hitters struggled to lift the ball against Fulmer, as can be assumed by his 51.1 GB%. It wasn’t that Fulmer dominated in one way, rather he performed like a seasoned veteran with virtually no glaring weaknesses. Since his rookie year, Fulmer has had several twists and turns through his career. He pitched well again in 2017 (3.83 ERA in 164.2 IP), but tailed off in 2018 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. His return in 2020 was abysmal, as he sported an ERA of 8.78 in 10 starts during the COVID-shortened season. From 2021 and onward, Fulmer has reinvented himself as a reliever and has generally found success, although he’s struggled so far in 2023 as a Chicago Cub. Injuries derailed Fulmer’s ambitions as a starter, but his 2016 season will be remembered as one of the steadiest debut seasons for a young pitcher.

2019 Austin Meadows

Year in and year out, the Tampa Bay Rays churn out good ballplayers. In 2019, OF/DH Austin Meadows wasn’t just good, rather he was fantastic for the Rays. Meadows debuted in 2018, appearing in 59 games and slashing .287/.325/.461/.786 with a 109 wRC+. With regular playing time the next season, Meadows absolutely raked, culminating in a mark of .291/.364/.558/.922 with 33 HRs, a 144 wRC+, and 4.5 fWAR. On a Rays team that won 96 games and didn’t struggle to score, he was very clearly the best hitter. He wasn’t just good by team standard, though, as his 144 wRC+ was tied for 10th best, ahead of superstars like Juan Soto, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts. This wasn’t a coincidence or a product of luck, all one needs to do is look at his batted ball data. Yes, he used strength to hit the ball hard, as demonstrated by his 97th percentile rank for max exit velocity (115.4 MPH!!!), but he did it with an impressive amount of consistency, barrelling 11.5% and posting a 42.9% hard hit rate on batted balls. Most of his homers were to the pull side (right field), but Meadows could also use the middle of the field to deposit hits. If I was on the mound facing Austin Meadows in 2019, I definitely wouldn’t throw him many fastballs, as he had a .300 BA and .580 SLG against heaters. Well, I actually don’t know how I would attack him, considering his .333 BA and .556 SLG splits against offspeed pitches. Sure, he struck out 22.2% of the time in 2019, but that doesn’t take away from his season of success at the plate. I specify at the plate because he had a putrid -6 DRS in the outfield, but the Rays often utilized him at DH to negate his fielding struggles. Since 2019, Meadows has had a sharp decline in production, struggling to make consistent contact. Since being traded to the Detroit Tigers before the 2022 season, he has appeared in only 42 games and has yet to record a home run. What you won’t find in box scores and statistics is the human side of Major League Baseball. Meadows has been very forthcoming about his struggles with anxiety and mental health. Currently, he is on the 60-day IL with anxiety, which he is actively working on improving with the support of the Tigers organization. It may be nearly impossible for him to return to 2019 form, but if Meadows is able to push through his mental health issues, I both hope and believe that he can re-establish himself as a productive big leaguer.

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