Top 10 MLB FLASHES IN THE PAN! HERE & GONE Players Who Were ELITE For A Moment in TIme...

come baby enjoy this great game welcome to another top 10 ranking and in today's video we'll be looking at the top 10 flash in the pans players who were absolutely Elite for a short amount of time but were unable to sustain that success for very long to make this list players had to have between one to three amazing Seasons that create a big hype and expectations however they ended up being here and gone flashing the pan players who could never quite replicate that success again some of these players had respectable careers but their time as Elite top level MLB players was short-lived so let's just jump right into it with number 10 Mark Pryor the first player on the list is one of the most hyped up prospects of all time Mark Pryor he was taken in the first round twice my bus videos have received quite a bit of criticism for not including Mark Pryor but the real reason I did not is simple he had one great year in the big leagues after being taken second overall by the Cubs Pryor went 5-2 with a 2.29 era in the miners for being called up he had a decent rookie year going six and six with a 3.32 era but followed it up with the season the Cubs were hoping for in 2003 prior through a shutout in his second start of the season and ended the year going 18-6 making the All-Star team and striking out 245 batters in 211 Innings he helped the Cubs make the playoffs then through a complete game two-hitter in the nlds he also pitched extremely well in the NLCS winning game two and then throwing seven scoreless innings in game six unfortunately this was the historic moment when the Cubs completely collapsed we all remember the Gonzalez error the Bartman incident Moises Salu freaking out over it and the complete meltdown that occurred which led to the Marlins winning the game and the series however Mark Pryor still had a fantastic season and for that year alone doesn't quite belong in a top 10 or even top 20 bust list in my opinion he fits better in the flash in the pan category as Pryor pitched only three more seasons in the big league struggling with injuries and underperformance the entire time continued to pitch in the miners and some independent leagues for years but continued to struggle to stay healthy he retired in 2013 after a stint with the Reds AAA team but for a very short time in 2003 Pryor did live up to the hype number 9. Chase Headley coming up next is a San Diego Padres second round pick who first got called up to the big leagues in 2007 by 0-9 he was a regular in the lineup hitting around 265 per year with about 9 to 12 home runs but suddenly in 2012 at the age of 28 Headley had his breakout season that no one saw coming not even Headley himself who set a goal of hitting 15 home runs and driving in 75 runs instead he crushed 31 bombs and led the league with 115 runs driven in he finished fifth in the MVP voting won a Silver Slugger and won the NL player of the month award twice during the season he also had a great year defensively and took home a gold glove Headley set a career high in basically every offensive category and was suddenly on the verge of becoming a legit MLB superstar that is until 2013 when he was injured in spring training and after returning reverted back to the normal Chase Headley hitting just 250 with 13 home runs in 2014 he was traded to the Yankees with whom he later signed a three-year deal it was a regular in the lineup for them but never got close to replicating his amazing 2012 season he returned to the Padres in 2018 but was released after hitting just 115 and 52 at bats although Headley had a respectable 12-year career he was a legitimate power-hitting star for a quick Flash in 2012. number eight Ubaldo Jimenez one team that has always struggled to find Elite starting pitching has been the Colorado Rockies however at one time they had what appeared to be hands down the best pitcher in the game the Rockies drafted Ubaldo Jimenez in 2001 and he worked his way slowly through the miners eventually earning a call up in 2006 after going 14-4 between triple and double A he became a solid arm in the rotation but nothing overly spectacular that is until 2010 with Jimenez suddenly took his performance to another level starting with the first no-hitter in Rocky's history on April 17th he won five games in the month of April alone and set a franchise record with 25 and a third consecutive scoreless Innings later that year he broke his own record throwing 33 straight he won 11 of his first 12 starts maintaining an era under one by the All-Star game he was 15-1 with a 2.2 era the Rockies appear to have found the elite starter that they were looking for he finished the year in 1908 with a 2.88 era struggling a bit down the stretch but this remarkable performance put his name on the map and is what likely allowed him to play another seven seasons in the big leagues he never came close to repeating that performance he started 2011 going 6-9 with a 4.46 era and was traded to Cleveland there he went on to lead the lead with 17 losses in 2012. he had a nice Rebound in 2013 going 13-9 with a 3.3 era but 2010 was his only All-Star season and Jimenez ended up retiring in 2020 after being released from his second stint with the Rockies it was an extremely brief but amazing flash in the pan for valo Jimenez number seven soilo Versailles Versailles was a Cuban ball player signed by the Washington Senators in 1958. he played well in the minors but struggled in The Bigs after his first call up in 1959 hitting just 153 with one Homer in 1960 it was more of the same as he hit 133 causing the Senators to trade him to the twins he found his comfort zone there and ended up as a regular in the lineup hitting 241 with 17 home runs in 1962 in 63 he led the league in triples and bumped his average up to 261. however everything suddenly came together in 1965 when Versailles became a hitting machine finding gaps driving the ball down the line and hitting for power with 19 home runs he ended up leading the league in doubles triples runs and total bases and was second in hits he made the All-Star team and had a 7.2 War for the season not to mention winning a gold glove on surprise surprisingly he won the American League MVP award at just 26 years old it looked like Versailles might be on a Hall of Fame path unfortunately his performance declined after that season and he hit just 249 in 1966 and then 267 with just six home runs despite 581 at bats he never led the league in an offensive category again after the stunning 1965 season he bounced around a bit for a few years but never played in the big leagues again after hitting 191 for the 1971 Braves sadly he struggled financially after retirement and ended up having to sell his MVP award although Versailles certainly didn't have a Hall of Fame career he should still be remembered for an amazing run in 1965 when he was ever so briefly the best player in the American League number six DonTrell Willis next up is the D train DonTrell Willis who was taken in the eighth round by the Chicago Cubs in the year 2000. he was traded to the Marlins in 2002 and went 12-2 with a 1.83 era in the minor leagues in 2003 became a regular in the Marlins rotation and had a phenomenal rookie year going 14-6 with a 3.3 era taking home the Rookie of the Year Willis had a memorable old-time baseball wind-up that included a high lead kick and a massive body twist by 2005 Willis was one of the best in the game and started the year 5-0 with a 1.29 era he made the All-Star team finished the year with a 22-10 record leading the league with seven complete games and five shutouts he finished second in the Cy Young voting to Chris Carpenter but did win the Warren spawn award given to the best left-handed pitcher in each league the hype around Willis was massive as a rookie of the year winner who had just won 22 games as a 20 three-year-old unfortunately this was the height of his success he started 2006 by going one in six with a 4.93 era and ended the year with a 12 and 12 record in 2007 he went 10 and 15 with a terrible 5.17 era leading the national league and runs aloud he spent the rest of his career trying to stay off the disabled list bouncing around from Team to team but never winning more than two games in an entire season his last year was 2011 when he went one in six for the Reds Willis continued to attempt comebacks through 2015 when he finally announced his retirement from the game number five Kevin Moss next up is Kevin Moss a huge Prospect for the Yankees who appeared to be the real deal once he made it to the majors Moss was taken in the 22nd round but showed immense talent in the minor leagues by hitting 28 home runs with a 271 batting average and 382 on base percentage in 1988. he was promoted Midway through the 1990s season the team hoped that they had found their next great Yankee Slugger one who could eventually be the heir to Don Mattingly he came out of the gate on fire starting his career about as hot as possible crushing 10 home runs in his first 72 MLB at bats a record at the time in one three-game Series in Texas Moss homered off Kevin Brown then Bobby Witt then Nolan Ryan despite not being called up till July line only playing in 79 games he still managed to crush 21 home runs and finished second in the Rookie of the Year only because he just played half a season however Moss was a Deadpool hitter pitchers catchers and coaches certainly studied him going into the 91 season and he had a huge sophomore slump hitting just 220. he still managed 23 home runs but it took almost twice as many at bats as he had when he hit 21 the prior season by 1993 he was a fringe Prospect bouncing back and forth between AAA and the big leagues until moving on to other organizations in 1994 who kept him in the minors boss hit 193 including his final Big League Home Run for the twins in 1995 and was out of baseball two years later during his brief rookie year Moss put on an insane Display of Power that has rarely been seen since he is one of the greatest flash in the pans of all time number four Eric gagne next up is a pitcher who had an interesting path to the big leagues not signing when he was drafted by the White Sox in the 30th round of the 94 draft he attended Seminole State College in Oklahoma and wasn't drafted at all in 95 but signed as a free agent with the Dodgers he was a starter in a minor league and showed excellent stuff going 12-4 striking out 10 batters per 9 Innings in 1999. through his first five Big League starts gagne had a 2.1 era however the Dodgers needed a closer and in 2002 they thought ganye might work in the role it turned out they were right as he dominated batters striking out 114 and 82 Innings of work while saving 52 games for La he made his first All-Star team and immediately became known as one of the elite closers of the game then in 2003 he was even better closing out a league leading 55 games with a sick 1.2 era he averaged 15 strikeouts per 9 and things and easily won the Cy Young Award despite being a reliever he had his third and final successful season in 2004 saving 45 games with a 2.19 era then unfortunately injuries limited his 2005 season and he had to have Tommy John's surgery he experienced several setbacks and other injuries as he attempted to come back he became a free agent by 2007 and signed with the Rangers but continued to struggle with injuries although he did manage 16 saves he pitched for the Red Sox and Brewers later but was limited to no success gagne attempted a comeback with the Dodgers in 2010 but was released during spring training it is unfortunate that gagne was not able to have a healthy and long MLB career but for three years there was nobody better coming out of a bullpen than Eric gagne number three Mark fidrich although his success was short-lived Mark the bird bedrich is one of the most memorable players of all time this foot three pitcher was drafted by the Tigers and brought a fun quirkiness to the mound as well as for a while anyway pure domination after spending his first two years in the miners fidget was a non-roster invite T during 1976 spring training he impressed enough to make the opening day roster and then after throwing a two-hit complete game in his first start earned a spot in the rotation the fans loved watching him as he would March around the mount after each out talk to the baseball and not allow groundskeepers to work on the mound during the game he completed nearly every game he started as the All-Star Game approached and was elected to not only play in the game but to start it fidgets continued to show amazing stamina and stuff as he finished the year with a 19-9 record 2.34 era and an incredible 24 complete games including four shutouts he won the Rookie of the Year award and finished second in the Cy Young voting to Jim Palmer the next season fidget started to experience injury issues starting just 11 games we went 6-4 with a 2.89 era and was elected to the All-Star Game although he couldn't play due to injury he was able to appear in just seven games over the following two seasons suffering from a torn rotator cuff that was never diagnosed or treated properly during his career he made his last MLB appearances in 1980 going two and three with a 5.68 era it is truly sad that fidget's injury was never diagnosed as he was a control pitcher who didn't rely on heat and could have still had a long and successful perhaps Hall of Fame career that had gotten the proper treatment still he will always be remembered for his hilarious Antics and amazing personality along with a phenomenal rookie season number two Tim Lincecum coming in at number two is Tim Lincecum who the Giants drafted 10th overall in the 2006 MLB draft it was seen as a slight risk given Lincecum's smaller frame but he absolutely dominated the minor leagues and the hype was through the roof in 2007 as he went 4-0 with a .29 era through five starts with the Fresno Grizzlies he struck out 46 batters and 36 Innings the Giants were forced to promote him that year and he showed signs of Brilliance but it wasn't until 2008 when the freak hit his full potential the domination was next level and Tim Lincecum became an instant Superstar striking out 265 batters and going 18-5 with a 2.62 era he was elected to the All-Star Game and took home the Cy Young Award The Following Season he did it again All-Star Game and Cy Young he went 15-7 with a 2.480 ra and 200 61 strikeouts after those two amazing Seasons the decline began in 2010 although he was still solid helping the Giants win their first World Series in San Francisco he also pitched well in 2011 but his strikeout ratio fell to the lowest of his career and poor run support helped cause an unimpressive 13-14 record by 2012 he was simply not good going 3-10 with a 6.42 era during the first half the two-time Cy Young Award winner was devoted to the bullpen for the 2012 playoffs to continue to pitch with the Giants through 2015 but never found the magic from his Cy Young Awards seasons and eventually had hip surgery and signed with the Angels he went two and six with a 9.16 era after missing the entire 2017 season Lincecum made one last comeback effort with the Rangers in 2019 but pitched poorly in AAA and never made it back to the big leagues it should be noted that Tim Lincecum did throw two no-hitters outside of his Cy Young seasons and was very effective in the postseason for the Giants it could be arguable whether he's really a flash in the pan player but when I look back at those two insane Seasons when Lincecum was easily the most unhittable and dominant pitcher in the game I have to put him on this list of the greatest flash in the pan players of all time number one Denny McLean another extremely interesting character who played for the Tigers is Denny McLean you won't believe his story he began his program career with the White Sox organization in 1962 and through a no-hitter in his minor league debut the Tigers were able to claim him on waivers and by 1965 he was a regular in the rotation going 16-6 with a 2.61 ER McLean was a great arm for the Tigers and continued to pitch well until suddenly in 1968 he took it to a new level entirely during the first half of the year he went 16-2 with a 2.09 era putting himself on a pace to win over 30 Games amazingly he was even better in the second half lowering his season ERA to 1.96 and finishing the year with an incredible 31-6 record taking home not only the Cy Young Award but also the MVP he had 280 strikeouts in just 63 walks the best strikeout to walk ratio in Tigers history until Justin Verlander came along McLane also completed an insane 28 Games The Following Season he won 24 games and took home another Cy Young Award McLean looked like an obvious future Hall of Famer until suddenly in 1970 everything began to fall apart before the season even started his off the field gambling issues became public and he apparently had connections to organized crime McLean had always been an interesting character for example he was late to the 1969 All-Star game because he had a dental appointment he barely pitched in 1970 due to three separate suspensions one of them due to carrying a gun on the team flight he was traded to the Washington Senators but led the league with 22 losses in 1971 and did not get along with his manager Ted Williams he pitched for the A's and 72 and the Brewers in 73 but had an era above six both seasons since retiring McLean has been arrested multiple times and has been substantial time in prison for trafficking cocaine for embezzlement for racketeering and for mail fraud among other charges during his sentencing in 1985 he said I don't know how you get to where I am from where I was 17 years ago referring to the amazing 1968 season it is still the last time in MLB history that a pitcher has won over 30 games in a season and that does it for today's video on the top 10 flashing the pan players who are not just good not just great but Elite for a very short period of time none of these players will make it to the hall of fame but they all for at least a season and some for two or three seasons put up Hall of Fame numbers I hope you enjoyed today's presentation as always be sure to put more suggestions in the comments section below and if I get enough I'll be happy to make a follow-up video with more flash in the pans suggested by viewers as I've done with previous videos please hit that subscribe button there's also a join button down below if you'd like to help support the channel on a monthly basis and help vote for video Topics in the future thank you again and we will talk to you next time

Channel: Humm Baby Baseball

Views: 322,736

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Id: cfx116cWZOU

Length: 21min 30sec (1290 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 13 2022