Breakout Years

[OregonLAA]

I was wondering if any baseball history buffs older than I could think of any huge breakout years in the 70's or 80's or before. Unfortunately I'm very skeptical about guys like Chris Davis and Jose Bautista who just blow up out of nowhere and have monster seasons. I just want to know if there were seasons like this before steroids became part of the conversation.

[Inside Pitch]

I was wondering if any baseball history buffs older than I could think of any huge breakout years in the 70's or 80's or before. Unfortunately I'm very skeptical about guys like Chris Davis and Jose Bautista who just blow up out of nowhere and have monster seasons. I just want to know if there were seasons like this before steroids became part of the conversation.

 

Are you asking about guys that busted out and stayed great or guys that just had flukish seasons?  There have always been guys who had fluke seasons when compared to their career numbers.

 

If you go here -- http://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/mvp_cya.shtml click on the V (voting) in the MVP seasons, you'll likely find a lot of guys that had those "one of" seasons.

[sneaky_flute]

I guess you could consider Bill Freehan's 1967 a breakout year. Maybe Alan Trammell in 1983.

[sneaky_flute]

Joe Morgan of the Astros/Reds is another good candidate

[OregonLAA]

Both kinds actually. Just looking for guys who increased home run totals by a great margin and things like that.

I'll look those guys up though. Thanks!

[mancini79]

Every year since the inception of baseball there has been at least one player that broke out, then fell back to earth.

[sneaky_flute]

Also, a considerable improvement in hitting isn't always indicative of steroid use. Chris Davis has always had tremendous power, hence the nickname Crush. He just couldn't make contact for the life of him and owes his success to hitting off a tee.

Edited February 2, 2014 by sneaky_flute

[OregonLAA]

Also, a considerable improvement in hitting isn't always indicative of steroid use. Chris Davis has always had tremendous power, hence the nickname Crush. He just couldn't make contact for the life of him and owes his success to hitting off a tee.

I know. I'm not saying he is or isn't, but he looked like a completely different player with the bat last year especially hitting the ball the other way. When I saw him hit with Texas, I never thought he would do much of anything

[Brent Maguire]

Brady Anderson hit 50 HR for the Orioles out of nowhere then completely fell down back to earth.

[Bruce Nye]

Look at Brady Anderson.

[mancini79]

Brady Anderson hit 50 HR for the Orioles out of nowhere then completely fell down back to earth.

 

That was during the Roid Era. Oregon is looking for players before that era.

[Llewyn Davis]

Yeah, I think one of the biggest things with Chris Davis last year was the fact that he wasn't just willing to go the other way. He was looking to go the other way. And Camden Yards is a lot like Citizens Bank Park. I think Davis will put up similar seasons to Ryan Howard's 4-year peak for the next few years.

 

Dwight Evans developed more power in the 2nd half of his career.

[Blarg]

Brian Downing went from a  career .694 OPS in 5 MLB seasons to an .880 OPS season in 1979. From 1979 to 1992 he had an .823 OPS. He broke out and never looked back.

[Inside Pitch]

I think Rick Cerone has a big year then went back to being Rick Cerone.  I remember Tom Paciorek having a big power year around 82 or so...   I think Phil Bradly went apeshit for a year or two then faded.

 

Can't really vividly remember guys on other teams prior to 84-85 and by then, the PED era was kinda on it's way in.

Edited February 2, 2014 by Inside Pitch

[Brent Maguire]

That was during the Roid Era. Oregon is looking for players before that era.

Ah it would help if I read through the OP first.

Nolan Ryan had huge issues with the Mets before he came to the Angels and we all know how his Angels career was.

[jsnpritchett]

A few others that had a sudden surge in power and/or overall production (though to some degree, all were at least decent players overall):

 

Jim Gentile

Cito Gaston

Davey Johnson

Rico Petrocelli

Jim Hickman

[Ohtaniland]

Chris Iannetta hit 18 home runs...................................in 2008.

[jsnpritchett]

Here's another good list if you're just looking at a pop in HR totals:

 

http://joeposnanski.com/joeblogs/32-flukiest-home-run-seasons/

[floplag]

whats the point to this... finding more steroids?  got news for you its been in the game since the 70s or before so... why not go all the way back to Maris?

[AngelsLakersFan]

Maris is a great example. 61 homers in '61, never even 40 in any other season. Finished his career with less homers than Tim Salmon.

[OregonLAA]

Honestly, I asked because I made what was probably a bad bet about Edwin Encarnacion and I just wanted some names so I could look at trends about other players who had spikes in numbers after mediocre seasons

[mancini79]

whats the point to this... finding more steroids?  got news for you its been in the game since the 70s or before so... why not go all the way back to Maris?

 

So you think that if a player had a breakout year, it was because of roids...regardless of era?

 

I strongly disagree. There are countless reasons why a player can string together a season that is an outlier of the career norm. There are HOFers that had a bad year during their prime and there are journeymen players that put together a HOF season. Baseball is mostly an inconsistent sport and many times there isn't a clear explanation.

[Angelsjunky]

Its seems people are talking about two things:

 

1) Breakout seasons later in a career which began a new level of ability (e.g. Dwight Evans later in his career)

2) Fluke seasons that were far outside the typical player's level, before or after (e.g. Norm Cash in 1961, or Darin Erstad in 2000).

 

Cash was actually a very good player - similar to Tim Salmon, but healthier. But in 1961 he had one of the greatest seasons ever, at 10.2 fWAR - almost twice that of his second highest season, 5.2.

[floplag]

So you think that if a player had a breakout year, it was because of roids...regardless of era?

 

I strongly disagree. There are countless reasons why a player can string together a season that is an outlier of the career norm. There are HOFers that had a bad year during their prime and there are journeymen players that put together a HOF season. Baseball is mostly an inconsistent sport and many times there isn't a clear explanation.

 

i did not say or imply that, at all.. i was asking the point of the question.

however, the assertion that the roid era didnt start till the 80s and 90s is silly in and of itself, i knew guys suing them in the late 70s early 80s in HS... to think baseball was immune for another decade plus is folly.

 

Fluke seasons happen... all too true... thats part of what i hate in all this is that anyone that has a good year is suspect.. expecially everyone that o have watched most of my adult life who has suddenly been thrown under the bus

 

[LightTheHalo]

George Foster his 52 home runs in 1977 after hitting 23 and 29 in the preceding two seasons.