What do you think is the greatest year ever by a player way under the radar?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by rats60

Honus Wagner 1908. 1st in BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, hits, TB, 2B, 3B, RBI, SB, 2nd in runs, 1b & HR. He had 11.5 oWAR, Hans Lobert was 2nd place with 6.5. I don't think a player has ever dominated a league like that. He did that in the lowest scoring season of the dead ball era, league ERA 2.35 and the toughest hitting park, 16% below league average. Bill James rates it as the best season ever.

Honus Wagner was a player under the radar?

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Honus Wagner was a player under the radar?

His 1908 season was. It is not like almost every other season mentioned isn't well known. The OP picks the all time record for RBIs in a season and the last pitcher to win 30 games and says they are under the radar

[frankbmd]

I hate to throw gasoline on this thread, but all seasons before 1935 flew under the radar which wasn’t invented until then.

So I’ll add Ruth and Cobb and all our other prewar friends including Wahoo, Cy and my namesake, “The Crab”.

[z28jd]

Pirates outfielder Adam Comorosky in 1930. He hit 47 doubles, 23 triples and 12 homers. You can't find another season in baseball history where a player reached all three of those numbers. The best part is that he led the majors with 33 sacrifice hits, so he was giving up plenty of at-bats that season to move runners along, yet he still set numbers that were never reached nor equaled.

[insidethewrapper]

Granderson had a 20-20-20-20 season in 2007 with Detroit. Not bad !
2B-38
3B-23
HR-23
SB-26

[h2oya311]

Minor leagues, but Joe Hauser of the Minneapolis Miller’s in 1933 hit 69 HRs and had a 332 batting avg and 770 slugging pct. this came only 3 years after he hit 63 HRs with the Baltimore Orioles of the International League.

[Mark17]

Dean Chance 1964

AB - 89
H - 7
2B - 0
3B -0
HR - 0
BB - 0
K - 53
AVG - .079

Since he couldn't hit, they let him do some pitching:

Games - 46
Starts - 35
Innings - 278.1
W/L - 20-9
Shutouts - 11
ERA - 1.65 (which would be amazing in the deadball era, let alone the 1960s)

Lifetime he was 128-115.

[timn1]

I have to agree with this. 1908 was a serious pitcher’s year and Wagner dominated completely. Wagner is known as a great player, sure, but I think he is still underappreciated. in this season he was Babe Ruth and ty Cobb combined. Greatest season of all time, imho.

Sorry guys, but anybody batting.390 in 1929 or 1930 is batting.305 in an average year. Those years were offensive explosions.

Tim

Originally Posted by rats60

His 1908 season was. It is not like almost every other season mentioned isn't well known. The OP picks the all time record for RBIs in a season and the last pitcher to win 30 games and says they are under the radar

[Robbie]

Originally Posted by timn1

I have to agree with this. 1908 was a serious pitcher’s year and Wagner dominated completely. Wagner is known as a great player, sure, but I think he is still underappreciated. in this season he was Babe Ruth and ty Cobb combined. Greatest season of all time, imho.

Sorry guys, but anybody batting.390 in 1929 or 1930 is batting.305 in an average year. Those years were offensive explosions.

Tim

So how would you rate Lefty Grove's 1931 Season?
31 Wins... 4 Losses ... 2.06 ERA

1930 was an "off year"... 28-5 2.54 ERA

[Jason19th]

For truly under the radar season how about Max Bishop in 1930. He only hit 252 and only had 38 rbi but he walked 128 times leading to 117 runs scored and a .426 On Base Average. I bet few people realized how valuable he actual was because no one thought about walks

[philliesphan]

Charlie Ferguson, 1886.

30-9 pitching record, with a 1.98 ERA. WAR of 10.5

66 hits, including 12 for extra-bases, 25 RBIs, OBP of nearly .350


His 1887 was even more extraordinary at the plate, fetching nearly 90 RBIs and a .337 batting average, though he wasn't quite as dominant on the mound.

He unfortunately died that offseason.

[polakoff]

1993 Kevin Appier: 18-8, 2.56 ERA (led the league), with a 0.3 HR/9 (in 1993!)

1995 John Valentin: .298/.399/.533, 27 hr, 102 rbi, 20 sb, 148 ops+, .973 fielding pct at SS. Was 1st in WAR in 1995 -- 2nd in offensive WAR and 1st in defensive WAR.

[timn1]

I would say that Grove's 1931 was as dominant as any pitcher season ever- to me Grove, especially when you factor in his record when he was stuck with Baltimore for several years, is the only guy who has a legitimate claim to compete with WaJo for best pitcher ever.

Originally Posted by Robbie

So how would you rate Lefty Grove's 1931 Season?
31 Wins... 4 Losses ... 2.06 ERA

1930 was an "off year"... 28-5 2.54 ERA

[Robbie]

Originally Posted by timn1

I would say that Grove's 1931 was as dominant as any pitcher season ever- to me Grove, especially when you factor in his record when he was stuck with Baltimore for several years, is the only guy who has a legitimate claim to compete with WaJo for best pitcher ever.

Hi Tim... I agree. Grove's numbers are absolutely staggering, especially considering that era. When you look at his total career, he has to be right there with the best ever... No question. IMO

[howard38]

George Stone was dominant in 1906 & the last AL player to win a batting title before Cobb won nine straight.

Also, Dave Orr's entire career:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/p.../orrda01.shtml