Most noticeable 'Down' Year

[Dodger Green]

This is a question I just thought of that I've never seen asked before.

What's the biggest 'off' year you know of? A year where you look at a player who was great and say "how the hell was he so bad that one year?"

This leaves out any performances hurt by injuries or any other maladies. I'm just looking for bad years by great players that stick out.

Any ideas?

[SamtheBravesFan]

Reggie Sanders, 2000, damndest thing I've ever seen.

Mark McGwire, 1991. That was just... what?

[ElHalo]

Christy Mathewson's 1906 season has to be at the top for pitchers (where his ERA went from 1.28 to 2.97 to 2.00).

Rogers Hornsby's 1926 has got to be the gold standard for hitters. Rogers finished second in the NL in BA and SLG in 1927. Other than that, he led the National League in BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, every category, every year from 1920 to 1928... Except in 1926. That year, he finished out of the top 10 in every category except OBP, where he finished 10th.

Roger's numbers, 1925-1926-1927:

BA: .403, .317, .361
OBP: .489, .388, .448
SLG: .756, .463, .586
R: 133, 96, 133
HR: 39, 11, 26
RBI: 143, 93, 125

In fairness: Yes, he missed 21 games that year, but he had missed 16 the year before, and it didn't seem to bother him.

[Blackout]

Pedro Martinez's 2004, granted he had toe injuries but he still rebounded with an amazing 2005 despite playing with the same problem

[Bothrops Atrox]

How about Steve Carlton losing 20 games one season removed from winning 27?

[mordeci]

Roger Clemens in '96.

[Myankee4life]

Gehrig in '35.....and Ruth in '25 ......Foxx in '37 were off-seasons compared to what they were capable of.

[KCGHOST]

I think the biggest amongst hitters has to be Hack Wilson from 1930 to 1931. He went from 191 rbi's to 61 with a coresponding drop in every thing else (OPS went down 398 points). He did miss 40+ game as compared to the prior year.

[Ubiquitous]

HoF'ers
1988 Ryne Sandberg .264/.322/.419. Granted 2 seasons before that he put up a similar OPS, but in terms of conventional stats (batting average) it went way down. AFter 1988 he took a big step up and stayed there until his first retirement. Whenever I look at his statline I see a guy steadily improving then right at his prime he drops big time and then just picks himself up and keeps on climbing.

1978 Mike Schmidt .251/.364/.435 21 homers. Another player who in his prime stepped into a hole. Before that he hit 38 homers a year for 3 years in a row and 36 the year before then poof 21 homers

[GiambiJuice]

A-Rod in '97 had a typical "sophmore slump"

[Dodger Green]

Gehrig in '35.....and Ruth in '25 ......Foxx in '37 were off-seasons compared to what they were capable of.

Gehrig in 1935 had a line of .329/.466/.583. His OPS+ was 177 compared to a career 179. I don't think that's a 'down' year.

Ruth in '25 had a lot of off-the-field problems. He was suspended and in the hospital and stuff.

Foxx in '37 looks like a real down year...well, as down as A 128 OPS+ can be.

[sschirmer]

Ted Williams, 1959. Only year he didn't hit .300.

[Dodger Green]

Ted Williams, 1959. Only year he didn't hit .300.

That's easily explainable though - he was really old, and he had a pinched nerve in his neck.

[sschirmer]

That's easily explainable though - he was really old, and he had a pinched nerve in his neck.

He was even OLDER in 1960, and still banged out .316 with 29 bombs.

[GiambiJuice]

Frank Thomas at the end of the 90's when he was still squarely in his prime had two shockingly mediocre (for him) seasons. I believe he was going through a messy divorce at the time which caused a big hurt to his performance.