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The 10 Most Disappointing Final Seasons in MLB History

By Bobby Mueller

Jun 16, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez (13) looks on during pre game batting practice before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez (13) looks on during pre game batting practice before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ken Singleton, 1984 Baltimore Orioles, .215/.286/.289

 

Ken Singleton makes this list mainly because there was such a huge dropoff from the previous season to this one. His career fell off the proverbial cliff. Singleton had been a big part of the 1983 World Champion Baltimore Orioles when he hit .276/.393/.436 in 151 games as a 36-year-old DH. Even with the penalty associated with being a DH, Singleton was worth 2.5 WAR in 1983, according to Fangraphs. It was the 14th straight year that Singleton was an above average hitter (every season of his career, in fact, until his final season).

He was 37-years-old during the 1984 season, but no one expected Singleton’s production to plummet the way it did. He came into the season with a career on-base percentage of .393 and slugging percentage of .444. Then he went out and hit .215/.286/.289. He started slowly in April, was bad in May and June, was terrible in July (.139/.205/.139), and wasn’t much better in August. He came around a bit in September, but his season was a lost cause at that point. The Orioles went from World Series champions to fifth place in the seven team AL East.

Age-related regression hits some players gently and their performance gradually goes down. Others it hits like a tidal wave. Singleton was hit by a tsunami.

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