Luis Gonzalez (2001): .325/.429/.688, 57 home runs, 142 RBI, 174 OPS+
Luis Gonzalez had been a solid hitter from the moment he arrived in Arizona, and even led the National League with 206 hits in 1999. However, his 2001 season was entirely unexpected.
Even with the PED fueled power surges of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds, Gonzalez’s campaign was a shock. Although he had done better than his .325/.429/.688 batting line before, at least in terms of batting average, his on base percentage and slugging were career highs. To add to that, Gonzalez slugged 57 home runs, after a previous career high of 31 set just last year.
Gonzalez would never come close to that 57 home run mark again. In 2002, he hit a mere 28 home runs, which was his highest total for the rest of his career. Prior to that outburst, Gonzalez had averaged only 16 home runs in each of his first ten full seasons. That dramatic of an increase was entirely explainable, although we can certainly have our suspicions given the timeframe when it happened, especially since he was allegedly one of the players that failed a PED test in 2003.
Unlike the other players on this list, Gonzalez is not remembered so much for that one year as he was for another accomplishment. It was his bloop single off of Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning that gave the Diamondbacks the 2001 World Series, making him an instant hero in Arizona.
Was Luis Gonzalez’s incredible season the result of PED usage? We may never know for certain, but it certainly looks suspicious.