10 of the biggest 'What if?' seasons in history

10 of the biggest 'What if?' seasons in history

January 5th, 2025

had a great season when he was on the field in 2024. But oh, how it could have been so much more.

Through 50 games, Tucker had a sparkling .286/.417/.626 slash line with 17 homers through 182 at-bats. After finishing fifth in the American League Most Valuable Player vote in 2023, He was on his way to bigger and better things last season. However, Tucker's year was derailed on June 3 when he fouled a pitch off his right shin. The result was a small fracture that would sideline him for more than three months. That put the kibosh on what might have been a 50-homer campaign.

Would Tucker have won the AL MVP Award in 2024 if he had stayed healthy? At the very least, he was building a convincing case for why he should be a finalist. But we'll never know for sure, and unfortunately, these kinds of interrupted seasons happen rather often in baseball.

Tucker's year got us thinking about players who had a possible standout year halted by injuries or other reasons. For this list of 10, we limited ourselves to AL/NL players who played in fewer than 100 games or starting pitchers who threw fewer than 100 innings in a non-shortened season. Yes, that is wholly subjective and leaves some worthwhile years on the cutting-room floor -- such as Mike Trout's 114-game season in 2017 -- but we had to draw the line somewhere.

Here are 10 of the biggest "What if?" seasons in AL/NL history.

, 2021 Mets
It's not hyperbole to say that in 2021, deGrom was authoring possibly the best season by any starting pitcher in the Live Ball Era (since 1920). Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA in 1968 is the record for that period and stands as one of the game's most revered pitching statistics. Yet through 12 starts, deGrom's ERA was a microscopic 0.50 (four earned runs in 72 innings). He had struck out 117 batters and walked only 10. Opponents were absolutely helpless, batting .113 with a .353 OPS. But there were ominous signs during this dominant stretch.

deGrom dealt with right lat tightness in early May and then went on the injured list for two weeks with right side tightness. He departed a couple of June outings early because of forearm and shoulder injuries but never missed a start. His ERA bumped up past 1.00 in July, but all seemed normal with the two-time Cy Young Award winner as he K'd 14 Braves on July 1 and came back with 10 strikeouts over seven innings versus the Brewers on July 7. But that would be deGrom's final appearance of the season. He was placed back on the IL about 10 days later with right forearm tightness and eventually shut down for the season due to recurring bouts of elbow inflammation.

deGrom ended the year with a 1.08 ERA, 146 K's and 11 walks in 92 frames. His ERA+ was an astronomical 373, the best by any AL/NL pitcher with at least 90 innings.

, 2015 Marlins
One year after finishing as the National League MVP runner-up, Stanton looked like a leading contender once again for that award in 2015. Through 74 games, he was pacing the Majors with 27 home runs, including one that traveled beyond the left-field pavilion at Dodger Stadium about six weeks earlier. Stanton also ranked fifth in the NL with a .965 OPS. But on June 26 against the Dodgers in Miami, his power was suddenly sapped.

After whiffing on a 2-0 pitch from left-hander Brett Anderson, Stanton began shaking his left hand. He struck out in that at-bat and finished the game, but bad news awaited him. Stanton was diagnosed with a broken hamate bone in that hand and needed surgery. Although he was originally scheduled to miss up to six weeks, persistent pain in his hand and wrist led to him being shut down in September. Stanton would get his hands on the NL MVP Award two years later thanks to his 59-homer season in 2017.

, 2014 Rockies
Tulowitzki arrived at the 2014 All-Star break as the Major League leader in average (.345), on-base percentage (.435) and OPS (1.048). He was getting ready to play in his fourth Midsummer Classic and his third as a starter after receiving the most votes of any NL player. He had already surpassed 5.0 bWAR during his age-29 season, giving him six such seasons in his career. Only five other shortstops have done that before turning 30: Arky Vaughan, Alex Rodriguez, Cal Ripken Jr., Ernie Banks and Nomar Garciaparra.

But just four days after that All-Star Game, Tulowitzki suffered a left hip flexor strain that ultimately led to season-ending hip labrum surgery in August. Not only was Tulowitzki's season over, but this marked the beginning of a rapid career decline. He missed large chunks of time due to injuries and accrued a total of 6.7 bWAR from 2015-19 before retiring.

, 2011 Marlins
Johnson made his first All-Star team in 2009 and recorded an NL-best 2.30 ERA over 183 2/3 innings in 2010. But it looked like 2011 would be his masterpiece. Only 27 years old, he allowed just four earned runs through his first six starts (41 innings). He took a no-hitter into the fifth inning in four of those turns, including one that lasted into the eighth inning until a soft, one-out double from Braves rookie Freddie Freeman. By May 16, Johnson's ERA was still a scant 1.64, and he had served up only two homers in 60 1/3 innings.

But five days later, Johnson was placed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. He wouldn't pitch again until 2012. Although Johnson was solid in that following season, he lasted just one more year in the Majors, scuffling to a 6.20 ERA in 81 1/3 innings with the Padres in 2013, before seeing his big league career effectively ended by his second career Tommy John surgery in 2014 and a third in '15.

, 2010 Twins
Morneau was a consistent star at the plate for the Twins from 2006-09, highlighted by an average of 30 homers per season and a 132 OPS+. He was the 2006 AL MVP, finished as the runner-up two years later and picked up two Silver Sluggers and three All-Star selections during that period. He then found a way to level up in 2010. Through 80 games, he had a .343/.436/.620 slash line. His 1.056 OPS was second only to the Tigers' Miguel Cabrera, and Morneau's 44 extra-base hits were tied for third-most in the Majors.

But on July 7, game No. 81, Morneau's career experienced a turning point. While he was sliding into second base to break up a potential double play, Morneau's head collided with the right knee of Blue Jays infielder John McDonald. The resulting concussion would end Morneau's season and his chances at a second MVP. Worse yet, the lingering symptoms affected Morneau throughout 2011. He captured a batting title with the Rockies in 2014, but starting in 2010, Morneau never reached 20 homers in any of his seven remaining big league seasons.

, 2000 Rangers
In the Integration Era (since 1947), only four primary catchers have registered an OPS of 1.000 or better over a qualified season: Roy Campanella, Chris Hoiles, Mike Piazza and Joe Mauer. That group could be a quintet if misfortune didn't befall Rodriguez in 2000.

The Rangers star was putting together one of the best offensive seasons by a catcher, boasting a .347 average and a 1.042 OPS through 90 games. His 27 home runs were only eight shy of his career-high total from the year prior when he was named AL MVP. Pudge also had a shot of reaching the then-record of 45 homers by a catcher, set by Johnny Bench in 1970. But all of Rodriguez's goals were dashed in the first inning of a game against the Angels on July 24. As Rodriguez threw to second base to nab a baserunner, his right thumb slammed into the barrel of Mo Vaughn's bat. The contact broke the digit and put Rodriguez on the shelf for the year.

, 1963 Yankees
Mantle missed more than 30 games in '62 due to injuries but still did enough to take home his third MVP Award. A fourth looked like a real possibility in the early going of the '63 season. The Yankees legend had crushed 11 home runs and recorded a 1.061 OPS through his first 35 games. In his 36th game, he picked up two more hits at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium on June 5.

However, Mantle's day ended in the sixth inning when his effort to catch a Brooks Robinson homer resulted in Mantle's left foot getting caught in the stadium's chain-link fence, resulting in a fracture that needed two months to heal. After sitting out 61 games, Mantle returned on Aug. 4 -- and bopped a pinch-hit homer in a victory over Baltimore at Yankee Stadium. But he was in and out of the Yankees' lineup for most of the season's final seven weeks.

, 1959 Giants
This is arguably the most successful season on this list. That's because McCovey was the unanimous choice for NL Rookie of the Year in 1959 after tallying 13 homers, 27 extra-base hits, a .354 average and a 1.085 OPS. So, what's the problem? McCovey did all that in only 52 games because the Giants didn't call him up until July 30.

After a productive 1958 campaign at Triple-A Phoenix -- featuring a .319 average and 61 extra-base hits -- the 21-year-old McCovey was deserving of an opportunity in the bigs by the start of '59. But with reigning NL Rookie of the Year Orlando Cepeda already manning first base, McCovey's path was blocked, and he remained in the Minors for another four months. However, he became undeniable after slashing .373/.459/.759 in 405 plate appearances that year at Triple-A and was finally promoted ahead of San Francisco's 101st game. McCovey went 4-for-4 in his debut against future Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts, and the rest was history. You just have to wonder what McCovey could have done if he was on the Giants' roster right out of Spring Training.

Dick Wakefield, 1944 Tigers
Legends of the game such as Ted Williams, Bob Feller and Joe DiMaggio (to name a few) served in the U.S. military during their MLB careers. Those three spent multiple years away from the professional ranks, but since we're limiting ourselves to what-could-have-been scenarios in single seasons only, let's close with a couple of players whose service time disrupted what could have been a banner year.

At just 22 years old, Wakefield led the AL with 200 hits and 38 doubles in 1943. He was the Junior Circuit's starting left fielder in the All-Star Game. But once that season ended, the Tigers' young star joined the Navy as an aviation cadet. He remained in training until July 1944, when he took the option to receive an honorable discharge. He made his season debut on July 13th -- just five days after becoming a civilian again -- in what was Detroit's 79th game.

What followed was a spectacular run at the plate as Wakefield batted .355 over 78 games. His .464 OBP and .576 slugging percentage would have been the best in either league if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. Wakefield finished with a 190 OPS+, which is tied for the fourth-best among AL/NL players who appeared in fewer than 100 games (min. 300 PA).

, 1918 White Sox
Whereas Wakefield returned to his team midseason, Faber departed the White Sox in the middle of 1918. A World Series star from Chicago's championship club the previous year, Faber opened the next season with a 1.23 ERA (225 ERA+) over 80 2/3 innings. He went the distance in five of his nine starts, including a 13-inning performance vs. the Washington Nationals on May 18.

But with World War I ongoing, Faber enlisted in the Navy that spring. His farewell outing came on June 15 in another complete game -- and his only loss of the season -- against the Nationals. Faber served stateside for the rest of the year before rejoining the White Sox in 1919. He would cement himself as a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest pitchers in franchise history over the next 15 seasons.