Ten Philadelphia Phillies “one and done” players since 1980
Many players have come and gone, some have had great success, others found lightning in a bottle. Here’s a list of those one and done Phillies players.
It’s easy to remember those players that performed at a high level nearly every season of their careers. But every team has those “flash in the pan”, “lightening in the bottle” or “one and done” type players. Here’s a list of such players in Phillies history since their first World Series championship in 1980.
Tim Corcoran (1984)
Corcoran came to the Phillies after several mediocre seasons in the American League. Used as an outfielder, first baseman and pinch hitter, Corcoran hit .341 with 19 extra base hits in 208 at-bats in 1984. He had a .440 on-base percentage and .925 OPS. After a .214 batting average with the Phillies in 1985, Corcoran was out of Major League baseball after just nine at-bats with the Mets in 1986.
Jeff Stone (1984)
Stone was a speedster who stole 123 bases in Class A in 1981. He showed great Major League promise in 1984, batting .362 with an .859 OPS and 27 stolen bases in just 51 games. Although stealing 34 bases over the next two seasons with the Phllies, Stone never came close to matching the numbers in 1984. He hit under .200 for the Orioles, Red Sox and Rangers in parts of the following three seasons before retiring .
Bruce Ruffin (1986)
Ruffin was called up from the minors following the release of Hall of Famer Steve Carlton. Ruffin dominated in 21 starts, earning Rookie of the Year votes going 9-4 with six complete games and an ERA of 2.46. He went just 33-54 over the next five years with the Phillies. Although Ruffin pitched 12 seasons in the Major Leagues, he never came close to his rookie success, finishing with a 60-82 record with a 4.19 ERA.
Jeff Calhoun (1987)
Calhoun pitched parts of three seasons with the Astros before having his career season in 1987. He appeared in 42 games in relief, going 3-1 with a slim 1.48 ERA. Calhoun allowed only 25 hits and 8 walks in 42 2/3 innings. Unexpectedly, Calhoun was out of baseball in 1988 after just three games with the Phillies and a 15.43 ERA.
Bobby Munoz (1994)
Munoz pitched one season for the Yankees before having it all click with the Phillies in 1994. He appeared in 21 games, 14 as a starter with a record of 7-5 with a 2.67 ERA. He never had another season with an ERA under 5, going 1-14 over parts of the next five seasons. Munoz finished his career with 11-22 with a 5.17 ERA.
Aaron Fultz (2005)
Fultz spent his first five seasons with three different teams, pitching to ERAs in the mid 4’s to low 5’s. In his first season with the Phillies in 2005, Fultz had a career year, going 4-0 with a 2.24 ERA. He allowed only 47 hits in 72 1/3 innings and 0.968 WHIP. After two more seasons, Fultz was out of Major League baseball with an ERA of 4.26.
John Mayberry Jr (2011)
Mayberry displayed promising power in brief time with the Phillies in 2009 and 2010. He put it together in 2011, hitting .273 with 17 doubles and 15 home runs in only 267 at-bats. Add in an .854 OPS and it appeared Mayberry was heading for a successful career. However, despite hitting 14 home runs in 2012, Mayberry’s home run total and batting average plummeted over the next few seasons. He last played with the Mets in 2015, hitting .164 and has a career .235 average with 56 home runs.
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Kevin Frandsen (2012)
Before signing with the Phillies in 2012, Frandsen’s best season was with the Giants in 2007 when he hit .269 with a .710 OPS. In his first season with the Phillies, Frandsen hit .338 in 55 games as a third baseman and pinch hitter. He struck out only 18 times in 195 at-bats and posted a career best .834 OPS. After plummeting to a .234 average in 2013, Frandsen had two mediocre seasons with the Nationals and Giants before retiring.
Jeremy Horst (2012)
Horst spent parts of only three seasons in the Major Leagues, making the most of it in 2012. He appeared in 32 games, allowing only 21 hits and one home run in 31 1/3 innings,while striking out 40 and posting an ERA of 1.15. As quickly as Horst ascended, that’s as quickly as he fell. He was out of baseball after posting an ERA of 6.23 in 28 games in 2013.
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Domonic Brown (2013)
Brown could also be on the list of “most disappointing” considering the expectations. However, he certainly makes this list for his season in 2013. In fact, it was the first half of the season that propelled him that year. Brown made the All-Star team that year, hitting .272 with 27 home runs, 83 RBI and an .818 OPS. Unfortunately for the Phillies and Brown, he hit only 27 home runs in his other five seasons combined and hasn’t appeared in the Major Leagues since 2015. He spent 2016 in the minors with the Blue Jays and then spent last year in Triple-A with the Rockies.
Next: Phillies invite eight prospects to spring training
There have been a lot of people with their name on the back of a Phillies jersey. Some stayed there for a long time; others like the ones on this list were only here for a short time.