Monday Morning Mock Drafts: One Hit Wonders

No, we’re not doing musical one-hit numbers.  That’s Request Line territory, and has probably already done.  Nope, today you’re drafting athletic one-hit wonders.  Guys, or gals, who had that one (or no more than a couple) of really good seasons before fading into, as Mike Tyson would say, Bolivia.

The reason for the fade, (injuries, Bolivian marching powder, not taking steroids more than that one year, taking too many steroids that one year, just getting figured out by everyone else) aren’t as important, only that there was a fading into that dark good night.

The player in question does not have to have retired after their one(ish) good seasons, he or she just can’t have maintained a level of outstanding achievement in the field of excellence in their chosen sport.

With the first pick I will take our featured image guy, Mark ‘The Bird’ Fidrych.  Fidrych burst onto this scene in 1976, with the Tigers of Old Detroit, (Clarence Meeks never missed a game), going 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA, winning Rookie of the Year, and finishing 2nd in the Cy Young voting.  He also threw 24 complete games and 250+ innings, which may be why he won a total of 10 more games in the next four years and was out of baseball after 1980.

Fidrych died in 2009 when, while working on a truck, his clothes became entangled in the power take-off shaft and he suffocated.

On the list of ways I would like to go out that is way, way, way, way down there.

The rest of you are on the clock.

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Brocky

Jerome Harrison, Running Back Cleveland Browns, 2009

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During a three game stretch, guy goes form most forgettable career ever to suddenly rushing for 286 yards (the third most EVER) in december, follows it up with 2 really good 100 plus yard performances, in line to helping me win my first fantasy football championship

Guy only played like 16 combined games over 2 years after that

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

3. David Duval. Had a monster year in 2001, culminating with a win at the British Open, and that…was…it.

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Game Time Decision

Athan Iannucci

Played 8 seasons in the NLL. Second season he scored 71 goals in 16 games in 2008. The previous record was 61 goals in 16 games ( Gary Gait, 2003). That record of 71 goals stood until 2016, with 2 extra games to play(18 total games), and was only beaten by a goal. He never scored more than 30 in the 6 remaining seasons.

blaxabbath

Michael Bidwill took over day to day operations for the Arizona Cardinals in 2007. That’s about the most objective date we can come up with.

So his first year was the 2007-2008 year when Kurt Warner took the 9-7 Cardinals to the Super Bowl (respectable showing in a loss to the Steelers).

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In the 16 seasons (and counting) since that Super Bowl Run his teams have:

6 times finished dead last in the division.
Only 5 times finished first or second in the division.
Only 4 times reached the playoffs (so 12 of 16 times missed the postseason entirely).

(I know this pick came too fast. I traded up with Spam — he can have my first and fifth next week.)

REcord
Last edited 17 minutes ago by blaxabbath
yeah right

Going out on a limb here…

Sam Darnold

scotchnaut

If I was going out on a limb I’d have chosen Jim Abbot’s 18-11 season.

jim
blaxabbath

I wish I paid closer attention to March Madness. There’s a kid every year that goes on a tear through the tournament, gets drafted high, then that’s it.

For Arizona, that 2011 player was Derrick Williams, including a dominating 32 point showing to spank Duke in the Sweet 16.

https://youtu.be/ia4bW797GLQ?si=a3t5jXRJErjyOBv0&t=197

history
scotchnaut

Andrew “The Hamburglar” Hammond (Senators) shone bright for about three months. He was a goalie that was just a depth piece that played in the AHL most of the time. He was called up due to injury and went on a ridiculous tear for 2 1/2 months in the 2014-15 season, single-handedly vaulting Ottawa into a playoff spot by going an unbelievable 20-1-2. Only 4 wins the next year, bounced around a bit and finished out his career two years ago with Chelyabinsk Traktor. Yes, that Chelyabinsk Traktor.

hamb
blaxabbath

That’s awesome.

Awesome to the max.

SonOfSpam

And I’m old enough to remember Fidrychmania. Weird weird dude, his death was also weird.

SonOfSpam

How bout Leicester City?

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Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

Where you get gangrene and stares of pity.

BeefReeferLives

Goddamn non-embedding jpgs…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynbqA7tS4eg

BrettFavresColonoscopy

Oh how about a one bump wonder?

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BrettFavresColonoscopy

(Len Bias for those of you CTRL + F-ing)

Brocky

Good lord man it’s only Monday, what dark humor is gonna last me the rest of the week?

BrettFavresColonoscopy

Plenty more where that came from

Gatoraids

Marvin Harrison

scotchnaut

Victor Cruz-two 1,000 yard seasons out of the gate and then a slow fade and then a blown-out Achilles.

cruz
Jimbo

He had some good dance moves though.

scotchnaut

Yes, I think the Achilles came just after he had rehabbed the leg.

BrettFavresColonoscopy

I honestly can’t remember if the Bears signed him before or after he broke his leg

scotchnaut

They signed him after both injuries.

Senor Weaselo

Brady Anderson.

yeah right

See Dante Bichette. Might have been the same season.

SonOfSpam

*Anteater alum Brady Anderson. We also have Jon Lovitz!

BrettFavresColonoscopy

RIP

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

I assure you, Jon Lovitz is very much alive.

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

2. Emma Raducanu. She won the U.S. Open in 2021 as a qualifier (roughly the NFL equivalent to being undrafted) and has barely been heard from since. Her career is still ongoing, but it’s not looking good.

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Last edited 1 hour ago by Rikki-Tikki-Deadly
ballsofsteelandfury

She’s looking good, though…

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

She’s gorgeous.

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Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

She’s even more marketable than Kournikova, too.

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Gumbygirl

See, the problem is those huge knockers get in the way. Same reason women aren’t good at golf. Boobs.

Gumbygirl

Leon Spinks. Shame, he was so handsome!

1000005555
Jimbo

Buster Douglas

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

I barely even know her Douglas.

yeah right

Dante Bichette.

His head grew 5 hat sizes in one offseason.

ballsofsteelandfury

From soccer: Freddy Adu

ArmedandHammered

Chris Henry, may he Rest in Peace.

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

He’s up there with Eddie Aikau, Andy Irons, Jay Moriarty…you know, all those guys in famous surfer heaven.

SonOfSpam

The one hit was the pavement.

Jimbo

Hideki Irabu, Yankees

BrettFavresColonoscopy

The fat toad?

Rikki-Tikki-Deadly

1. Peyton Hillis

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Jimbo

He was scrappy and had a high motor, ESPN

blaxabbath

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Jimbo

.

IMG_7038
Redshirt

Does Doug Williams’ performance in the 1988 Playoffs count or is that mostly an above average player who played the very best at the right moment?

Gatoraids

Nancy Kerrigan

Sharkbait

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

Last edited 2 hours ago by Sharkbait
Sharkbait

Jim Carey. Won the Vezina trophy with the Capitals and then his game fell off a cliff

Jimbo

Jay Williams, Chicago Bulls

ArmedandHammered

Kerry Wood for the Cubs

ballsofsteelandfury

I think this one wins the draft.

BrettFavresColonoscopy

/Mark Prior sobs

ArmedandHammered

I chose him as his destruction was caused by Dusty Fucking Baker, as pointed out by you. I really think he could have had long term career and possibly a WS, except for that jackass, the King of Bad Decisions, the ultimate Failson, teams succeed in spite of him.