Here are the best seasons by HOF ballot newcomers

There are 14 new gamers up for election to the Hall of Fame this yr. Let’s look again on the No. 1 standout seasons of the careers that received them onto the poll.

None of the group is prone to make it this yr — we’ll know for certain on Tuesday, when the Hall of Fame election outcomes are introduced. And for some, it will find yourself being their solely yr on the poll. But all of them had a minimum of one Hall of Fame-quality season.

Here’s one of the best season by each newcomer to the Hall of Fame poll in 2022-23.

Bronson Arroyo
2006 (Reds): 14-11, 3.29 ERA, 184 Okay, 240 2/3 IP

The solely season Arroyo received Cy Young votes was 2010, however the one season he received MVP votes was 2006. That was his first yr in Cincinnati, the place Arroyo was a workhorse and an awesome 1-2 punch with Aaron Harang. Arroyo led the Majors with 240 2/3 innings pitched, forward of NL Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb. His 3.29 ERA and 184 strikeouts have been profession bests.

Carlos Beltrán
2004 (Royals/Astros): 38 HR, 42 SB, 104 RBIs, 121 R, .915 OPS

Beltrán’s 2006 season with the Mets was in all probability his finest regular-season efficiency. But his sensational 2004, that includes a historic playoff run, makes that the selection for No. 1. Not solely did Beltrán almost be a part of the 40-40 membership through the common season, however he additionally had one of many biggest postseasons of all time after he was traded from the Royals to the Astros. Beltrán tied Barry Bonds’ document with eight residence runs in a single postseason, and he batted .435 in Houston’s two collection.

Matt Cain
2012 (Giants): 16-5, 2.79 ERA, 193 Okay, 219 1/3 IP, excellent sport

Cain’s 2012 season with the Giants was his finest statistically, included his biggest particular person achievement and ended together with his second World Series ring. The right-hander set profession highs in wins, ERA and strikeouts and completed sixth in Cy Young voting. Best of all, he threw the twenty second excellent sport in AL/NL historical past on June 13 in opposition to the Astros. Cain tied Sandy Koufax’s document for essentially the most strikeouts in an ideal sport, with 14. Then he helped pitch the Giants to their second championship in three years. Cain began the clinching win over the Tigers.

R.A. Dickey
2012 (Mets): 20-6, 2.73 ERA, 230 Okay, 233 2/3 IP, 5 CG, 3 SHO

Dickey is the one knuckleballer to win a Cy Young Award. This was the season. No one might hit Dickey’s knuckler in 2012 — the 37-year-old led the NL in strikeouts, innings pitched, full video games and shutouts, and set a Mets franchise document with a 32 2/3 scoreless-innings streak. Dickey beat out Clayton Kershaw for pitching’s highest honor and joined Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden as the one Mets pitchers to win the Cy Young (Jacob deGrom got here later).

Jacoby Ellsbury
2011 (Red Sox): .321/.376/.552, .928 OPS, 212 H, 32 HR, 39 SB, 105 RBIs, 119 R

With all due respect to his 2009 season — when he led the Majors with 70 steals and the AL with 10 triples — Ellsbury’s peak was 2011. The 27-year-old remodeled into an elite power-speed menace, becoming a member of the 30-30 membership whereas sustaining his elite contact potential as a .300 hitter who reached the 200-hit mark. He even gained a Gold Glove Award in heart area. Ellsbury completed because the runner-up for AL MVP to Justin Verlander.

Andre Ethier
2009 (Dodgers): .272/.361/.508, .869 OPS, 31 HR, 106 RBIs

Ethier spent all 12 seasons of his profession as a Dodger, and he was within the MVP combine in his finest season, though nobody might contact peak Albert Pujols in 2009. Still, Ethier slugged a career-high 31 homers and reached 100 RBIs for the one time, profitable a Silver Slugger Award and ending sixth within the MVP race. He added three extra homers within the playoffs.

J.J. Hardy
2008 (Brewers): .283 AVG, .821 OPS, 24 HR, 74 RBIs, +13 DRS

Hardy had an awesome run in Baltimore from 2011-14, together with three consecutive Gold Glove Awards and a Silver Slugger Award at shortstop. And there’s additionally his breakout All-Star season in Milwaukee in 2007. But the following yr might need been his finest mixture of offense and protection. Hardy had one of the best OPS of his profession, performed the identical caliber shortstop as he did for the O’s and led the Brewers to their first playoff look since 1982, batting .429 within the postseason.

John Lackey
2007 (Angels): 19-9, 3.01 ERA, 179 Okay, 224 IP

Lackey deserves a nod for his rookie season, 2002, when he was referred to as up in June and have become an instrumental a part of the Angels’ World Series-winning rotation. But the yr he put up in 2007 was too spectacular from starting to finish. Lackey was the ace of the AL West champions, gained his solely ERA title and was an All-Star, Cy Young Award finalist and an MVP vote-getter for the one time.

Mike Napoli
2011 (Rangers): .320/.414/.631, 1.046 OPS, 30 HR, 75 RBIs, 36% CS

You may not bear in mind simply how good Napoli’s numbers have been in 2011 — a .300 common, 30 homers and an OPS over 1.000 as a catcher. On a division champion with Adrián Beltré, Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler and Michael Young, Napoli might need been the Rangers’ finest hitter that yr. And his playoffs have been simply as nice, highlighted by a .350 common with two homers, 10 RBIs and a 1.164 OPS in opposition to the Cardinals in an all-time-classic World Series.

Jhonny Peralta
2005 (Cleveland): .292/.366/.520, .885 OPS, 24 HR, 78 RBIs

This is a tossup with Peralta’s first season with the Cardinals in 2014, when he was adequate to get a number of MVP votes. But let’s go together with his breakout season with Cleveland in 2005, when he took over the shortstop place from Omar Vizquel. With all of the stress, Peralta batted .292 with 24 homers — essentially the most by a Cleveland shortstop since Woodie Held in 1959 — whereas the workforce jumped from 80 wins to 93.

Francisco Rodríguez
2008 (Angels): 62 SV, 2.24 ERA, 77 Okay

An simple one. Okay-Rod set the MLB single-season saves document with 62 in his ultimate yr with the Angels in 2008, and his mark nonetheless stands. Rodríguez even completed third within the AL Cy Young Award voting — he is nonetheless the final reliever to be a finalist — and positioned sixth within the MVP race.

Huston Street
2014 (Padres/Angels): 41 SV, 1.37 ERA, 57 Okay

Honorable point out goes to Street’s rookie season in 2005 — he was the AL Rookie of the Year with the A’s and posted a 1.72 ERA and 23 saves. But his 2014 season was even higher. Street reached the 40-saves mark for the primary time and had the bottom ERA of his profession, and he received to be the nearer for a division champ after the Padres traded him to the Angels mid-season.

Jered Weaver
2011 (Angels): 18-8, 2.41 ERA, 198 Okay, 235 2/3 IP

The Angels’ longtime ace has a number of contenders for his No. 1 season — you might choose any yr from 2010-12, when Weaver was an All-Star and top-five Cy Young finisher all three seasons. In 2010, he set a profession excessive with 233 strikeouts and completed fifth in Cy voting. In 2012, he pitched a no-hitter, led the AL with 20 wins and completed third. But in 2011, Weaver had his lowest ERA throughout his highest variety of innings pitched, and he completed simply shy of 200 strikeouts. He was the runner-up for Cy Young to MVP Justin Verlander.

Jayson Werth
2009 (Phillies): 36 HR, 20 SB, 99 RBIs, .879 OPS

Werth was an enormous a part of the Phillies’ powerhouses from 2007-10. In ’08, he batted .444 within the World Series as Philadelphia gained its first championship since 1980. In ’10, he led the NL with 46 doubles and had 75 extra-base hits, ending eighth in MVP voting. But in ’09, Werth not solely completed with a career-high 36 homers and 20 stolen bases whereas making his solely All-Star workforce, he additionally belted seven postseason residence runs because the Phillies gained the pennant.