1-season wonder for each NL club

Recent Major League Baseball history is littered with players who managed to burst onto the scene with an eye-catching season, but staying relevant in the bigs requires more than a one-off. Many have offered the promise of stardom for a brief moment only to end up as a flash in the pan.

Here is a notable one-season wonder for each National League club over the last 20 years.

If you missed it: AL's one-season wonders

Arizona Diamondbacks

Junior Spivey, 2002

The Diamondbacks must have thought they struck gold in 2002 when Spivey made extraordinary offensive strides. But his numbers dipped across the board the following season and he never came close to matching his '02 form. Spivey then bounced around between the Brewers and Nationals before ultimately being out of Major League Baseball by 2006. It was a spectacular fall after an All-Star sophomore campaign that saw him receive down-ballot MVP votes.

Atlanta Braves

Jaret Wright, 2004

Former longtime Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone worked his magic on Wright, turning him from a waiver pickup to an integral part of Atlanta's starting rotation. The then-28-year-old hurler won 15 games on a 96-win division winner. Wright made more starts in 2004 than he did over his four previous seasons combined. The right-hander turned his out-of-nowhere campaign into a three-year, $21-million contract with the Yankees in free agency. He ended up posting a 4.99 ERA in 204 innings across two seasons in pinstripes.

Chicago Cubs

Mike Fontenot, 2008

Fontenot was not poised to be much more than a utility player for the Cubs, but he showed surprising versatility in 2008, earning him more playing time a year later. And while he matched his 2008 home run total in 2009, he needed 134 more at-bats to do so. After being traded by the Cubs in 2010, Fontenot had brief success - primarily defensively - with the Giants, but failed to stick and was out of MLB after 47 games with the Phillies in 2012.

Cincinnati Reds

Wily Mo Pena, 2004

Pena looked like he was primed to be a major power threat for years after going deep 26 times in just 110 games during his age-22 season. However, the burly slugger's 2004 season accounted for 31% of his career homers, as he collected an underwhelming 84 round-trippers across eight MLB campaigns. He hit .301 in 84 contests with the Red Sox in 2006, but his offensive contributions only led to a 1-WAR season due to his poor defense, according to FanGraphs.

Colorado Rockies

Gabe White, 2000

White is one of 31 relievers who've recorded a season worth a WAR of 3.0 or greater since 2000. A converted starter, he wasn't a prototypical left-handed specialist, as White often pitched multiple frames. Fourteen of his 67 games with the Rockies in 2000 went at least two innings. As effective as he was that season - second among Colorado's pitchers in WAR - White fell back down to earth with a 6.25 ERA across 69 games in 2001. He rebounded a bit with the Reds in 2002 (2.98 ERA), but he did so with a less convincing strikeout rate over far fewer innings.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Cesar Izturis, 2004

Izturis parlayed his solid defense into a 13-year career in the majors. However, although he was an All-Star in 2005, his 2004 season stands above the rest. He registered career highs in nearly every offensive category, including hits, doubles, triples, and home runs. His 90 runs scored were a full 40 more than his next closest season (2008). And it wasn't just his bat, either, as this was the only season Izturis earned a Gold Glove. Despite his longevity, Izturis was a negative-win player for the rest of his career, finishing with 2.7 total WAR.

Miami Marlins

Emilio Bonifacio, 2011

In 2011, Bonifacio accrued 64% of his career WAR. The speedy utility man finished in a tie for second in the NL for stolen bases after swiping 40 bags that year. Bonifacio also set career highs in homers, RBIs, and games played. His .753 OPS was the first and only time he posted a .700 OPS or better in a single season.

Milwaukee Brewers

Bill Hall, 2006

Only Derek Jeter, Carlos Guillen, and Jose Reyes accrued more WAR as a shortstop than Hall in 2006, according to FanGraphs. The then-26-year-old also led all shortstops in homers during his breakout campaign. Milwaukee subsequently gave Hall a four-year, $24-million contract, but he never came close to replicating that level of on-field success.

New York Mets

John Maine, 2007

Maine looked promising in 2006 in half a season, plus an effective postseason, and managed to carry it through 32 starts a year later. He was positioned to be a solid mid-rotation arm for years to come, but he took an immediate step back in 2008 with a 4.18 ERA and was ultimately sidelined by a torn rotator cuff. He never truly rebounded, so his career arc features a fairly big "what if?" Maine's biggest triumph came in 2007 when he threw a one-hitter and struck out 14 Marlins over 7 2/3 innings.

Philadelphia Phillies

Domonic Brown, 2013

Brown was MLB.com's 14th-best prospect ahead of the 2010 season. He cruised through Double-A and Triple-A that year but subsequently failed to make much of an impression in the majors until an explosive 2013 earned him a spot on the NL All-Star roster. However, Brown's fall was almost immediate. He was atrocious in 2014, batting .235/.285/.349 with only 10 home runs in 144 games (minus-1.1 WAR). Brown has mostly competed in Mexico since last playing in the majors in 2015, hitting .295/.366/.570 with 25 bombs over 88 games last season with Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Oliver Perez, 2004

Perez's inclusion may seem slightly unfair because he has reinvented himself as a lockdown left-handed reliever in recent years. But he was expected to be a frontline ace starter after the Pirates acquired him and Jason Bay from the Padres for Brian Giles. He paid immediate dividends, leading the majors with an 11 K/9. Even if he had a brief resurrection with the Mets in 2007, his numbers were all worse other than his win-loss record. In an alternate timeline, Perez is a multi-time All-Star with a pair of Cy Young awards on his mantlepiece. In reality, he's switched gears and managed an effective, long-lasting career. Based on sky-high expectations, that's a slight disappointment.

San Diego Padres

Ryan Schimpf, 2016

Schimpf languished in the Blue Jays' system for six years before being granted free agency and signing with the Padres. While he seldom made contact, he tended to hit the ball a long way when he did. Schimpf struck out an inordinate amount but drew enough walks to make his low batting average a little easier to swallow. That wasn't the case in 2017, though. He maintained a home-run stroke with 14 long balls in 53 games, but a .158/.284/.424 slash line made him unplayable. Schimpf hasn't returned to the bigs since a five-game stretch with the Angels in 2018.

San Francisco Giants

Matt Duffy, 2015

The book on Duffy has not been completed, but he may have peaked early. Injuries have plagued the infielder since his breakout landed him a second-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Kris Bryant. He was limited to 91 games in 2016, missed all of 2017, and despite a productive and healthy 2018 with the Rays, Duffy was again sidelined for the bulk of 2019. The 29-year-old could still rebound and prove his rookie season wasn't a one-off, but for now, it shines brighter than the rest.

St. Louis Cardinals

Rick Ankiel, 2000

Ankiel looked poised to become a star pitcher after finishing as the runner-up for the 2000 NL Rookie of the Year Award. However, injuries robbed him of his potential, as the lefty only threw 34 more innings in the big leagues. He made an incredible comeback as a position player in 2007 before posting a .843 OPS with 25 round-trippers across 122 games in 2008. A one-season wonder on both sides of the ball, Ankiel is an anomaly, but his best WAR-based season came as a hurler.

Washington Nationals

Michael Morse, 2011

Morse's big year with the bat earned him some down-ballot MVP votes in 2011. The 6-foot-5 slugger's WAR would've been higher if he wasn't a total liability defensively. Morse, who played in the majors for 13 years, never came close to reaching those same numbers. His second-highest homer total (18) came the following season.