2024 Baseball HOF preview: Best of 'one-and-dones'

With the Baseball Hall of Fame's class of 2024 announcement approaching, it's time to review this year's ballot. We'll start with a look back at great moments from this year's "one-and-dones," the first-time candidates who likely won't receive 5% of the vote, eliminating them from future consideration.

Note: All WAR figures from Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted.

José Bautista

Position: RF/3B
Years: 2004-2018
Teams: Orioles, Rays, Royals, Pirates, Blue Jays, Braves, Mets, Phillies
JAWS: 37.5 (50th at RF)
WAR: 36.7 (66th)

Bautista's career was bookended by stints as a journeyman. He suited up for four teams as a rookie and three clubs in his final season. In between, he emerged from nowhere to become one of the most feared sluggers of his era and the face of the Blue Jays for nearly a decade. A six-time All-Star, Bautista enjoyed a breakout 2010 season in which he hit 54 home runs en route to his first home-run title and AL Hank Aaron Award. He'd win a second straight Aaron Award and finish third in AL MVP voting in 2011 after leading the league in homers, walks, slugging, and OPS, and placing second in WAR.

During his peak, Bautista averaged 36 homers and 93 RBIs a season, while putting together three 40-homer campaigns and winning three Silver Sluggers. He was one of the most polarizing stars of his era, constantly getting under the skin of opponents while seeming to be instantly energized by a brush-back pitch or smack-talk from rivals. Bautista was inducted into Toronto's Level of Excellence this past summer.

Fun fact: Despite being known for his clutch hitting, Bautista only hit one walk-off homer - a game-ending grand slam with the Mets in 2018.

The moment: Bautista literally made Rogers Centre shake with his go-ahead three-run homer and iconic celebration to cap an emotional seventh inning in Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS. "The Bat Flip" also paved the way for displays of on-field emotion and other celebrations to become more widely accepted in MLB.

Bartolo Colon

Position: SP
Years: 1997-2018
Teams: Indians, Expos, White Sox, Angels, Red Sox, Yankees, Athletics, Mets, Braves, Twins, Rangers
JAWS: 40.9 (130th at SP)
WAR: 46.2 (138th)

Colon's long and winding career saw him pitch for 11 teams over 21 seasons. He was a four-time All-Star, a two-time league leader in shutouts, and a reliable workhorse who passed the 200-inning mark eight times. Colon's longest run of success came with Cleveland over the first six years of his career, but it was in Anaheim where he won his Cy Young Award in 2005, besting Mariano Rivera and Johan Santana for the honor.

After that, shoulder issues nearly derailed his career; he made just 48 total appearances in the four years following his Cy Young campaign and missed all of 2010. But after undergoing a controversial stem-cell procedure, Colon resurfaced with the Yankees in 2011 and began his second act as "Big Sexy," baseball's beloved elder statesman. Over his final eight seasons, Colon made two All-Star teams, threw at least 140 innings every year - even at age 45 - and helped the Mets win a pennant in 2015. The lone blot on his resume during this time was a 50-game suspension for using PEDs in 2012. He retired as the winningest Latin American-born pitcher in MLB history.

Fun fact: Colon was the last active player who played for the Montreal Expos. He spent part of the 2002 season in Montreal, two years before the team moved to Washington.

The moment: On July 28, 2002, just over a month after joining the Expos, Colon took the mound at Olympic Stadium and struck out nine ... just kidding. Of course it's Big Sexy hitting the unlikeliest home run in baseball history.

Adrián González

Position: 1B
Years: 2004-2018
Teams: Rangers, Padres, Red Sox, Dodgers, Mets
JAWS: 39.1 (40th at 1B)
WAR: 43.5 (43rd)

"El Titán" combined a sweet and quietly powerful swing with an elite glove to become one of the best two-way first basemen of his era. Selected first overall by Florida in 2000, González was at the center of two trades as a prospect before finally breaking out with his hometown Padres in 2006. González put up a .859 OPS while averaging 174 hits, 27 homers, and 102 RBIs during his first 11 full seasons, while posting an OBP below .340 only once in that span. One of baseball's most durable players, he appeared in at least 156 games every year from 2006-16 and wasn't placed on the IL until his second-last season.

A five-time All-Star, González retired having won four Gold Glove awards and two Silver Sluggers. He also led the majors in hits (213) in 2011, won an RBI title in 2014, and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting three times.

Fun fact: González's 74 defensive runs saved rank second among first basemen since 2003. Only Mark Teixeira had more.

The moment: Only a few hours after officially being acquired from Boston in a blockbuster trade on Aug. 25, 2012, A-Gon welcomed himself to L.A. by hammering a three-run homer in his first at-bat as a Dodger.

Matt Holliday

Position: LF
Years: 2004-2018
Teams: Rockies, Athletics, Cardinals, Yankees
JAWS: 39.4 (36th at LF)
WAR: 44.5 (36th)

A natural athlete who chose baseball over potential college football stardom, Holliday was a reliable mainstay in left field for two different franchises during his 15-year career. He was a seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger winner who hit 20-plus homers 10 times - including in nine straight years - and also had five 100-RBI campaigns. His best individual numbers came during his time with the Rockies, which included a jaw-dropping 2007 campaign when he won a batting title and was a narrow runner-up for the NL MVP. Holliday also won that year's NLCS MVP during Colorado's surprising pennant run.

The bulk of his career was spent in St. Louis, where he played on six Cardinals playoff teams - including the 2011 World Series champions and 2013 NL pennant winners - over eight years and was later elected to the team's hall of fame. He hit just .158 in the 2011 World Series win over Texas but contributed to the championship by taking seven walks and scoring five runs. Holliday closed out his career as a part-time contributor on playoff teams, first with the Yankees and then back in Colorado.

Fun fact: Holliday suffered one of baseball's strangest injuries on Aug. 22, 2011, when he left a game after a moth flew into his ear. Trainers had to use tweezers to remove the moth after failing to lure it out by putting Holliday in a dark room. "He died from an overflow of wisdom that he got in my head," he later quipped.

The moment: Did Holliday touch home plate? Probably not. Regardless, he was controversially ruled safe after sliding past the Padres' Michael Barrett in the 13th inning of Game 163 in 2007 to push the Rockies into the playoffs and kick-start "Rocktober."

Victor Martinez

Position: DH/C/1B
Years: 2002-2018
Teams: Indians, Red Sox, Tigers
JAWS: 30.5 (31st at C)
WAR: 32.0 (34th)

The rare offense-first catcher, Martinez posted an OPS above .850 seven times and an OBP above .350 on 10 occasions. "V-Mart" was one of the most difficult power bats to strike out, only K'ing in 10.9% of his career plate appearances and never more than 90 times in a season. His defense was poor, but his bat was so good that it offset the glove, and he still ranks 11th in WAR among wild-card-era catchers (minimum 40% of games at the position since 1995). Had he been moved to first base or DH earlier, his offensive totals might have been even better.

Martinez was a five-time All-Star who won two Silver Sluggers, claiming one at catcher and the other at DH. His best individual season came in 2014, when he was the AL MVP runner-up after leading the majors in OPS (.974) and hitting 32 homers while striking out just 42 times. Martinez was also an excellent postseason hitter, putting up an .878 OPS with six homers in 39 playoff games. However, he never played in a World Series, as he missed the Tigers' pennant-winning 2012 season due to a knee injury.

Fun fact: The trade that sent Martinez from Cleveland to Boston at the 2009 deadline created an awkward moment for the Indians, who had two V-Mart promotional days scheduled for the following week, including his bobblehead giveaway the very next day. Both giveaways went on as planned.

The moment: Martinez's 2,000th base hit on July 7, 2017 put him in the rare group of primary catchers to reach the milestone. Making the moment even sweeter was that it happened in Cleveland, where he started his career and recorded hit No. 1.

Brandon Phillips

Position: 2B
Years: 2002-2018
Teams: Indians, Reds, Braves, Angels, Red Sox
JAWS: 26.6 (70th at 2B)
WAR: 28.4 (70th)

Originally drafted by the Expos, Phillips made his debut with Cleveland in 2002 shortly after the Indians acquired him as part of the return for Bartolo Colon. It took another four years for him to break out, but by that point he was in southern Ohio, as Cleveland had dealt him to Cincinnati for a player to be named later in April 2006. For the next 11 years, Phillips was the Reds' rock at the keystone, making three All-Star teams as Joey Votto's running mate while helping them to three playoff appearances in the 2010's.

Phillips' best attribute was his defense. A staple of the highlight reels, he earned four Gold Gloves, a Fielding Bible Award, and was the NL's Wilson Defensive Player of the Year in 2012. His 23 defensive runs saved rank sixth among second basemen since 2003. But Phillips had some pop in his bat, too. In 2007, he put up a 30-30 season and set a Reds single-season record for homers by a second baseman. He also won a Silver Slugger in 2011.

Fun fact: Phillips is one of only three second basemen to produce a 30-30 season. The other two are Alfonso Soriano and Ian Kinsler.

The moment: Phillips always played with plenty of swagger, and he could strut all he wanted after pulling off plays like this one - perhaps his most spectacular web gem - in 2011.

José Reyes

Position: SS
Years: 2003-2018
Teams: Mets, Marlins, Blue Jays, Rockies
JAWS: 33.4 (57th at SS)
WAR: 37.5 (54th)

For a brief time at the beginning of his career, Reyes was baseball's premier leadoff hitter and base-stealer. The speedy shortstop tallied three 60-steal seasons and led the majors in each of those years, including 78 in 2007 - still the 21st-century single-season record. Reyes' speed also helped him lead the majors in triples four times. A variety of injuries, particularly leg issues, would eventually catch up to him and sap his speed, and he failed to post an OPS above .800 during his final seven seasons. He was a four-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger winner in 2006, and the 2011 NL batting champion.

After the 2015 season, Reyes was arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife in Hawaii; the charges were eventually dropped after his wife refused to cooperate as a witness. He was suspended 51 games for violating MLB's domestic violence policy, the longest punishment handed out under the policy at the time. The Rockies released Reyes after his suspension ended, and he spent his final three seasons back with the Mets in a utility role.

Fun fact: Reyes is one of only three players in the expansion era (since 1961) to record at least two multi-triple games in a single season (three in 2011).

The moment: The Mets faced elimination in Game 6 of the 2006 NLCS, but Reyes was not ready to quit. He almost single-handedly forced Game 7 with a 3-for-4 performance that included a pair of steals, two runs scored, and this leadoff home run off Chris Carpenter that got Shea Stadium rocking.

James Shields

Position: SP
Years: 2006-2018
Teams: Rays, Royals, Padres, White Sox
JAWS: 29.4 (286th at SP)
WAR: 30.7 (283rd)

"Big Game James" may not have been a superstar, but he was a dependable starter who could always be counted on. An elite innings-eater at a time when the skill was becoming uncommon, Shields crossed the 200-inning mark in 10 of his 13 seasons, including nine straight years from 2007-15, and made at least 31 starts 11 times - amazing feats for a pitcher who underwent major shoulder surgery early in his pro career. Shields was a staple of the Rays' rotation during their rise to prominence, helping them to three playoff appearances and the 2008 AL pennant. His best individual year came in 2011 when he finished third in AL Cy Young voting.

Shields was traded to the Royals in 2013, and he helped them end their 29-year playoff drought the following season as the ace of their pennant-winning club. On the heels of that run, he signed a four-year deal with the Padres but immediately began his decline and retired after suffering a league-leading 16 losses in 2018. Halfway through that contract, San Diego dealt Shields to the White Sox for a young prospect named Fernando Tatis Jr.

Fun fact: Shields' 11 complete games in 2011 are a 21st-century single-season record. In the 12 years since, no one has thrown more than six.

The moment: For all of his big games, Shields' punch-up with Coco Crisp at the height of the Rays-Red Sox rivalry might still be his most (in)famous moment. One day after Crisp's hard slide into Akinori Iwamura angered the Rays, Shields plunked Crisp to trigger one of the wilder baseball fights in recent memory.