Cleveland Guardians' Biggest One-Year Wonder, Revealed

Cleveland Guardians fans will surely remember this one-year wonder.

Aug 24, 2023; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Oscar Gonzalez (39) advances to third during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Sometimes, baseball players have one terrific season in the middle of a largely ordinary—or even subpar—career. They are known as one-year wonders, and every team has them at some point. The Cleveland Guardians are no exception.

Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer has put together a very interesting piece detailing each MLB team's biggest one-year wonder since 2010, and for the Guardians, outfielder Oscar Gonzalez takes the cake.

Cleveland signed Gonzalez as an international free agent back in 2014, but the Dominican native was never able to establish himself as a top prospect.

However, in 2022, Gonzalez made his big-league debut and was a very pleasant surprise, slashing .296/.327/.461 with 11 home runs and 43 RBI over 382 plate appearances.

Gonzalez played a significant role in helping the Guardians exceed expectations and win the American League Central that season. Cleveland then went on to sweep the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card Series before falling to the New York Yankees in five games in the ALDS.

At that point, it appeared that Gonzalez was on his way to becoming a part of the Guardians' core, but his success was very short lived.

The following year, Gonzalez slashed just .214/.239/.312 with two homers and 12 RBI across 180 trips to the dish. He was claimed off waivers by the Yankees last December and hasn't returned to the majors since.

The 26-year-old was fairly impressive in New York's minor-league system in 2024, though, slashing .292/.331/.469 with eight long balls and 41 RBI through 296 plate appearances at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.