Awesome MLB players from the 00s you probably forgot about

Shortly after the arrival of Albert Pujols to the majors in 2001, the top-hitting prospect in baseball was Blalock. A highly disciplined hitter in the Rangers farm system, Blalock never matched the hype, but he still made a splash with All-Star appearances in his first two MLB seasons. He played nine seasons in MLB, hitting 25-plus homers four times.

Cameron would be more appreciated in today’s game. During his 17-year career, Cameron was an elite defensive center fielder with a high walk rate, power, and speed. His downfall was a high strikeout rate, including a league-high 176 strikeouts in 2002 with Seattle, but he was a 20/20 man five times and won three Gold Gloves. Cameron’s son, Daz Cameron, has appeared in three seasons with the Tigers.

Ensberg could simply hit, though it took a while crushing minor league pitching in the Astros farm system before he got his shot. The former ninth-round pick smashed the ball in his first full season at age 27 in 2003, hitting .291/.377/.530 with 25 home runs in 127 games. However, his best season came two years later, making an All-Star appearance and finishing fourth in the AL MVP voting after hitting .283-36-101 with a .945 OPS. Ensberg’s career went downhill from there, but he hit 110 home runs over eight seasons.

Figgins broke in with the 2002 Angels World Series team as a utilityman but turned out to be much more. Showing off a good batting average, elite speed, and excellent defense at multiple positions, Figgins had a great eight-year run with the Angels hitting .291/.363/.388 with 280 stolen bases. After making his lone All-Star appearance in 2009, Figgins cashed in signing with the Mariners. That contract four contract worth $36 was notoriously bad, unfortunately, as Figgins didn’t last the entire life of the deal after hitting .227/.302/.283 over three seasons in Seattle.

There might not be a more dominant three-year stretch for a closer in MLB history than Gagne’s run from 2002-2004 with the Dodgers. The Canadian-born flamethrower accumulated 152 saves with a 1.79 ERA and 365 strikeouts over 247 innings. He also won the NL Cy Young Award in 2003. Injuries plagued Gagne for the remainder of his MLB career, which concluded in 2008, and his name was soiled after he was mentioned in the Mitchell Report for allegedly receiving PEDs.

Giles is a legend in Pittsburgh from his five-year run from 1999-2003. The outfielder was an MVP candidate for four consecutive seasons, hitting .308/.426/.591 during his Pirates tenure. Of course, his name is also infamous in Cleveland, as the Indians traded Giles to Pittsburgh in 1998 for lefty specialist Ricardo Rincon. Giles’ decline started after getting traded to San Diego in 2003, but he played seven seasons with the Padres. He finished his 15-year career with an outstanding .902 OPS and 287 home runs, though he had only two All-Star appearances to show for it.

Glaus was the third overall pick in the 1997 MLB draft out of UCLA, and showed elite power during his seven seasons in Anaheim. He led the AL with 47 home runs in 2000, and followed up that season with 41 home runs in 2001. Glaus never reached that 40-home run milestone again over 13 MLB seasons, but he did hit 320 career home runs and numerous tape-measure shots en route to four All-Star appearances.

“Everyday Eddie” played the bulk of his 17-year career in Minnesota and didn’t come into his own until his early 30s. The lefty with a rubber arm emerged as the team’s closer out of necessity in 2002, and led the AL with 45 saves. He followed up that performance with 41 saves in 2003, earning him a lucrative contract in Seattle in 2004. Arm issues eventually led to Guardado’s decline, but he finished with 187 saves and a 4.31 ERA over 908 appearances.

Hafner was the quintessential 2000s DH. A little-known 31st-round pick by Texas in 1996 out of Cowley Community College, Hafner did nothing but hit as a pro. He was infamously traded to Cleveland for the 2002 season, and the rest is history. “Pronk” became a fan favorite in 10 seasons with Cleveland, producing at least 100 RBI in four consecutive seasons and leading the AL with a 1.097 OPS in 2006. Hafner’s decline started in his early 30s, but he finished his career doing more than anyone thought possible with an .874 OPS and 213 home runs over 12 seasons.

Harang was a big man, listed at 6-foot-7, 260 pounds, but was thought of as little more than a backend starting pitcher prospect when Oakland traded him to Cincinnati at the trade deadline in 2003. He became Cincinnati’s best starter for a significant period of the 2000s, throwing over 200 innings in three consecutive years from 2005-2007 with 16 wins in back-to-back years. Harang wrapped up his career after 14 seasons with 128 wins and a 4.26 ERA.

Harden appeared to be a steal as a 17th-round pick by Oakland in 2000, emerging almost immediately as a top prospect. The right-hander had electric stuff and appeared unstoppable at age 23 in 2005 with a 2.53 ERA in 128 innings before injuries took their toll. Harden strung together more success in short spurts, including a 2.07 ERA in 25 starts with the A’s and Cubs in 2008, but his career was sidetracked in 2011 at age 29.

Few careers were as unique and befuddling as that of Kim. Emerging as an almost unhittable reliever at age 20 with Arizona in 1999, Kim went on to become an All-Star and World Series closer for the Diamondbacks in the early 2000s with his unique submarine throwing style. However, he moved to the starting rotation in 2003 and was never the same, cycling through multiple MLB teams and finishing his pro career in Japan, Korea, and Australia.

A hyped first-round pick by the Cardinals in the mid-1990s, Morris looked the part in 50 dominant starts as the team’s ace over his first two seasons before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 1999. The right-hander emerged from the injury just as well, making two All-Star appearances with the Cards and finishing third in the NL Cy Young voting in 2001 with 22 wins and a 3.16 ERA over 34 starts. His decline eventually started with his velocity deteriorating, though Morris found a lucrative contract with the Giants in 2006.

Pena was the clearest example of the 5 O’clock hitter cliche, as a hitter with incredible pure power who never put it all together in MLB. He hit 26 home runs in 110 games for the Reds in 2004, but was never able to match that power in the majors again. Pena did find some fanfare late in his career playing in Japan, including a 32-home run season for Orix in 2014.

Pierre was the leadoff hitting prototype over his 14-year career that included stints with six different teams. Pierre had almost no power and a weak outfield arm, but hit contact-hitting approach and speed made up for his shortcomings. He finished his career as a .295 career hitter with 614 stolen bases, leading his league in steals three times.

It was unclear early in his career if Polanco would be more than a utility infielder when he arrived with the Cardinals in 1998. He eventually became much more after getting traded to Philadelphia in the Scott Rolen deal in 2002. Polanco couldn’t fill Rolen’s shoes as a power hitter, but he held his own as a regular by hitting .289 over seven seasons and rarely striking out. His career lasted 17 seasons for four different clubs, with an outstanding .297 batting average and three Gold Gloves.

Schmidt was one of many top pitching prospects the Braves produced in the 1990s, though he was used as trade capital before he could establish himself in Atlanta. The hard-throwing right-hander spent his formative MLB seasons in Pittsburgh, where he struggled to fulfill his potential, but he eventually found his form after getting traded to San Francisco in 2001. Schmidt finished second in the NL Cy Young vote in 2003 and fourth the following year, also winning the NL ERA Title in 2003. He made three All-Star appearances over six seasons for the Giants before injuries ended his career prematurely.

Brewers fans still ask what could have been with Sheets, who emerged from first-round pick to ace by 2004. He finished eighth in the NL Cy Young vote in that illustrious season, going 12-14 with a 2.70 ERA in 237 innings. It’s possible that high innings count took a toll on Sheets’ arm, as he started to suffer shoulder issues and never quite got back to that level. He did make four All-Star appearances in eight seasons with the Brew Crew, finishing off his career later with the A’s and Braves.

If you played rotisserie baseball in the mid-2000s, you were likely fond of Sizemore. The toolsy leadoff man piled up stats for Cleveland from 2005-2008. During that period, he was an All-Star three times and won two Gold Gloves, also becoming a 30/30 man in 2008. Following that campaign, Sizemore could never stay on the field, and had a microfracture knee surgery in 2010 that kept him out of the majors for three full seasons.

His game wasn’t always pretty, but Uggla was a perfect representation of baseball in the 2000s. His strikeout numbers were frequently high, though the second baseman made up for it with big power and walks. He emerged from Rule 5 pick to hit 30-plus home runs in five consecutive seasons for the Marlins and Braves, making three All-Star appearances. He retired after 10 seasons, hitting 235 home runs.

Yankees faithful aren’t the biggest fans of Vazquez, but he gained notoriety with stints in Montreal, the White Sox, and Atlanta. The right-hander was a true workhorse, throwing over 200 innings nine times, and he tallied over 200 strikeouts five times. For all his accomplishments over 14 seasons, Vazquez only made one All-Star team, though he did finish fourth in the 2009 NL Cy Young race with Atlanta, going 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA in 32 starts.

Vidro’s contribution for the early 2000’s Expos was overshadowed by superstar Vladimir Guerrero, but the second baseman was a star in his own right. His prime was 1999-2004, when Vidro made three All-Star appearances and averaged hitting .313-16-73 with an .862 OPS. The second baseman started to decline when the Expos moved to Washington in 2005, and his career ended following two years in Seattle.

Few starting pitchers have had a more impressive, and unfortunately, shorter prime than Webb. The groundballer was a true ace for Arizona over six seasons, and was arguably the best pitcher in baseball from 2006-2008. During those three seasons, he went 56-25 with a 3.13 ERA in 101 starts despite a hitter-friendly home ballpark, winning the Cy Young in 2006 and finishing second in each of the following two seasons. Webb’s run ended in 2009 with a shoulder injury, drawing a close to what appeared to be a Hall of Fame trajectory.

The 2000s Cubs pitching staffs are best remembered for Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, though Zambrano was nearly as dominant in his heyday. The massive right-hander made three All-Star appearances as a high-velocity sinkerballer and finished fifth in the NL Cy Young voting three times. He was also gifted at the plate, winning three Silver Sluggers with a respectable career .636 OPS and 24 home runs. Zambrano’s erratic control was also a point of frustration for fans at Wrigley Field, as he walked more than 100 batters in 2006 and 2007. The final resume is strong over 12 seasons, with 132 wins and a 3.66 ERA over nearly 2,000 innings.

Young baseball fans probably don’t remember how rare it was for a pitcher to reach triple digits on the radar gun. Zumaya managed to light up the radar gun a time or two, and broke onto the scene during Detroit’s magical 2006 season with a 1.94 ERA in 62 appearances. The Tigers sputtered in the World Series that season, partly because of Zumaya’s wrist injury that he suffered playing Guitar Hero. That injury foreshadowed more health issues for the remainder of Zumaya’s career, as he never made more than 31 appearances in a season after 2006.