Johan Santana
The man who threw the only no-hitter in Mets history was already operating on borrowed time when he achieved baseball immortality. Santana's 2012 gem against St. Louis came after major shoulder surgery, and the 134 pitches he threw that night essentially ended his career at age 33.
Peak Santana was untouchable — his 2004-2008 stretch included two Cy Young awards and an ERA+ that never dipped below 158. That changeup was poetry in motion, a pitch so devastating it made American League hitters look foolish for half a decade. His 1,988 career strikeouts came in just 2,026 innings, a rate that would make modern power pitchers jealous.
The shoulder betrayed him just as he was entering his prime years, but those five seasons of dominance cemented his legacy. Sometimes the brightest flames burn the shortest.
Career · Hitting
12 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | MIN | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2001 | MIN | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2002 | MIN | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .500 | 67 |
| 2003 | MIN | 45 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .667 | 88 |
| 2004 | MIN | 34 | 8 | 0 | 2 | .375 | .750 | 98 |
| 2005 | MIN | 33 | 6 | 0 | 0 | .167 | .333 | 44 |
| 2006 | MIN | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 2007 | MIN | 33 | 7 | 0 | 1 | .286 | 1.089 | 144 |
| 2008 | NYM | 34 | 78 | 0 | 1 | .141 | .378 | 50 |
| 2009 | NYM | 25 | 42 | 0 | 4 | .167 | .493 | 66 |
| 2010 | NYM | 29 | 62 | 1 | 1 | .177 | .452 | 62 |
| 2012 | NYM | 21 | 35 | 0 | 0 | .086 | .171 | 24 |
| Career | 360 | 248 | 1 | 9 | .161 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
12 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | MIN | 30 | 86.0 | 2 | 3 | 6.49 | 73 | 64 | 1.814 |
| 2001 | MIN | 15 | 43.7 | 1 | 0 | 4.74 | 93 | 28 | 1.511 |
| 2002 | MIN | 27 | 108.3 | 8 | 6 | 2.99 | 143 | 137 | 1.228 |
| 2003 | MIN | 45 | 158.3 | 12 | 3 | 3.07 | 143 | 169 | 1.099 |
| 2004 | MIN | 34 | 228.0 | 20 | 6 | 2.61 | 171 | 265 | 0.921 |
| 2005 | MIN | 33 | 231.7 | 16 | 7 | 2.87 | 149 | 238 | 0.971 |
| 2006 | MIN | 34 | 233.7 | 19 | 6 | 2.77 | 163 | 245 | 0.997 |
| 2007 | MIN | 33 | 219.0 | 15 | 13 | 3.33 | 134 | 235 | 1.073 |
| 2008 | NYM | 34 | 234.3 | 16 | 7 | 2.53 | 171 | 206 | 1.148 |
| 2009 | NYM | 25 | 166.7 | 13 | 9 | 3.13 | 138 | 146 | 1.212 |
| 2010 | NYM | 29 | 199.0 | 11 | 9 | 2.98 | 137 | 144 | 1.176 |
| 2012 | NYM | 21 | 117.0 | 6 | 9 | 4.85 | 83 | 111 | 1.333 |
| Career | 360 | 2025.7 | 139 | 78 | — | — | 1988 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.