Baseball loves a good comeback story. We’ve seen players go from goat to hero with one big moment or one solid season, but for every fairytale ending, there’s a guy who never got his shot at rewriting the script.
Whether it was bad timing, bad luck, or just the game moving on without them, these players were left stuck in baseball limbo. Here are 15 MLB players who had all the ingredients for a great redemption arc but never got to finish the story.
15. Dontrelle Willis
The D-Train burst onto the scene with energy and flair, but once he derailed, he could never quite get back on track. He bounced around hoping for a second act, but the league had already moved on.
14. Matt Harvey
At one point, Harvey was the dark knight of New York. Injuries and drama dimmed the lights, and his shot at redemption never truly materialized.
13. Delmon Young
He had the talent, the power, and the pedigree—but his off-field issues always overshadowed any progress. A few key moments kept him relevant, but the comeback never came together.
12. Jonathan Papelbon
He was one of the most dominant closers in the game… and one of the most disliked. Once things fell apart in Washington, no team was eager to give him a fresh start.
11. Josh Hamilton
Hamilton’s story had the makings of a Hollywood script, and for a time, it was inspiring. But the final chapters felt rushed, and his fall from grace was too steep to recover from.
10. Ubaldo Jiménez
There was a time when Ubaldo looked like the next ace of baseball. But once he lost his control—literally and figuratively—the league never gave him a real shot to find it again.
9. Carl Crawford
In Tampa, he was electric. In Boston and LA, he looked like a different player entirely—and never got the opportunity to remind people how good he once was.
8. Pablo Sandoval
The Panda was beloved in San Francisco, but his post-Giants career was a bumpy road. A full-circle return couldn’t mask the fact that his redemption arc never took off.
7. Jose Bautista
He went from journeyman to superstar, but his decline was fast and quiet. There was still power in that bat, but no team gave him the green light for one last run.
6. Rick Ankiel
From pitcher to outfielder, Ankiel’s story was already wild. But his second career felt incomplete—like there was one more twist we never got to see.
5. Brandon Webb
For a few seasons, Webb was nearly unhittable. Then came the injuries, and sadly, the chance for redemption never arrived before the curtain closed.
4. Eric Chavez
A smooth defender with underrated pop, Chavez’s body betrayed him just as he was entering his prime. He stuck around as a role player, but the full-circle comeback never happened.
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3. B.J. Upton
Speed, power, potential—B.J. had all of it. But the decline hit hard, and the baseball world never gave him a fair shot to flip the narrative.
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2. Nomar Garciaparra
Nomar was once a face of the game, right there with Jeter and A-Rod. Injuries derailed that stardom, and while he had a couple of decent years, the redemption arc never fully bloomed.
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1. Barry Zito
He went from Cy Young winner to punchline in San Francisco. A late-career playoff performance gave a flicker of hope, but the full Zito comeback we were all rooting for never really came to be.
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