MLB’s One-Season Wonders: Casey McGehee and 2010
Many former Milwaukee players seem to keep winding up in this series. We’ve covered Bill Hall, one of my favorites amongst these one-season wonders. One that people seem to have forgotten about is third baseman Casey McGehee and his excellent 2010 season.
Before 2010
McGehee was the pride of Northern California in his draft class. In college, he earned big honors as an All-American at Fresno State. After making Co-MVP of his team, McGehee left to join that year’s draft.
The Cubs drafted McGehee in the 10th round of the 2003 draft. He stuck it out, playing solidly but not making enough impact to be considered a top prospect. Chicago finally called up McGehee in 2008 but struggled, leading the team to designate him for assignment.
The Brewers were quick to act on him. They assigned him to the 40-man roster, ultimately impressing in Spring Training. With struggles evidently to our friend in Hall, McGehee received a good amount of playing time. His first season was solid, slashing .301/.360/.499 in limited playing time.
2010
Now we’re brought into 2010. With Hall gone and the third base position laid out for him, McGehee took center stage. He made the most of his opportunity, slugging 23 home runs, driving in 104 runs, and batting .285/.337/.464 in his first full season.
Although he struggled defensively committing 17 errors, he had a very respectable offensive WAR of 3.1. The team named him Brewers MVP, edging out stars such as Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks and Corey Hart.
Within the season, he placed ninth in hits with 177, and sixth in runs batted in. McGehee sadly received no love from the rest of the league, not garnering any votes for MVP or consideration for Silver Slugger.
After 2010
Following his breakout season, McGehee struggled in 2011. He batted .223/.280/.346 with a far below-average OPS+ of 69. He only hit 13 home runs. The worst part was McGehee committing a league-leading 20 errors at the third base position.
The next few seasons weren’t any more kind to him. After struggling with the Yankees and Pirates, he decided to sign a contract with Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan. McGehee bounced back, garnering attention once again from MLB clubs.
This led the Marlins to sign him to a one-year, $1.1 million deal in 2014. He had somewhat of a rebirth. The power numbers were down, only hitting a meager 4 home runs, but he did manage to bat .287. This was McGehee’s last full season in Major League Baseball.
The next few seasons, McGehee struggled to stay afloat with his offensive numbers faltering. After failed attempts at making big league clubs, Casey McGehee spent one last season in Japan in 2017, playing well. This time, the attention from MLB teams had worn, and he decided to hang up the cleats for good.
His combined stats from 2011-16 weren’t the best. McGehee slashed .241/.304/.337 with a very low OPS+ of 77. During this period, he also only hit 28 home runs.
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