Baseball’s Supernovae (Part Two): Three Pitchers Who Sizzled Then Fizzled

Nothing is more painful to a baseball franchise or a fan to experience the promise of an exciting first season and then watch that player fade into baseball mediocrity. Some call it the sophomore jinx. Here are three more of those stories of unfulfilled promises:

Mike Nagy
(Pitcher / Boston Red Sox ’69-’72, St. Louis Cardinals ’73, Houston Astros ’74)

The Boston Red Sox made this 18-year-old Bronx, NY high schooler their sixth round pick in the 1966 draft. He spent 1967 and 1968 in their minor league system and a 9-8 record and 3.24 ERA with the Class A Winston-Salem Red Sox in ‘68 was enough to earn him a spot on the team’s 40-man roster going into the 1969 season.

Nagy started spring training off strong but had a rough outing against the Tigers that stopped him short of making the opening day roster. Two brief, successful stints with the Red Sox’ AA affiliate, the Pittsfield Red Sox, and then their AAA affiliate, the Louisville Colonels, earned Nagy an early call-up when the Red Sox pitching staff suffered a number of injuries. After his two appearances in mop-up duty, former Cy Young winner Jim Lonborg continued to struggle with shoulder pain which opened a spot in the rotation. Nagy’s first start was in Yankee Stadium, in front of relatives, family and neighbors and Nagy put on a show pitching 6 2/3 innings and holding the Yankees to 1 unearned run to earn his first major league win. Nagy followed his start in New York with spring training revenge in a 9 inning outing against the Tigers where he scattered 7 hits and 7 walks and allowed just two runs in a game the Red Sox eventually won. After a 3-0 start, Nagy hit a bump in the road and had a tough June with four consecutive starts where he failed to get past the sixth inning (despite the Red Sox winning 3 of the 4 games) and registered an 0-1 record with a 6.48 ERA during the stretch.

He headed back to the bullpen for a short stint but was soon back in the rotation. After his 3-hit complete game win over the Tigers, it looked like Nagy was in the rotation to stay. After returning to the rotation, Nagy went 9-1 and finished the season at 12-2 with a 3.11 ERA. Even more impressive was the team’s performance when Nagy started – the Red Sox were 22-6 when he took the hill. He also had a 3-0 record in 4 starts against the Yankees, his favorite team growing up who passed him over in the ’66 draft.

Even with Nagy finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting to Lou Piniella, his spot in the rotation was not guaranteed. He spent the off-season in the Army which caused him to miss most of spring training and he continued to be nagged by a bad back that caused him to miss a couple of starts in his rookie season. Due to his late release from the Army and his marriage (ironically, to a girl named Barbara Nagy), Mike started off his sophomore season in Winter Haven to get ready for the 1970 season.

After Winter Haven, Nagy spent a month with Louisville before getting called back up to the Red Sox. While he was with Louisville, he pitched the second game of a doubleheader where he and Gary Wagner both pitched one-hitters against the Expos’ AAA team, the Buffalo Bisons. Nagy then followed that performance with a second consecutive one-hitter. It was clear, Nagy was ready.

Lonborg went down again and Nagy got the call. The team played well behind him again. In his first five starts, Nagy went 1-0 with a 3.51 ERA and the team went 4-1 bringing the team’s two-season record to 26-7 when Nagy took the hill. Then, control problems caused him to struggle to the point where he was taken out of the starting rotation and sent to the bullpen after racking up the highest ERA on the team. By the end of August, Nagy earned a second look and a strong September performance had Red Sox officials optimistic. He closed out the 1970 season with a 6-5 record and a 4.48 ERA.

The Red Sox blamed pitching coach Charlie Wagner and replaced him with Harvey Haddix. Nagy blamed smoking and dedicated the off-season to quitting but a freak injury during spring training was a bad omen for Nagy. During a game of pepper, Coach Don Lenhardt struck Nagy on his left wrist with a line drive and he missed a few days due to the injury. While the injury was minor, Nagy’s woes continued and by mid-May he was out of the starting rotation. By the end of May, Nagy’s bullpen struggles punched him a one-way ticket back to Louisville. He finished 1-3 with a 6.63 ERA in just 38 innings and did little to help his case in the minors as he went 5-8 with a 5.61 ERA in 18 minor league games.

Mike failed to make the major league team out of spring training in 1972 and again headed to Louisville to pitch in the minors. Mid-season, Nagy changed his grip on the baseball which jump-started a solid second half performance. He finished his ’72 season with the Colonels at 10-13 with a 3.44 ERA and earned a September look where he gave up 2 runs in 2 innings in his only outing for the major league club.

Nagy headed to the Puerto Rican winter league prior to the 1973 season to hone his game and had a strong winter session. Despite this, the Sox had to clear room for Orlando Cepeda and traded Nagy to the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later. There, he battled for a spot in the Cardinals rotation. Despite a spring training ERA of 0.64, he was sent to the Rangers a few days before opening day for Mike Thompson. Nagy was sent down to Spokane and struggled for the Rangers’ AAA affiliate. He posted a 6.66 ERA and went 3-5 before being traded back to the Cardinals with John Wockenfuss for Jim Bibby.

Nagy was happy to be back in the Cardinals organization as he was vocal with his displeasure over his treatment while with the Rangers and it showed in his performance with the Tulsa Oilers. On July 16, Nagy pitched another one-hitter, the third of his minor league career. Soon after his one-hitter, Nagy’s 5-4 record and 2.72 ERA got him back to the show, this time with the Cardinals. Nagy was unspectacular in 9 games and finished ’73 with a 0-2 record and a 4.20 ERA.

Nagy was traded for the fourth time in his career in the off-season. This time he was sent to Houston for Jim Schlueter. His Caribbean league performance excited the Astros’ brass and earned him an invite to spring training. Nagy pitched well enough to earn a spot on the Astros’ opening day roster, but he disappointed and was sent down in May after 9 relief appearances in which he notched a 1-1 record with an 8.53 ERA.

The 1974 season was the last time Nagy saw action in the majors. He failed to make the Astros team in 1975 and at some point was released from his minor league team. By 1976, Nagy was a star in the Mexican League. His first half performance earned him All-Star recognition and he earned a Silver Glove for his fielding. Nagy was brilliant for the next three years with three consecutive sub-2.00 ERA seasons in the Mexican League including 21 wins in 1978.

At age 30, Nagy walked away from the game, never living up to his outstanding rookie effort. During his move from St. Louis to Texas and then back to St. Louis, Nagy blamed his struggles in Spokane on the cold, damp weather and claimed he was a “hot weather” pitcher. Typically, he had strong spring training outings, pitched well in the winter leagues in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and dominated the Mexican League… maybe he had a point.

Lee Tunnell

(Pitcher / Pittsburgh Pirates ’82-‘85, St. Louis Cardinals ’87, Minnesota Twins ’89)

During his time at Baylor University while talking to his girlfriend, Lee Tunnell pointed to a map and declared, “That’s where I would like to play.” Tunnell’s finger pointed toward Pittsburgh. So, when the 6’1” Tyler, Texas native was the second round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1981, Tunnell’s premonition became reality. Tunnell quickly signed and ended ’81 pitching Double-A ball for the Buffalo Bisons in the Eastern League. There, he went 5-5 and earned a look-see as a non-roster invitee to Florida in 1982.

The Pirates thought Tunnell was their most promising young pitcher in camp and despite being sent down to Portland of the Pacific Coast League, it looked inevitable that Tunnell would hit the majors. After a 12-9 minor league stint, Tunnell got the September call-up and outdueled Fernando Valenzuela in his first major league game, pitching 7 shutout innings and notching his first major league win. He finished 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA in 5 games.

In 1983, Tunnell made the rotation as the team’s third starter but experienced some growing pains. He bounced in and out of the rotation and by the All-Star break flirted with an ERA close to 5. The second half was a different story as Tunnell’s post-All-Star stats were 9-3 with a 2.86 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 110 innings, including a 28-inning scoreless streak. Tunnell closed out the ’83 season with a complete game shutout of the eventual National League champion Phillies on the last day of the season. His numbers had improved to 11-6 with a 3.65 ERA and the man Chuck Tanner referred to as the “best pitcher in (the) farm system since Don Robinson” was lined up for a spot in the Pirates’ rotation going into the ’84 season.

The Pirates were so impressed with Tunnell’s strong finish that they flirted with the idea of trading one of their veteran pitchers. In a bizarre twist, the Pirates instead moved Mike Easler to the Red Sox for John Tudor, and Jose DeLeon beat out Tunnell for the fifth and final spot in the rotation. Tunnell failed to deliver out of the bullpen and in 26 appearances went 1-7 with 3 blown saves and a sky-high 5.27 ERA. It was the highest ERA of any Pirates pitcher that appeared in more than 5 games. He also spent some time on the disabled list in June with a sore right shoulder.

Tanner was impressed with Tunnell’s maturity in 1984 and publicly declared that Tunnell would get another shot at a rotation spot in ’85. “With (Tunnell), the team comes first, and a manager, any manger, appreciates a player with that kind of attitude,” said Tanner during the off-season.

In ’85, Tunnell started the fourth game of the season and pitched five strong innings, giving up just one run. He followed that up with mediocre performances and lack of run support and was sent down after registering a 0-5 record with a 4.60 ERA through mid-May. Against manager Tanner’s wishes, general manager Harding “Pete” Peterson sent Tunnell to their Class AAA affiliate in Hawaii. The woeful Pirates fired Peterson soon after the move and Tunnell returned to the majors in late June. Nothing could right the ship in Pittsburgh as they posted a major league worst 57-104 record. Tunnell bounced back slightly in his second stint and ended the season at 4-10 with a 4.01 ERA.

Lee’s biggest supporter, Tanner, was fired after the ’85 season and replaced by Jim Leyland. Tunnell spent the entire 1986 season with Hawaii of the Pacific Coast League where he battled injuries and failed to earn even a September call-up as he posted a 4-11 record with a 6.01 ERA with Pittsburgh’s AAA affiliate.

Tunnell was released in the off-season but was then re-signed in February by Pittsburgh. Prior to the start of the 1987 season, Tunnell’s contract was purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals and his Pittsburgh odyssey was over. He was assigned to Louisville of the American Association and the Cardinals decision to pick up Tunnell looked like it was going to pay off as he was named the league’s pitcher of the month after going 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 23 innings.

When Greg Mathews struggled, Tunnell was called up and got his first major league start in nearly two years on May 17. He notched his first win since 1985 against the Reds but was inconsistent and was moved to the bullpen near the All-Star break. He continued to be inconsistent but the Cardinals played well and made the post-season. Tunnell finished the ’87 season 4-4 with a 4.84 ERA. Tunnell appeared in 2 World Series games in mop-up duty as the Cardinals fell to Minnesota in seven games.

The Cardinals re-signed Tunnell to a one-year contract but a shoulder injury incurred while throwing at home hampered him throughout spring training. Tunnell failed to register an inning during spring training and started the season on the disabled list. When he was strong enough, Tunnell joined Louisville and went 6-8 with a 3.86 ERA and failed to crack the major league squad. In the offseason, the Cardinals released him.

The 28-year-old latched on with Minnesota and started 1989 with their farm team in Portland. When German Gonzalez had to go on the disabled list, the Twins called Tunnell up and he registered six consecutive scoreless appearances. Tunnell faltered and after two relief appearances where he was rocked in June, his ERA skyrocketed to 6.00 and he was sent down.

Tunnell failed to return to the majors after the ’89 season. He tried to make the Astros’ ball club in 1990 but was sent down. Tunnell went to Japan to play from ’91 to ’93 and then returned to pitch in the minor league organizations of Colorado in ’94 and was pressured by the organization to play as a replacement player. Instead, Tunnell retired but signed with the Detroit organization when the strike ended. He pitched in a few games with their minor league affiliates but retired before making it back to the majors again.

After retiring, Tunnell spent nine years with the Rangers organization as pitching coach at various minor league levels. He then spent time in the Reds organization and in 2006 was interim bullpen coach for the Cincinnati Reds when Vern Ruhle fell ill. After the 2006 season, Tunnell was replaced but offered another spot in the organization. Instead, he accepted an offer from the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Japan’s Pacific League to be a scout in the United States for them.

In Tunnell’s time in the majors, he did become an odd bit of trivia as he was the pitcher responsible for serving up Darryl Strawberry’s first major league home run in 1983.

Charley Kerfeld

(Pitcher / Houston Astros ’85-’87, ’90, Atlanta Braves ’90)

Throughout the history of the major league draft, there have been many players who were drafted a number of times before signing a major league contract. Charley Kerfeld was originally drafted by the Phillies in Round 24 of the June 1981 draft out of Carson City High School, but Kerfeld decided to go to college instead. As Kerfeld prepared to attend Yavapai Community College, a school with a strong athletics program, he was drafted for the second time in January ’82. This time, Kerfeld was the third overall pick in the first round by the Seattle Mariners.

Again, Kerfeld declined to sign again and was drafted six months later in the secondary phase of the June draft by the Astros – ahead of Kal Daniels, Randy Myers and Bip Roberts. This time, the 18-year-old Kerfeld decided to sign with Houston.

The 6’6” fireballer progressed rapidly. During his minor league stint with AA-affiliate Columbus, Kerfeld set a then record by opening a game with seven consecutive strikeouts. He finished with a 14-9 record during his AA stint and the Astros organization buzzed with anticipation.

While working in the Arizona Instructional League prior to the 1985 season, Kerfeld impressed General Manager Al Rosen. “I smile every time I think about him,” said Rosen. And who could blame him? Kerfeld showed amazing control in 7 2/3 innings and featured a fastball that was clocked at over 95 mph.

After spring training, Kerfeld headed down to Tucson, the Astros’ AAA affiliate, to start off the ’85 season. When he finally got the call to the majors in July, Kerfeld had ballooned to 275 pounds and the team was concerned about his weight. And in Kerfeld’s words, he “stunk it up” in his two-week stint with the team. In four games, Kerfeld went 1-1 with an 11.57 ERA and a 2.57 WHIP. Even his fastball wasn’t blowing away batters as he registered just 4 strikeouts in 9 innings.

Kerfeld rejoined the Toros and returned to the major league roster when it expanded on September 1. It took Nolan Ryan’s first shoulder injury in 18 years for Charley to get a second look as a starter and he made the most of the opportunity. His September numbers were impressive: 3-1 in 7 games with a 2.65 ERA. Kerfeld registered 26 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings and closed out the season with 14 consecutive scoreless innings. Kerfeld lowered his ERA to 4.06 and finished 4-2 and was ready to earn a spot with the team in 1986.

The promising 22-year-old took the team’s concerns about his weight seriously and dropped 40 pounds in the off-season thanks to a 1000-calorie-a-day diet. The Astros also trimmed down by trading Joe Niekro to the Yankees, which opened up another spot in the rotation. Kerfeld failed to win a spot in the rotation but was kept on the pitching staff as a reliever. He got off quickly as he extended his scoreless inning streak to 25 before finally giving up two unearned runs in his fourth outing of the season. Before going down with a sore forearm, Kerfeld was 5-1 with 2 saves with 33 strikeouts in 43 innings as the Astros’ set-up man. His ERA was 1.88 and WHIP was just under 1.

By the time Kerfeld returned, the Astros had suffered a number of injuries and had fallen out of first place, but as Kerfeld and the others got healthy, the Astros took back the division lead and won the N.L. West. Kerfeld’s official rookie statistics were impressive. The reliever appeared in 61 games and registered an 11-2 record out of the bullpen with 7 saves. His ERA of 2.69 was the lowest of all Astros’ relievers and the team was 38-23 when Kerfeld appeared.

The postseason was bittersweet for Kerfeld, though. While his statistical line was respectable (4 IP, 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP), Kerfeld gave up the winning run in his third inning of work in extra innings in Game 5 which put the Astros behind the 8-ball as they fell behind 3-2 to the Mets. The Mets won Game 6, dashing the Astros’ World Series hopes.

Kerfeld was a character and most credited him and Larry Andersen for keeping the team loose down the stretch. Going into 1987, the Astros and Kerfeld got into a contract dispute as Kerfeld felt his ’86 performance warranted a bigger raise than the $110,000 the team offered. When the team offered him $500 more, Kerfeld declined and countered with a different offer - $110,037.37 and 37 boxes of orange Jell-O. “I told them I didn’t want that,” said Kerfeld in a Sporting News story. “Just kick in the extra money ($37.37) because 37 is my uniform number. I wanted the Jell-O so Larry Andersen and I could pull a prank on some coach or unsuspecting reporter this season.” While Kerfeld joked, he also said he was “disgruntled” with the way he and other young players were being treated. Kerfeld said, “Basically, I feel the younger guys on this club got left at the North Pole without their shorts on.”

The ’87 season started with continuing concerns over Kerfeld’s weight as he yo-yoed back to 255 pounds. It also saw Kerfeld struggle after an unsuccessful bid to unseat Dave Smith as the team’s closer. By the end of April, the eccentric reliever had been removed from the set-up role and then sent back down to the minors. Kerfeld’s return to Tucson was rocky. He was frustrated to find that he was the picture on the pocket schedule and showed up Manager Bob Didier and was fined and suspended for two games for his actions. Kerfeld turned things around, and after hitting 266 pounds, he was able to drop 26 pounds and improve his fastball. Manager Hal Lanier won his battle with GM Dick Wagner and Kerfeld was recalled to the majors in July. Kerfeld was inconsistent and then succumbed to an elbow injury. His late September return closed out a rough sophomore season where Kerfeld finished 0-2 with a 6.67 ERA.

Eager to forget his 1987 season, Kerfeld dropped 25 pounds prior to the 1988 season. In spring training, Kerfeld headed to the disabled list with another injury. He returned to pitch in the minors in June but spent the rest of the ’88 season combating injuries in the minors.

In 1989, Kerfeld had a brutal spring and was sent down to start off the season. Again, Kerfeld spent a second season locked out of the majors. He finally made it back to the majors in 1990 but after a disastrous five game stay with the Astros, Kerfeld was sent to the Braves for Kevin Dean and a player to be named later.

His Braves career started off promising with seven scoreless appearances before a poor outing. He pitched well until June where he followed two rocky appearances with a trip to the disabled list. Upon his return, Kerfeld failed again and was released by the Braves in August.

Kerfeld has stayed in and around baseball since leaving the game. He spent a few more years in the minors and then went into coaching. Kerfeld managed a number of Independent League teams and occasionally inserted himself into a game as a player. Currently, the 44-year-old former major leaguer is a Special Assistant with the Philadelphia Phillies. His weight has been reported as high as 340 pounds since he left baseball.

Charley was considered the pride of Knob Nobster, Missouri. A unique and eccentric person, he was a media favorite thanks to his quotable nature. One of the better quotes was following an Astros-Dodgers game where he picked off Steve Sax. Kerfeld, not known for a great pick-off move, remarked, “Shoot. I never pick guys off. But I was watching this purple ball they were playing with in the stands and I figured Sax was looking, too. Sure enough, he was.”

Two other factoids related to Charley Kerfeld: (1) Most publications spelled his name Charlie for a long period of time in his career. In some cases it has not been corrected including on baseball-reference.com. (2) Yavapai Community College has produced a number of players drafted into the majors and a handful that have registered major league experience including Curt Schilling and Billy Hatcher.