Johan Santana

Johan Santana won the American League Cy Young Award twice, taking home the honors in 2004 and again in 2006. Both awards were won during his highly dominant tenure pitching for the Minnesota Twins.

On June 1, 2012, Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter in the entire history of the New York Mets franchise. The heavily anticipated milestone had eluded the team since its founding in 1962, despite having legendary pitchers like Tom Seaver.

Santana was heavily reliant on his devastating circle changeup, which is widely considered one of the best in baseball history. The pitch looked identical to his mid-90s fastball out of his hand but dropped off the table at the last second, generating countless swing-and-miss strikes.

Santana's rapid decline was directly tied to severe shoulder injuries, specifically a torn anterior capsule in his left throwing shoulder. He suffered the injury in 2010, underwent major surgery, and struggled to regain his dominant fastball velocity, eventually ending his MLB career shortly after his 2012 no-hitter.