There were some players that played pretty dreadfully in 2011. There are every year. But who were the worst of the worst? Let’s take a look. One criteria for this list: you had to have at least 250 plate appearances. This will help weed out some players who were struggling, but got hurt or demoted and didn’t have a chance to break out of it. Also, there must have been at least a little bit of hype or expectations behind the player. I’m not going to pick on career minor leaguers or major league journeymen.
C: Jeff Mathis, Angels. .181/.233/.274, -0.7 fWAR
The Angels had a superior hitting catcher in Mike Napoli. They traded Napoli this offseason in the deal that brought Vernon Wells to Anaheim (more on him in a little bit), and handed the starting job to Mathis for a majority of the year, based on the fact that he’s apparently a stellar defensive catcher. Mathis has been absolutely terrible with the bat, and his defense, lauded by manager Mike Scioscia for years, ranks 84th out of 94 catcher this season according to Beyond the Box Score. But look, Hank Conger is 90th! Mathis technically IS the Angels’ best option! What about Napoli? He’s….16th. Oh, dammit. If the Angels had Napoli behind the plate this year instead of Mathis (4.6 fWAR), they’d be a playoff team right now.
1B: Aubrey Huff, Giants. .245/.305/.373, -0.7 fWAR
I wanted to go with the incredible concussion man (Justin Morneau) or the incredibly disappointing former top prospect (Matt LaPorta), but I instead decided to pick on the faded star of the defending World Champions. Huff had a tremendous 2010 campaign and helped lead the Giants to a World Series victory. GM Brian Sabean stupidly gave the veteran a two year deal, and he’s been awful in year one of that deal. Prior to his excellent 2010 season, Huff had one year in the five before that worth more than 1.2 fWAR. He’s not a great player by any stretch of the imagination, but Brian Sabean paid him like one and expected him to perform like one. He hasn’t.
2B: Gordon Beckham, White Sox. .230/.292/.328, 1.0 fWAR
Beckman has been labeled as a future star since being drafted with the eighth overall pick in the 2008 draft. He’s had an odd career so far. His 2009 rookie year was great, as he was worth 2.6 fWAR in 430 plate appearances. He took a step back last year, with his value plummeting to 0.8 fWAR and his OPS falling to .695. This year has been a total disaster, as his 1.0 fWAR is based on his fielding and baserunning, and has nothing to do with his hideous bat. His strikeout rate has increased and his walk rate has decreased in every one of his major league seasons thusfar, and you have to wonder in the back of your head if Chicago should send him to the minors, where he’s only gotten 259 plate appearances in his career.
3B: Casey McGehee, Brewers. .234/.292/.356, 0.8 fWAR
McGehee, like Beckham, has all of his value tied up in defense (which has been above average by UZR this year), because his bat has been terrible. A year after he tallied 104 RBI and was thought of as a great foil to Fielder, Braun, Weeks, and Hart in the Brewers offense, McGehee’s power has fallen off a cliff this year, and he’s showing off why he was a 26 year old minor leaguer.
SS: Hanley Ramirez, Marlins. .243/.333/.379, 1.3 fWAR
Five straight 4+ fWAR seasons. And then, this season, at 1.3. What the hell happened? Ramirez has battled a variety of injuries this year, but even when healthy, he hasn’t produced. There is one culprit in these struggles though: his .275 BABIP. His career low prior to 2011 was .327. So yeah, a 50 point BABIP drop will really cause you to have a dropoff in stats. This year also has given Hanley the second best walk rate of his career, but the lowest ISO of his career. I’d expect him to improve next season once he’s fully healthy.
LF: Carl Crawford, Red Sox. .251/.286/.399, 0.2 fWAR
Nine figures, no stats. Crawford’s Boston debut has been absolutely terrible. He was expected to be a stalwart at the top of the Red Sox lineup, getting on base for David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis and Adrian Gonzalez. Instead, he’s now rotting at the bottom of the lineup, wasting outs for a team that is battling for its playoff life. His walk rate is 4.4%, his lowest since 2005, and his 19.9% strkeout rate is a career high. Like Ramirez, Crawford is a guy who thrives with a high BABIP. His this year is just .293, lowest in his career. In his two other seasons at .300 or under, Crawford has had OPSes of .661 and .719. The nimble Crawford has also stolen only 17 bases, and his once elite defense has fallen to a below average figure this year. Year one of the contract has been a massive bust for the Red Sox, but what about year two?
CF: Alex Rios, White Sox. .220/.257/.329, -1.4 fWAR
After a 2010 season that saw Rios have a re-breakout year after being claimed off waivers from Toronto, he’s fallen back off the cliff. Nothing in his game his good: he’s not walking, he’s not hitting for power, he’s not stealing bases, he’s not playing good defense….he’s just been an absolute mess this season. A .231 BABIP has a lot to blame for that, but the White Sox benching Rios for career minor leaguer Alejandro De Aza has to be a slap in the face for the former Blue Jays slugger. The fact that he’s making eight figures into 2014 has to make Kenny Williams want to vomit.
RF: Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners. .274/.312/.338, 0.4 fWAR
He’s the face of the franchise, and a megastar in his home country. But….the falloff continues for Ichiro, and he’s ceased being useful for the Mariners. His OBP and SLG have both gone down in each season since 2009. He’s going to finish under 200 hits for the first time in his career, and will also have his first season under 3.4 fWAR in America. Ichiro will be 38 once the season ends, and it looks like he’s starting to tail off. I’m sure Seattle would like him to get back to his old form, especially considering he’s due $17 million in 2012.
DH: Adam Dunn, White Sox. .162/.292/.285, -2.6 fWAR
Oh, where to begin with Adam Dunn….everyone said that he’d turn into a monster in the American League, and here we are, Dunn’s first season in the AL…and he’s got a .577 OPS. He’s struck out 160 times in just 448 plate appearances, which means that one out of every three times Dunn comes to the plate, he’s going down on strikes. That is absolutely pathetic. He’s also walking a lot less than he used to, and his legendary power has fallen off. Dunn will be 32 when the season ends, and will be exiting his prime. And he’s still under contract for three more years? Not Kenny Williams’ brightest moment.
