Post by Makers on Jul 8, 2016 5:41:51 GMT -5
Ranking baseball's worst everyday players by position
As we take a look at 2016’s worst everyday players, let’s start with this important note … This isn’t Sporting News opinion. This is strictly a by-the-numbers position-by-position look at the worst everyday players in baseball, using Baseball-Reference’s WAR formula. WAR isn’t a perfect metric, of course, but it’s generally considered the best way to look at a player’s complete overall contribution (hitting/fielding/base running/etc.).
1B Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals
Zimmerman’s first-half/second-half splits last year were incredibly extreme (.611 OPS before the All-Star break, 1.026 after the break), and the Nationals and their fans are hoping that same pattern follows this season. At this point, his OPS of .669 is more than 100 points below his previous career worst, and it feels like there’s been a spotlight on his production (or lack thereof) since that series where the Cubs opted to walk Bryce Harper to face Zimmerman over and over.
2B Brandon Phillips, Reds
Phillips has long been one of the best second basemen in baseball. He’s a Gold Glove regular who hit at least 17 home runs every year from 2006-13 and has eight seasons with a WAR of at least 2.8 under his belt. This year’s been a struggle at the plate, though. He got off to a good start, but is hitting just .225 with a .541 OPS in his past 50 games, with only nine extra-base hits (all doubles) in that stretch. Phillips, who just turned 35 in late June, has one year left on his deal (at $14 million) and full no-trade rights (thanks to the 10-and-5 clause).
SS Alexei Ramirez, Padres
The Padres brought Ramirez in on a bargain-basement deal — $3 million for 2016, plus a mutual option for 2017 at $4 million (with a $1 million buyout) — but even that has been too much for a guy who has the worst WAR of any player with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. From 2009 to 2014, Ramirez posted WARs ranging from 2.4 to 5.6, but he was just at 1.0 last year and would need a massive rally to get even to that level in 2016. So that mutual option probably won’t be exercised after the season.
3B Eugenio Suarez, Reds
Suarez was a pleasant surprise for Cincinnati last year, hitting .280 with 13 homers and a .761 OPS in 97 games, and he was hitting over .300 for most of April 2016. He’s tailed off since then, though, at least in terms of average and on-base percentage. Admittedly, it might be a little surprising to see a guy with 15 homers already in this spot, but the holes in his swing are many (his strikeout percentage of 26.7 is next-to-worst among qualifying third basemen) and his defense (14 errors) isn’t helping.
LF Justin Upton, Tigers
Upton has been a notoriously streaky player through his career, and Tigers fans are hoping he starts one of those good streaks at some point soon. It’s not just that his percentage and rate stats are all the worst of his career, it’s that most of them are by far the worst of his career. For example, his on-base percentage is .287, and his career-worst OBP is .336. Same goes for batting average (.229, worst is .251), wOBA (.283, worst is .340), strikeout percentage (31.3, worst is 29.0). You get the picture. This is the first year of his six-year, $132.75 million free-agent deal, btw.
CF Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
McCutchen is no stranger to slow starts (his career April average is .255), but to have a cold spell last this long is completely unprecedented for the star who has finished in the top five of the NL MVP voting each of the past four seasons (and won in 2013). Last year, for example, he hit .194 in April, but then .330 in May and .337 in June. His month-by-month averages this year: .226, .284, .202. His track record of being one of the NL’s elite players is so strong that it’s impossible to believe he’ll continue to struggle like this, but for now the numbers are what they are, and that’s why McCutchen lands on this spot.
RF Matt Kemp, Padres
Kemp is hitting home runs this year, but that’s about it. Of the 168 players with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title, 162 guys have a better on-base percentage than Kemp’s .275. Among qualified right fielders, only Jason Heyward and Nick Markakis have worse wOBAs than Kemp’s .303 (Heyward’s at .290 and Markakis is at .300). Kemp’s under contract for that same $21.5 million a year through the end of the 2019 season.
C Yan Gomes, Indians
Well, you see his offensive numbers. Gomes was one of the best catchers in 2013-14, but injuries and inconsistency have been an issue the past two seasons. He’s traditionally been a better hitter in the second half of the season, and Indians fans are hoping that continues.
DH Prince Fielder, Rangers
Fielder, who is making $24 million every year through 2020, has struggled to find any sort of consistency at the plate this year. His percentage of hard-hit balls is down, as are his walks. He’s batting just .227 against right-handed pitchers after batting .343 against them last year.
As we take a look at 2016’s worst everyday players, let’s start with this important note … This isn’t Sporting News opinion. This is strictly a by-the-numbers position-by-position look at the worst everyday players in baseball, using Baseball-Reference’s WAR formula. WAR isn’t a perfect metric, of course, but it’s generally considered the best way to look at a player’s complete overall contribution (hitting/fielding/base running/etc.).
1B Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals
Zimmerman’s first-half/second-half splits last year were incredibly extreme (.611 OPS before the All-Star break, 1.026 after the break), and the Nationals and their fans are hoping that same pattern follows this season. At this point, his OPS of .669 is more than 100 points below his previous career worst, and it feels like there’s been a spotlight on his production (or lack thereof) since that series where the Cubs opted to walk Bryce Harper to face Zimmerman over and over.
2B Brandon Phillips, Reds
Phillips has long been one of the best second basemen in baseball. He’s a Gold Glove regular who hit at least 17 home runs every year from 2006-13 and has eight seasons with a WAR of at least 2.8 under his belt. This year’s been a struggle at the plate, though. He got off to a good start, but is hitting just .225 with a .541 OPS in his past 50 games, with only nine extra-base hits (all doubles) in that stretch. Phillips, who just turned 35 in late June, has one year left on his deal (at $14 million) and full no-trade rights (thanks to the 10-and-5 clause).
SS Alexei Ramirez, Padres
The Padres brought Ramirez in on a bargain-basement deal — $3 million for 2016, plus a mutual option for 2017 at $4 million (with a $1 million buyout) — but even that has been too much for a guy who has the worst WAR of any player with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. From 2009 to 2014, Ramirez posted WARs ranging from 2.4 to 5.6, but he was just at 1.0 last year and would need a massive rally to get even to that level in 2016. So that mutual option probably won’t be exercised after the season.
3B Eugenio Suarez, Reds
Suarez was a pleasant surprise for Cincinnati last year, hitting .280 with 13 homers and a .761 OPS in 97 games, and he was hitting over .300 for most of April 2016. He’s tailed off since then, though, at least in terms of average and on-base percentage. Admittedly, it might be a little surprising to see a guy with 15 homers already in this spot, but the holes in his swing are many (his strikeout percentage of 26.7 is next-to-worst among qualifying third basemen) and his defense (14 errors) isn’t helping.
LF Justin Upton, Tigers
Upton has been a notoriously streaky player through his career, and Tigers fans are hoping he starts one of those good streaks at some point soon. It’s not just that his percentage and rate stats are all the worst of his career, it’s that most of them are by far the worst of his career. For example, his on-base percentage is .287, and his career-worst OBP is .336. Same goes for batting average (.229, worst is .251), wOBA (.283, worst is .340), strikeout percentage (31.3, worst is 29.0). You get the picture. This is the first year of his six-year, $132.75 million free-agent deal, btw.
CF Andrew McCutchen, Pirates
McCutchen is no stranger to slow starts (his career April average is .255), but to have a cold spell last this long is completely unprecedented for the star who has finished in the top five of the NL MVP voting each of the past four seasons (and won in 2013). Last year, for example, he hit .194 in April, but then .330 in May and .337 in June. His month-by-month averages this year: .226, .284, .202. His track record of being one of the NL’s elite players is so strong that it’s impossible to believe he’ll continue to struggle like this, but for now the numbers are what they are, and that’s why McCutchen lands on this spot.
RF Matt Kemp, Padres
Kemp is hitting home runs this year, but that’s about it. Of the 168 players with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title, 162 guys have a better on-base percentage than Kemp’s .275. Among qualified right fielders, only Jason Heyward and Nick Markakis have worse wOBAs than Kemp’s .303 (Heyward’s at .290 and Markakis is at .300). Kemp’s under contract for that same $21.5 million a year through the end of the 2019 season.
C Yan Gomes, Indians
Well, you see his offensive numbers. Gomes was one of the best catchers in 2013-14, but injuries and inconsistency have been an issue the past two seasons. He’s traditionally been a better hitter in the second half of the season, and Indians fans are hoping that continues.
DH Prince Fielder, Rangers
Fielder, who is making $24 million every year through 2020, has struggled to find any sort of consistency at the plate this year. His percentage of hard-hit balls is down, as are his walks. He’s batting just .227 against right-handed pitchers after batting .343 against them last year.