Biggest MLB Duds of Week 18, Position by Position
Some might look at Mark Teixeira's time with the New York Yankees and call him a dud, noting that the eight-year, $180 million deal that he signed in December 2008 resulted in only one World Series title. But you can't argue with the man when he says that he "gave [Yankees fans] everything [he] had," as he did at the press conference announcing his retirement at season's end.
He left it all on the field, and that alone makes Tex's career in the Bronx anything but a dud. While we might be able to say the same thing about the players who occupy this week's All-Dud Team once they retire, some have a ways to go before we reach that point.
For others, the end is near, and weeks like the one they had in Week 18 will be forgotten when they leave the field for the last time.
We've picked 10 players—one per position, including a designated hitter and starting pitcher—who put together forgettable performances over the past seven days. Teixeira isn't one of them. Can you figure out who is?
Let's find out if you're right.
Catcher: Brian McCann, New York Yankees
1 of 10
If Brian McCann is still a member of the New York Yankees next season—and with the way the Bronx Bombers have been cleaning house of late, that's anything but a sure thing—the longtime catcher may no longer be eligible for this spot on our All-Dud Team.
"I'm not worried about next year, but I have told Brian he should take some grounders at first, just to give us options as we move forward here," Yankees manager Joe Girardi told Dan Martin of the New York Post.
No matter where McCann suits up in 2017, he's going to have to do better than the 5-for-23 showing and .541 OPS he put forth for the Bronx Bombers last week. It was a six-game stretch that saw the Yankees go 2-4, falling further into baseball irrelevance.
Dishonorable Mention
Kurt Suzuki (MIN): .238 BA, .638 OPS, 2 XBH (0 HR), 1 RBI
First Base: Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles
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Say what you will about Chris Davis, but Baltimore's slugger will be the first to tell you that this year...he stinks.
"Obviously I haven't been swinging the bat the way I want, really, all year," Davis remarked to the Baltimore Sun's Jon Meoli on Saturday. "I think it's been just a grind to kind of get something going, and roll with it. But there's always a way that you can contribute, whether it’s having a 10-pitch at-bat, drawing a walk, making a guy work."
While Davis has done his part to contribute, weeks like the one he just had, which saw him go 3-for-21 with one RBI and a .423 OPS, only make the seven-year, $161 million deal he signed with the Orioles back in January look like a colossal mistake on the team's part.
Dishonorable Mention
Paul Goldschmidt (ARI): .217 BA, .612 OPS, 2 XBH (0 HR), 2 RBI
Second Base: Joe Panik, San Francisco Giants
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"Feeling normal again" was what Joe Panik told the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea upon his return from the disabled list, having missed a month's worth of action due to a concussion. "That's why it was a quick rehab."
If this is the new normal for Panik, San Francisco should be concerned. The 25-year-old has gone just 3-for-31 with a .244 OPS since returning to action on July 28, numbers that include a 2-for-21 stretch and a woeful .269 OPS last week.
Dishonorable Mention
Howie Kendrick (LAD): .174 BA, .457 OPS, 1 XBH (0 HR), 2 RBI
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Third Base: Martin Prado, Miami Marlins
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Martin Prado's two-run single in the top of the ninth against Colorado on Friday wound up being the game-winner for Miami, putting an end to a three-game slide for the Marlins.
But the versatile veteran was otherwise unproductive last week as his team went 2-4 and dropped seven games behind Washington in the NL East. Entering play Sunday, the Marlins sat tied with St. Louis for the National League's second wild-card berth.
Prado finished Week 18 having gone 4-for-24 with three RBI and a .426 OPS.
Dishonorable Mention
Adrian Beltre (TEX): .167 BA, .450 OPS, 2 XBH (0 HR)
Shortstop: Freddy Galvis, Philadelphia Phillies
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Detroit's Jose Iglesias had worse overall numbers on the week than Freddy Galvis, but when Iglesias is making plays like this, it feels disingenuous to name him the starting All-Dud shortstop.
That's not to take anything away from Galvis' garbage-pail double, which might actually be the more impressive feat. But the odds of Iglesias giving an encore performance are significantly higher than they are for Galvis.
That double was one of only three times that Galvis reached base safely last week, as he went 3-for-21 with a pair of RBI, five strikeouts and a .333 OPS.
Dishonorable Mention
Jose Iglesias (DET): .105 BA, .242 OPS, 2 RBI
Left Field: Colby Rasmus, Houston Astros
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You couldn't blame Colby Rasmus if he decided to throw his hands toward the sky and ask the baseball gods what he had done to forsake them. Since May 1, Houston's 29-year-old outfielder has hit just .195 with a .529 OPS.
"Whenever I do hit it good, I need it to be a hit," Rasmus told the Houston Chronicle's Jake Kaplan and Greg Rajan. "I need those to be hits and get in there for me to kind of get some confidence going and get me feeling good."
Not only does he need a hit to start feeling good, but a continued lack of production could find him riding the bench more often than not. Astros manager A.J. Hinch told the Chronicle that he couldn't guarantee Rasmus' place in the lineup if another player starts pushing him for playing time.
He didn't see action on Friday or Saturday, finishing the week 0-for-19 with four strikeouts.
Dishonorable Mention
Michael Saunders (TOR): .174 BA, .426 OPS, 1 XBH (0 HR), 1 RBI
Center Field: Ian Desmond, Texas Rangers
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Ian Desmond's one-year, $8 million pact with the Texas Rangers continues to look like one of the best moves any team made last offseason, despite the 30-year-old center fielder posting baseball's third-lowest OPS (.232) last week.
In fact, the only two players who fared worse occupy the next two spots on our All-Dud squad.
As for Desmond, who went 2-for-21 with a pair of RBI and nine strikeouts, he's been in a funk since the All-Star break. In 20 second-half games, he's hit just .171 with a .600 OPS, with the Rangers posting a 9-11 mark in those contests.
Coincidence? I think not.
Dishonorable Mention
Kevin Pillar (TOR): .160 BA, .360 OPS, 1 XBH (0 HR)
Right Field: Josh Reddick, Los Angeles Dodgers/Oakland Athletics
8 of 10
The only member of our All-Dud squad who switched teams at the non-waiver trade deadline, it didn't seem to matter which uniform Josh Reddick was wearing—he was unproductive in both.
After going 0-for-4 in his final game as member of the Oakland A's last Sunday, Reddick managed just one hit in his first 16 at-bats with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Combined, Reddick posted baseball's lowest batting average (.050) and OPS (.145) for the week.
Dishonorable Mention
Hunter Pence (SF): .240 BA, .536 OPS, 0 XBH
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
9 of 10
As David Ortiz's farewell tour continues, we're occasionally reminded of things that we won't get to see again once he's gone. Like the 40-year-old making Gold Glove Award-caliber plays at first base during interleague play, for instance.
"Hey, good hands never leave you," Ortiz jokingly told reporters, per MassLive.com's Christopher Smith.
But nobody, including Big Papi, was cracking jokes about his performance at the plate, where he went just 2-for-24 with a double, two RBI and a .205 OPS while striking out six times.
Dishonorable Mention
Kendrys Morales (KC): .160 BA, .530 OPS, 1 XBH (1 HR)
Starting Pitcher: Brock Stewart, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Pitching at Coors Field is a difficult task for the most experienced starter, much less a 24-year-old making only his second big league appearance. Such was the situation that Brock Stewart found himself in for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday. As you'd imagine, it didn't go well.
"Before the game in the bullpen, everything was working, and I got in the game and everything stayed flat," Stewart told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick and Thomas Harding. He allowed nine earned runs on 10 hits—including four home runs—in just four innings of work against Colorado. "Just an off night, for sure."
The Dodgers optioned Stewart back to Triple-A Oklahoma City after the game.
Dishonorable Mention
Carlos Martinez (STL): 2 GS, 0-1, 7.50 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 12 IP, 14 H (2 HR), 10 ER, 6 BB, 9 K
Unless otherwise linked/noted, all statistics courtesy of MLB.com and are current through games of Aug. 6.
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