Pablo Sandoval and 2017's Struggling MLB Stars It's Time to Give Up On
No MLB team wants to dump a sunk cost. Doing so admits failure and wastes resources on someone paid handsomely under the assumption of filling a large role.
In some cases, an organization has no choice. A well-compensated player won't help as a benchwarmer or devalued trade chip, but these players have provided below-replacement production two months into 2017. Past glory or expected upside doesn't always match the current reality.
Not every case demands the same action. Inclusion on this list isn't necessarily an endorsement to ditch a player—mostly veterans—without a second thought. The lone guy aged below 30 may need an excursion to the disabled list, even if he's merely recovering from a case of the awfuls.
Regardless of the solution, the following laggards can't keep derailing their squads as regular starters.
Pablo Sandoval, 3B, Boston Red Sox
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Nobody's eyes will burn reading this take: Pablo Sandoval has been bad since signing with the Boston Red Sox.
After the Kung Fu Panda guided the San Francisco Giants to their third championship in five years in 2014, Boston snagged the steadily above-average third baseman.
In 158 games since inking his five-year, $95 million deal, he has hit .236/.286/.360 with a minus-2.7 WAR, the second-worst mark among position players behind Alexei Ramirez.
Ramirez remains unsigned, but the Red Sox keep holding out hope that Sandoval can salvage their disastrous arrangement.
Making matters worse, they traded an affordable, capable replacement in Travis Shaw for Tyler Thornburg. While the 27-year-old third baseman is batting .302/.355/.533 for the Milwaukee Brewers, the acquired reliever will miss the remainder of the season after surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome.
Boston is seemingly losing patience with its disappointing investment. Josh Rutledge has started four of the last six games at third, but he's also not a satisfying solution. The circumstances could compel the organization to promote premier prospect Rafael Devers, a 20-year-old raking in Double-A.
The Red Sox trail the New York Yankees in the American League East and can't afford to lose any ground on their rivals. Having lost his way with both his bat and glove, Sandoval isn't playable during a competitive playoff push.
R.A. Dickey, SP, Atlanta Braves
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The Atlanta Braves signed R.A. Dickey to eat innings, and he has succeeded on that front by working 77.1 frames over 13 starts. Although they should not have expected anything near a return to his 2012 Cy Young Award form, they likely anticipated a serviceable placeholder.
The 42-year-old knuckleballer has instead notched a 5.35 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. His 3.5 strikeouts-minus-walks percentage represents baseball's third-worst rate among qualified starters behind Andrew Cashner and Jeremy Hellickson.
Rather than letting its younger players learn from experience, Atlanta decided to sign Dickey and the only older starting pitcher in baseball, Bartolo Colon. After the latter went to the disabled list with a 7.78 ERA, Sean Newcomb pitched a gem in his MLB debut. The Braves need to see if another youngster will join the southpaw in their future plans.
Matt Wisler and Aaron Blair have struggled in their initial big league opportunities, but the highly regarded prospects can't pitch much worse than Dickey has. At 29-36, the Braves are better off enduring a neophyte's growing pains than trotting out a veteran on his last leg.
Few teams have as many intriguing or healthy alternatives, so Atlanta should sell Dickey for whatever it can get. At worst, Wisler—who allowed four runs with seven strikeouts in a Saturday doubleheader spot start—will offer the same middling production, but as someone 18 years younger with room to mature.
Alcides Escobar, SS, Kansas City Royals
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Here's a question for all readers: Can you ever recall getting a 20 on a test?
If so, quit reading about baseball and hit the books. A mark so low seems almost impossible. Even a careless student with no understanding of the material can luck into a few correct answers.
Alcides Escobar has a 20 weighted runs created plus (wRC+), a metric of offensive merit graded on a scale where 100 is average. The school setting is giving the Kansas City Royals shortstop the benefit of the doubt, as Aaron Judge is scoring a 196 on this test.
Despite offering solid defense at shortstop, Escobar has minus-0.8 WAR with a .197/.220/.260 slash line that should only belong to a pitcher. Actually, even hurlers can close their eyes and lock into a few balls. Royals pitcher Jason Vargas is a career .262/.294/.308 hitter, per Baseball-Reference.com.
Royals manager Ned Yost has not benched Escobar. In fact, the loyal skipper waited until June 5 to strip baseball's worst batter of his leadoff duties. Such extreme patience is not warranted here, as someone with a .293 career on-base percentage had no business residing atop the batting order in the first place.
He has served Kansas City well since 2011, and Raul Mondesi hurt his chances of usurping the role by collecting four hits in 14 April games. But a hitter of Escobar's current ineptitude belongs on the bench.
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Kevin Gausman, SP, Baltimore Orioles
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This is the trickiest situation of all, as Kevin Gausman is one year removed from weaving a 3.61 ERA and 8.72 strikeouts per nine innings. After submitting his spot as a future front-line starter, the Baltimore Orioles' 26-year-old righty has bizarrely fallen off a cliff.
In 69.1 atrocious innings, he has relinquished 98 hits, 34 walks and 50 earned runs to rank second-last in ERA (6.49) and last in WHIP (1.90). Opponents are collectively hitting like Jose Altuve with a .331/.404/.515 slash line. All righties (.378/.431/.581) more closely resemble Mike Trout or Bryce Harper.
The third time through the batting order, opponents (.402/.456/.744) are peak Barry Bonds if everyone pitched to him.
Since seemingly turning a corner by allowing two runs in back-to-back starts, Gausman has yielded 14 runs in three outings, during which he produced nine strikeouts and 12 walks. Hampered by a stuttering rotation beyond Dylan Bundy, Baltimore won't stay competitive in the AL East without finding last year's version of Gausman.
Whether he needs to skip a start, spend some time in the bullpen or regain his confidence in the minors, something must change.
Jose Reyes, SS/3B, New York Mets
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The New York Mets should have never signed Jose Reyes. Now they should never play him.
Money and winning overrule morality, but on-field excuses are gone as Reyes is hitting a deplorable .184/.261/.286 with minus-0.9 WAR. Just as manager Terry Collins started allotting Wilmer Flores more time at third base, a painfully terrible decision will direct Reyes back to shortstop.
This section nearly belonged to Asdrubal Cabrera, who inexplicably blocked top prospect Amed Rosario despite hitting .244/.321/.392 with minus-nine Defensive Runs Saved, the lowest mark among all shortstops. His atrocious defense wasn't a case where advanced metrics and the eye test disagreed. He also committed 11 errors to claim the worst fielding percentage (93.6) of any National League shortstop.
Cabrera's body made a decision Mets management wouldn't. The day after hitting two home runs—he previously had one extra-base hit in June—the Mets placed him on the disabled list with a sprained thumb. With the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers next on the docket, surely they would promote Rosario, a potential Gold Glove winner hitting .336 in Triple-A.
The Mets ignored the logical solution. Instead they will trust Reyes—whose bat and glove are no longer of major league quality—to start at shortstop as they try to salvage their season. And no, also losing Neil Walker with a hamstring injury Thursday did not change their mind.
Rosario is ready to take the reins. If the hobbled Mets have any hopes of soaring back into the playoff mix, they should have made the call weeks ago. They also shouldn't have needed another injury to give Flores an extended opportunity at third.
Cabrera might now have to play if he returns before Walker, but New York needs Rosario to improve an atrocious infield defense at short. As for Reyes, the Mets deserve to lose if they keep him employed.
Shawn Kelley, RP, Washington Nationals
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Relief pitching remains a conspicuous sore spot for the Nationals, who have blown 11 saves this season and sent Koda Glover to the disabled list with a stiff back. Last year's unheralded anchor, Shawn Kelley, is now their biggest hindrance.
Having surrendered 13 runs and nine walks over 17 innings, he's already four earned runs and two free passes away from matching 2016's totals. Eight of his 81 faced batters have belted home runs, and Robinson Chirinos most recently took him yard for a game-winning blast in extra innings Saturday.
Asking who will close oversimplifies Washington's conflict. Who will pitch the eighth inning? Or the seventh? In a playoff series, who would manager Dusty Baker feel comfortable handing the ball to in a meaningful spot?
As of now, certainly not Kelley, whose 8.49 fielding independent pitching (FIP) is even worse than his horrid 6.88 ERA. His home run woes will persist if he does not repair a massive 61.5 fly-ball percentage and 46.2 hard-hit rate.
Forget closing—the Nationals can't rely on him at any juncture of any game right now. Don't be surprised if he's soon banished to a mop-up role or phantom trip to the disabled list.
Rich Hill, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Even if the Dodgers only got 130 innings out of Rich Hill, they'd be 130 ace-caliber innings. So the thinking went when they brought back the 37-year-old lefty after he notched a superb 2.12 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 110.1 elite frames last year.
The part about not expecting him to take every turn proved right. Blisters have sidelined him twice this season, and he has looked nothing like last year's breakout star since returning.
After getting pegged for seven runs by the Cleveland Indians on Thursday, Hill has a 5.14 ERA and 1.57 WHIP. The lefty has lasted just 35 innings over eight starts, not once recording an out beyond the fifth frame. He has already relinquished 23 walks after allowing just 33 in 2016.
The Dodgers inked Hill to a three-year, $48 million contract last offseason, so they're invested in his success as a starter. According to Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times, they will deploy him for at least one more turn with Julio Urias injured and Kenta Maeda also toiling.
"It's necessary for us to win a championship; he's got to be good and be in the rotation," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told McCullough regarding Hill. "He knows he's got to get better. And he's trying."
Maeda has also underwhelmed, but at least he threw strikes and accrued two quality starts. With Hill unable to offer quality or quantity, the Dodgers will eventually have to move their expensive veteran into the bullpen.
All advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
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