Where'd His Bat Go? The Top 10 Underperforming Hitters in Baseball

It always hurts to see a batter struggling at the plate. It's annoying to see a batter swing at pitches they have no business swinging at, just as it is annoying for a hitter's average to drop 100 points in a season.

These are the hitters who just cannot catch a break this season. They've hit in the past, but suddenly cannot find the ball. Some are struggling, yet not doing terribly. Others are just playing horrendously.

These are the 10 baseball players whose bats have, to be blunt, just gone dead.

Honorable Mentions

While picking the top 10 was fairly easy, there were many who just barely missed the cut. I did not include them if they were on the same team as another who is struggling. I made three exceptions to this rule though. You'll see why.

I did not include them if (i) they do not have a track record of great hitting despite playing terribly this season (Luis Valbuena, Willie Harris), (ii) they look like they are at the end of their careers which is why they are under-performing (Garret Anderson, Gary Matthews, Jr., Ken Griffey, Jr.), or (iii) if they aren't playing quite as badly as stats might make it look (Victor Martinez, Carlos Pena).

As for who #11 was, it's Minnesota Twins infielder Brendan Harris, whose average plummeted from around .260 the past two seasons with the Twins to an unfortunate .181.

No. 10: Chris Coghlan, Florida Marlins

Statline: 37 games played, .223 AVG, 31 H, 5 SB, 2 HR, .554 OPS, 10 BB, 34 K

Can anyone say sophomore slump?

Coghlan's stats admittedly aren't that terrible compared to others on the list. What sets him apart, though, is the fact that he was the NL Rookie of the Year last year, hitting at a .321 clip. Granted, his .223 average is the highest it's been since day one of the season, so hopefully the left fielder is starting to snap out of it.

No. 9: A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox

Statline: 34 games played, .212 AVG, 25 H, 2 HR, .575 OPS, 6 BB, 7 K

Pierzynski is another example of a hitter starting to snap out of a long slump. Just a few days ago he was batting .196 and was higher on this list. He has not seen a .212 average since mid-April and is on a 4-game hitting streak.

That being said, when you hit .300 for the White Sox last season, a .212 batting average doesn't cut it. Carlos Quentin lucked out. Give it another week and he might have replaced Pierzynski on this list.

No. 8: Mark Teixiera, New York Yankees

Statline: 40 games played, .213 AVG, 33 H, 7 HR, 30 RBI, .737 OPS, 27 BB, 32 K

Again, Teixiera's play is not all that bad. When you're a Yankee though, you have added pressure, and this list takes that into account. If he was still on the Rangers he might just miss the cut, as the stats show that he is still hitting decently.

His 30 RBI show his power and his walks and strikeouts are nearly even. Both his batting average and slugging percentage are easily the lowest of his career, though.

He is hitting at a .300 clip for the month of May, yet his average is still almost at the Mendoza Line. That's under-performing in a nutshell. At least these first three are starting to break free. The next seven are not.

No. 7a: Melky Cabrera, Atlanta Braves

Statline: 38 games played, .193 AVG, 22 H, 0 SB, 0 HR, .509 OPS, 14 BB, 15 K

Melky Cabrera... where to begin? Your poor performance has been the talk of Atlanta and much of baseball, so I won't go into much detail. Suffice to say, if he was still with the Yankees he'd have been booed out of Yankee Stadium and into Shea Stadium (yes, I know the Mets no longer play there, that's the point).

#7b: Nate McLouth, Atlanta Braves

Statline: 38 games played, .205 AVG, 24 H, 3 SB, 2 HR, .674 OPS, 19 BB, 34 K

When Jason Heyward is your best outfielder by a mile, it says something about him, but it says something about the quality of the other two as well. I couldn't leave McLouth off the list since, as bad as Cabrera's playing, their stats were nearly identical as of yesterday.

Luckily for McLouth, three multi-hit games in the past five have bumped him over .200 and almost off this list. Maybe Cabrera should be watching what he's starting to do right.

No. 6: Akinori Iwamura, Pittsburgh Pirates

Statline: 35 games played, .156 AVG, 20 H, 2 SB, 2 HR, .485 OPS, 18 BB, 27 K

The only reason I did not put Iwamura higher is that he missed a lot of time last season. So while he's been playing bad, under-performing is not necessarily the correct word for him. Nonetheless, he hit fine with Tampa Bay for a couple of seasons, and, unlike others on this chart, he is only getting worse.

No. 5a: Carlos Lee, Houston Astros

Statline: 39 games played, .203 AVG, 30 H, 5 HR, 16 RBI, .585 OPS, 8 BB, 21 K

Carlos Lee has been a reliable hitter, both for average and power, the past three seasons for Houston. So what happened? Five home runs isn't terrible, but a .203 average for someone who usually hits .300 is definitely under-performing.

He has hit home runs in three of the past four games, so his power is finally back at least. Now the Astros need his average to follow suit.

No. 5b: Kazuo Matsui, Houston Astros

Statline: 27 games played, .141 AVG, 10 H, 1 SB, 1 RBI, .352 OPS, 4 BB, 10 K

This may be a controversial add just because he was meant to be the fourth infielder this season, so putting him this high may be harsh. Even so, he's hit fine for the Astros the past couple of seasons, so how is his batting average that bad?

He's not the best hitter, true. If you gave him Carlos Lee's current numbers he wouldn't be on the list. Yet, to have an average that bad, to see it plummet from .209 to this, that's beyond under-performing. That's a problem.

No. 4: Chone Figgins, Seattle Mariners

Statline: 40 games played, .194 AVG, 31 H, 9 SB, 1 3B, .573 OPS, 27 BB, 35 K

As you have likely noticed by now, I could interchange numbers 6 through 3 in the lineup and they would all make sense: They're very close together and could change any day. While his stats are not terrible, and he's stealing bases and drawing walks at least, the Mariners expected a lot more from a .300 All-Star.

He's currently on a three-game hit streak that moved him from third to fourth though, so maybe he'll get off the list in due time.

No. 3: Brendan Ryan, St. Louis Cardinals

Statline: 34 games played, .162 AVG, 17 H, 0 SB, 6 RBI, .467 OPS, 12 BB, 26 K

Last season, it seemed that the Cardinals found their everyday shortstop in Brendan Ryan. He was hitting nearly .300 and fielding well.

Well, in his case I admit I took his fielding into account, because his fielding has been just as bad as his hitting. Ryan is the one weakness in the Cardinals lineup right now. The only other person hitting under .260 is Skip Schumaker (who's also under-performing, though not as badly as Ryan).

No. 2: Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays

Statline: 27 games played, .168 AVG, 18 H, 4 HR, 12 RBI, .621 OPS, 18 BB, 20 K

The final two should be obvious. Hill had a breakout year last year and was a player to watch this season, especially considering Toronto's power. Imagine Toronto leading in home runs with Hill leading the charge.

Instead, the Blue Jays lead the league in home runs in spite of Hill. He has four, which is fine, but it's hard to hit home runs when you can't hit the baseball. What makes matters worse is that he's not snapping out of it. Yes, he spent time on the DL, so maybe he's still hurting. Nonetheless, you have to look at what they were expecting for this season from him.

In any case, it keeps him out of the top spot.

No. 1: Aramis Ramirez, Chicago Cubs

Statline: 38 games played, .167 AVG, 25 H, 4 HR, .514 OPS, 14 BB, 35 K

Ramirez at the top of the list should surprise no one. A career .300 hitter for the Cubs (well, not anymore with this season), he just can't find the form that made him an All-Star two years ago.

Combine this with Derrek Lee's struggles (but at least he's improving) and it's clear why the Cubs can't get in the NL Central race.

Ramirez, more than anyone, needs a wake-up call. You're 32. You're not old. The Cubs need your hitting. They're a half game ahead of the Pirates.

Looks like he'll be out of the lineup today for a thumb injury. Maybe that's what he needs: a couple games on the bench to get his head on straight.