MLB 2011: Top 15 Notoriously Poor Spring Training Performers
Plenty of major leaguers lament the length of spring training. After all, with offseason training programs and strength and conditioning coaches on the payroll for many players, there often seems no reason to go through six weeks of laps, ground balls and batting practice to get to Opening Day.
But there are some major leaguers who need those six weeks and then some.
They are the definition of “slow starter.” Whether it’s trouble locating the strike zone or just being able to make contact, there are several players out there who can’t ever seem to get it right in the spring.
So here’s a look at this notorious list of spring’s slowest starters.
15. Xavier Nady, LF, Arizona Diamondbacks
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The aging outfielder is looking to play a full season between splitting time at first base and left field. In order to do that, the Diamondbacks brass is going to have to look past another humdrum spring.
Nady has never been a guy to knock the cover off the ball, but his average in March is 0.25 points less than he's hit for the rest of his career.
Last spring, as a part-time bench player with the Cubs, Nady managed to scrap together a .176 avg. While his production during the season was respectable, he definitely didn't find his swing in the Cactus League.
14. Dan Uggla, 2B, Atlanta Braves
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Uggla was the big move of the offseason for the Atlanta Braves, and there is no doubt he'll be counted on to bring production to the lineup.
However, the Braves faithful shouldn't get nervous if Uggla doesn't exactly come sprinting out of the box. In his spring training career, he's a .234 lifetime hitter. It seems it takes Uggla those six weeks to figure out just how to get that sweet strikeout swing in proper working order.
The Braves made a good move getting Uggla, as long as they don't need him in March.
13. Mark Buehrle, SP, Chicago White Sox
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Mark Buehrle never shows up to the Cactus League to try and find his power-pitching legs, but it would ease the fears of the Sox faithful if he showed up ready to pitch.
In Buehrle's career he's never been one for an offseason workout program, and that's illustrated by his spring training ERA, which is much higher than his regular season ERA.
In the last six spring training seasons, Buehrle has found himself with an ERA over 6.00 three times. He's not the most inconsistent guy on this list, but given the fact that the White Sox make it a point to use him as little as possible in the spring, it's hard to think he's a quick starter.
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12. Bobby Abreu, RF, Los Angeles Angels
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Is it possible to change your reputation as a player? If the answer is yes, then Bobby should have gone from a reliable spring training player to a slow starter.
Perhaps it's his declining skills or his want to go full-out in a meaningless part of the season, but Bobby Abreu has been less than himself in the spring. In his last two springs he's combined for a .235 average and an OBP barely registering .300.
At 36 he might not have much left in the tank, so let's hope he's saving it all for this season.
11. Carlos Silva, SP, Chicago Cubs
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The Cubs only took on Silva's contract last season, so they could dump Milton Bradley on Seattle. While Silva had a decent bounce-back year, many attribute it to finally getting off on the right foot in spring training.
A good start in the spring for Silva is a rare thing. In four of his last five seasons he's had an ERA well over 5.00. This season alone he's got an ERA of 27.00. That's not a typo, either. It's the actual stat.
Perhaps Carlos will be ready for Opening Day, but it's hard to get moving when you can't find a way to keep yourself from getting lit up.
10. Matt Kemp, CF, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Many consider Matt Kemp to have had a disappointing season last year. He was supposed to break out and become the star many thought he would be, but instead he hit a disappointing .249.
While the spring isn't an indication of regular season success, it would seem that Kemp might do well to be better in March. His lifetime average for preseason ball is an underwhelming .256. While he's hitting the cover off the ball currently, fans should know this isn't his average spring.
9. Edgar Renteria, SS, Cincinnati Reds
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Edgar Renteria will be getting his World Series ring sometime in the next month or two, but they won't be giving him a single award for his performance in the spring.
The Reds shortstop has been anything but stellar during March. If you don't count what he's done so far this year then he hasn't hit better than .269 in a preseason. His numbers read more like a flatline than they do a player trying to get ready for the majors.
Still, Renteria is in the final years of his career and it hasn't hurt him yet, so there's no chance he's going to worry about it now.
8. David Wright, 3B, New York Mets
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While David Wright has been the only reliable thing to watch on the Mets in the last few years, he's certainly not must-see TV in the Grapefruit League.
The Mets slugger doesn't exactly acclimate to the Florida weather. While he's a lifetime .305 hitter, he's a career .265 slugger in the games that don't matter. Perhaps he's too busy trying to figure out who's going to be healthy for the season instead of working on his swing.
7. Bobby Jenks, RP, Boston Red Sox
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Bobby Jenks has never been one for spring training. That might have to do with the fact that he has never been one for an offseason program. Truthfully, Jenks spends most of the spring dodging questions from the media about his weight and how it's affecting his health.
The big man, previously with the White Sox, has had just one notable spring to speak of. The rest have involved him not pitching due to health concerns or pitching with an ERA well over six.
Bobby Jenks is hoping for a rebound year in Boston, and if he wants to get it right, it will have to start in the spring.
6. Matt Capps, RP, Minnesota Twins
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Matt Capps saved the season for the Minnesota Twins last year when he was traded from Washington to replace the Twins' injured closer Joe Nathan. Capps helped push the Twins into the postseason.
While he's had plenty of success as a big league pitcher, it's never been something he's experienced in March. In the last two seasons alone he's had 5.84 and 7.71 ERAs.
It appears Capps doesn't see the importance of closing out games strong in the spring. Given his regular season success, neither do we.
5. David Ortiz, DH, Boston Red Sox
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Ortiz has been one of the most feared hitters in baseball, but that reputation doesn't start until Opening Day. During the spring, Ortiz is routinely one of the worst hitters and well below his average.
Maybe it's the lack of the big moment, or perhaps he's missing the Red Sox nation in Fenway, but during the spring, he's a lifetime .251 hitter. In the last five spring trainings he's managed to hit just nine home runs.
This season seems to be different for Ortiz. He finally showed up.
4. Felix Hernandez, SP, Seattle Mariners
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As the Mariners season kicks into high gear, there will be plenty waiting to see if they fall so King Felix can become available. No doubt there will be interest in trying to acquire him from the Mariners, but they'll be doing it solely based on his regular season numbers.
In a word, Felix has been "mediocre" in spring training. The Mariners ace has an ERA a full run higher than he does during the 162-game season. In 2009 alone, he had an 8.36 ERA. He's not the worst pitcher in the spring, but there's no doubt he takes his time to get going.
3. Jayson Werth, RF, Washington Nationals
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The baseball world will be watching Jayson Werth closely this season to try and determine if he was worth even close to the monster contract he signed.
Well if they are looking, let's hope they don't judge him for the first month. Werth has never been a guy who charges out of the box. The truth is Werth is rather ugly for the first 50 days of his season. Including this year, he's posted a .236 avg and is a player just trying to get his swing together.
He better hope he doesn't stumble out of the gate, because he's got a ton of money to justify.
2. Cliff Lee, SP, Philadelphia Phillies
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There's a saying in baseball that you don't pay Cliff Lee for the regular season, but rather for the postseason. Well the same can be said that you aren't paying him for the preseason either.
The Phillies' surprise free-agent signing isn't exactly interested in doing his best work in February and March. In his last five spring trainings, he's posted an ERA of 7.78.
Lee has given up 121 hits in that time and doesn't look like the same Cy Young-quality pitcher he does at any other point in the season.
Although if Lee manages to pitch up to potential down the stretch and in the playoffs, then it's likely Philly will forget all about his spring struggles.
1. CC Sabathia, SP, New York Yankees
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If you wanted to find the last time CC Sabathia had a good spring, you might have to comb through the statistics to get to 2007. In that year he posted a 3.85 ERA. Not exactly lights-out for a guys who's pitching to plenty of people who won't be on the 25-man roster.
He's posted an ERA of 7.00 or worse twice in the last five years, and he's been under 4.00 that single time. This season, plenty thought he'd come running out of the gate after he lost weight to relieve stress on his legs. However, he's been as bad as ever with an ERA of 9.64.
The Yankees will need him to be strong this season, but thank God they don't need him to be till April.
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