JD Drew and the Softest Players in MLB History

I'd like to take a moment to talk about J.D. Drew, most recently of the Boston Red Sox.  Here's a guy who was so talented in college that he was drafted within the top five TWICE in the MLB amateur draft, so one would think he had future Hall of Famer written all over him.

Instead, Drew has an MLB career resume that spans 14 seasons, none of which has seen more than 146 games played.  Rather than the rough-and-tumble five-tool player that was drafted, Drew has a reputation as an injury-prone headcase who makes way too much money.  According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Drew is most likely to retire into the sunset as one of the more unpopular players in the game.

Seeing as how I'm feeling nice and am willing to let Drew walk away with a little bit of dignity, let's take a look at him and the 20 softest players in baseball history.

No. 20: Ken Griffey, Jr.

Easily my favorite player growing up, Ken Griffey Jr. seemed to be a lock to pass Hank Aaron on the career home runs list.  By the time he turned 30, he already had 398 for his career and seemed to have plenty of gas left in the tank.

He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 2000 season, and then the house of cards slowly started to fall down.  Griffey's dominance was hampered by chronic hamstring problems that just wouldn't go away and thus lowered his bat speed.  Even after undergoing a controversial procedure to reattach his hamstring to his bone, a surgery called "The Junior Operation," his power was nowhere near as deadly as it once was.

Griffey is a surefire Hall-of-Famer as he finished a 22-year career with a .284 lifetime batting average and 630 career home runs, but legs made of chalk killed any shot of him becoming baseball's best power bat.

No. 19: Jose Reyes

In his defense, Jose Reyes' injury history may just be a string of bad luck that has plagued him the past three seasons.  He used to be a lock for 150-plus games, but now has become like Ken Griffey Jr. in that he's the man with the glass hamstrings.

The man used to be a guy who was a lock to steal 60 bases or more in a year, and injuries have limited him to just 80 since 2009.  He just signed a lucrative contract to play for the Miami Marlins, so here's hoping that his softness stays in Citifield.

No. 18: Alan Trammell

Alan Trammell is easily one of the most beloved players in Detroit Tigers history, as he spent his entire 20-season career with the team.  Over that span, he made six All-Star teams, took home four Gold Gloves and won a World Series ring in 1984.

Still, as great as Trammell was when healthy, he just had a hard time staying so.  His possibly Hall of Fame career was robbed of full-on greatness by injuries to his shoulder, knees and ankle.  Of all his 20 seasons, he only played in over 140 games in seven of them.

He was a lot of fun to watch, but his injury problems easily robbed him of getting close to or surpassing 3,000 hits, as he finished with just 2,365 for his career.

No. 17: Joel Zumaya

Joel Zumaya may not be soft as a whole, but the past few years have shown that the guy's arm is made of glass.  He had a solid first season in 2006, striking out 97 hitters in 83.1 innings.  From there, it all went downhill.

First, he hurt his hand playing Guitar Hero, and then he tore a hand tendon prior to the 2007 season.  That was followed by a shoulder injury during the offseason, when he was helping his father move some boxes.  That was followed by elbow problems in both 2009 and 2010, and he missed all of 2011.

Zumaya recently signed a contract with the Minnesota Twins, so he could have some velocity left for all we know.  Still, given his track record, it's hard to not look at him as soft.

No. 16: Jason Schmidt

Jason Schmidt used to be one of the most popular players on the San Francisco Giants, and was instrumental in helping them reach the 2002 World Series.  Sure enough, once his contract expired prior to the 2007 season, he signed a three-year, $47 million deal to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I remember when this deal was signed, and I immediately knew it was a bad idea.  First off, Schmidt was going to be 34 years old entering that season, and that's about when most pitchers start to slow down.  More importantly, he had been a starter for most of his career and had only exceeded 200 innings five times.  That alone should have been a red flag screaming that he was soft.

Sure enough, Schmidt's shoulder burned out and he made only 10 starts over the course of that deal, going 3-6 with a 6.02 ERA, missing all of 2008 in the process.  Once the deal was up, he retired.

No. 15: Nomar Garciaparra

Over the first four full seasons of his career, Nomar Garciaparra seemed unstoppable.  He had great power and could hit for average, winning back to back batting titles at the ages of 25 and 26, respectively.  Then, following an injury to his wrist in 2001, he was never the same.

Garciaparra came back and was effective for a couple of more years and hit over .300, but the dominance he once exhibited at the plate was gone.  The Boston Red Sox traded him to the Chicago Cubs at the 2004 trade deadline and from that point on, he became an injured mess.

Between 2005 and his retirement after the 2009 season, he never played more than 122 games in a season and was slowed by injuries to his groin and knees.  Had he been less injury-prone, there's no telling how dominant a hitter he could have been.

No. 14: Jake Peavy

Ever since winning the NL Cy Young Award in 2007, Jake Peavy has become better known for his time spent on the disabled list and less for the fact that when healthy, he's a decent pitcher.  His issues being soft started in 2008, when he was placed on the DL with elbow soreness.

Elbow problems evolved into ankle problems in 2009 and in 2010, he detached a lat muscle in his back before having surgery and missing all of the season.  Said injury was clearly still bothering him in 2011, as he took a while to recover and made just 18 starts upon his return, posting a career worst 4.92 ERA.

He's still young at just 30 years old, but history has shown that elbows and shoulders are hard to fix.  In Peavy's case, it's hard to believe that he'll be able to shake that soft label and revert to his old form.

No. 13: Chipper Jones

Chipper Jones may be entering his 19th MLB season and he's got some great seasons under his belt already.  Yet, once he retires, he's surely going to be remembered as someone who was great, but got old fast.

You see, since 2004, Jones has only played in 140-plus games once and has spent a lot of time on the DL with various injuries, most recently ones to his knees the past two years.  He's definitely a Hall of Famer and one of the best switch-hitters to ever play the game, but the fact that his body started breaking down so quickly at age 32 is just shocking.

No. 12: Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton's time in the majors as a full-time player has been brief, and he will hit free agency next offseason unless he and the Texas Rangers agree to a contract extension.  Still, the fact that it hasn't happened yet combined with Hamilton's overall value to the team isn't all that shocking to me.

Sure, Hamilton is good, but he turns 31 this season and each of the past three years has missed significant time due to injury.  It hasn't stopped him from being effective and he even took home the AL MVP award in 2010, but it's still something to be concerned.

The fact is that he's a great player when healthy, but is he really worth such a heavy investment when he's spent 30-plus games on the disabled list each year since 2009?  The man is good, but is definitely turning out to be soft.

No. 11: Roger Cedeno

I remember when Roger Cedeno became a full-time player for the New York Mets in 1999, some were saying he'd be a great leadoff man.  Sure enough, that year, he hit .313 and stole 66 bases.

However, after being traded to the Houston Astros that offseason, Cedeno's decline began.  Starting with a broken hand suffered in May of that year, various bumps, bruises and nagging injuries kept him from reaching his full potential.  He had talent, but being soft kept him from becoming one of the best.

He was literally soft in 2007, when he showed up to Baltimore Orioles spring training weighing 274 pounds, about 100 pounds over his regular playing weight.

No. 10: Rich Harden

At the start of his career, Rich Harden was the fireballer of the Oakland A's young upstart pitching rotation built from the ground up by GM Billy Beane.  He was small at 6'1" and 195 pounds, but he threw hard and was a reliable strikeout pitcher.

However, just a couple of seasons into his career, Harden started having shoulder trouble that just wouldn't go away.  His career thus far can be defined as follows: he's great when healthy, but horrible otherwise.

It's truly sad seeing as how he has just turned 30 and his MLB career may already be over, as he has yet to pitch 200 innings.  The only time he even surpassed 150 innings was in 2004 and his shoulder has gotten so bad that he has only thrown 174.2 innings the past two years.

Sure, he can still throw hard, but is still ridiculously soft.

No. 9: Daisuke Matsuzaka

Daisuke Matsuzaka, like most Japanese pitchers, had a rough time adjusting to the major leagues upon his debut in 2007.  Still, he turned it around by going 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA the following year and save for walking too many hitters, it looked as though he was on his way to becoming an effective starter.

Then, the 2009 World Baseball Classic came along and despite concerns from Red Sox management, Matsuzaka played for Team Japan and missed most of spring training.  He started having shoulder trouble once the regular season started and struggled with his command, starting just 12 games.  It was later revealed that the root of his injury trouble was a hip injury sustained during the WBC.

Still, Matsuzaka has yet to find his command and his shoulder problems still remain.  Last year, he started having elbow problems and had Tommy John surgery.  Again, another prospect that was highly touted, yet too soft to pitch effectively over a long MLB season.

No. 8: Fred Lynn

Fred Lynn turned a lot of heads as a rookie in 1975, as he hit .331 with 21 homers and 105 RBI while leading the AL in runs scored with 103.  He was instrumental in helping the Boston Red Sox reach the World Series that year and in doing so became the first player to ever with both Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.

Yet, despite a few more good seasons after that, including one with a batting title along with nine straight All-Star appearances, Lynn had a hard time ever becoming one of the greatest as he was constantly injured.  In a 17-year career, Lynn only reached the 150-game plateau once and the 140-game one three-times.

The sad part is that some of Lynn's injuries came from him playing so hard, as he once broke a rib crashing into an outfield wall and often hurt his knee breaking up double plays.  Yet, as time wore on, many of his injuries were just various bumps and bruises, plus some strains.  Some players can play through the pain, but Lynn just wasn't one of them.

No. 7: J.D. Drew

As I mentioned earlier, J.D. Drew was a highly touted college player who was drafted in the top five not once, but twice in the MLB amateur draft.  Possessing a sweet left-handed swing with great power to go with some solid speed on the basepaths, it looked as though Drew was in line for a great career in the majors.

Instead, due to a combination of injuries and lack of effort, Drew has managed to become one of the most expensive headcases in baseball history.  The 2011 season was the last of a five-year, $70 million deal he signed with the Boston Red Sox and save for a legendary grand slam he hit during the 2007 ALCS against the Cleveland Indians, his time in Beantown was largely disappointing.  As was the case with most of his career, he spent a lot of time on the disabled list.

Most of Drew's injuries were various aches and pains that a lot of players probably would have played through, but not this former college hotshot.  Instead, his softness has managed to alienate him from most other teams and as a result, he and his fairly impressive .873 career OPS are probably headed for retirement.

No. 6: Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez spent 19 years in the majors and of those, he only played in 150-plus games seven times.  However, most of the time, it wasn't because he was injured.

For much of his time with the Boston Red Sox, fans and foes alike were subjected to multiple cases of "Manny Being Manny."  In these instances, the moody Ramirez would just take himself out of games because he was "hurt" or wanted to be traded.  In one case, he took himself out of the lineup mere minutes before a game against the New York Yankees, citing knee soreness.

He was sent to a hospital for MRIs on both knees, and no actual damage was found.  For someone to have such a blatant disregard for the team and act like a moody bully the way Ramirez did is extremely gutless, not tough at all.  Thus, while not in the most literal way, he is definitely one of the softest in baseball history.

No. 5: Mike Hampton

Mike Hampton helped the New York Mets reach the World Series in 2000 and once he hit free agency that offseason, signed an eight-year, $121 million deal with the Colorado Rockies.  Coors Field led him to being a disappointment and he was traded to the Florida Marlins and then Atlanta Braves before the 2003 season.

Hampton continued to be a disappointment in Atlanta as he was no longer the ace-like lefty he was during the late '90s and in 2005, his reputation as a soft player began.  He made just 12 starts that year before having Tommy John surgery and missing both 2006 and 2007.  When he came back, he was a shell of his former self and on an extremely short leash because of his health.

Injury problems continued as he tore his rotator cuff in late 2009 and missed most of 2010 before coming back with the Arizona Diamondbacks and posting a 0.00 ERA in 10 relief appearances.  It was a sad career ending for a pitcher who was once so good, but just couldn't stay away from the injury bug.

No. 4: Carl Pavano

As a Yankees fan, this is a story that burns me up to this day.  The team needed pitching following the embarrassing ending to the 2004 postseason so they reached out to Carl Pavano, who had gone 18-8 with a 3.00 ERA for the Florida Marlins that same year.  In the end, the Yankees signed Pavano to a four-year deal worth $39.95 million.

He started out OK in 2005, but then hurt his shoulder in June and missed the rest of the season.  A multitude of injuries kept him from pitching in 2006 and as a result, both his teammates and manager called him out.  He returned in 2007, but made just two starts before hurting his elbow and undergoing Tommy John surgery.

He would go on to make seven starts towards the end of 2008, going 4-2 with a 5.77 ERA.  Thus, here are the numbers for Pavano's Yankee tenure: 9-8, 5.00 ERA and 1.45 WHIP for the aforementioned price.

In a sense, the team paid that much money for someone whose arm suddenly became chalk over the course of four years.

No. 3: Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle was easily one of the greatest hitters to ever play the game, but he was also one of the softest.  Ever since his high school days, he had balky legs along with knee problems.  A notable knee injury occurred in the 1951 World Series, when his cleat got caught in a drainage cover while chasing a fly ball.

Still, throughout his 18-year career, Mantle always seemed to be missing time with various nagging ailments, from strains and aches to fractured bones or various surgeries.  To get a better idea of how injury-prone and soft he was, take a look at the picture to the left.  The results may shock you.

No. 2: Joe Mauer

I really hate to put Joe Mauer on this list, as he is easily one of my favorite players to watch.  Still, the fact that he is turning 29 this season and is already experiencing chronic knee/leg problems just screams soft. 

In his entire career, Mauer has never once played over 146 games.  I understand that a lot of that has to do with him being a catcher, but there's a limit.  His going on the disabled list last year for "bilateral leg weakness" says it all.

The sad truth is that while talented, Mauer's build combined with his position is just a recipe for early breakdowns.  He's 6'5", 235 pounds and while that makes for an intimidating presence at the plate, he's still a tremendous risk because that's just too big for a catcher.

Hopefully, he can overcome his injury problems and have a resurgent 2012 season.

No. 1: Eric Davis

I never got to watch much of him in his prime, but Eric Davis is one of those players who could have been one of the best had he stayed healthy.  He could hit for average and power, field, throw runners out and even steal bases.

In 1987, he hit .293 with 37 homers and 100 RBI to go with a ridiculous 50 steals.  The crazy part is that he only played in 129 games.  Can you imagine what numbers he could have put up had he played in all 162 games?

The sad truth is that in 17 MLB seasons, Davis never played in more that 135 games as he was constantly injured.  Maybe it was his slight figure at 6'2" and just 165 pounds, but one can only imagine how amazing a player he could have been if he stayed healthy.