Biggest MLB Duds of Week 10, Position by Position
In the grand scheme of things, one week worth of games over the course of a 162-game season is fairly insignificant.
However, that doesn't make it any easier to battle through a slump, especially with the trade deadline fast approaching and teams looking to solidify their rosters.
So with that in mind, what follows is a look at Week 10's biggest duds, with one player chosen to represent each position along with a starting pitcher and a closer.
Simply put, to qualify as a dud, a player needed to struggle significantly relative to expectations over the past week. Players with a chance of being unseated by someone else on the roster more than anyone can't afford to rank as a dud, and there are a few such guys on the ensuing list.
There is still plenty of time for the following players to get on track, but things have not gone well of late.
Catcher: Kurt Suzuki, Minnesota Twins
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Last Week's Stats
5 G, 1-for-19, 0 BB, 4 K
Player Overview
A surprise trip to the All-Star Game last season earned Kurt Suzuki a two-year, $12 million extension from the Minnesota Twins, as the veteran hit .288/.345/.388 with 34 doubles, three home runs and 61 RBI.
However, he's struggled to duplicate that level of production here in 2015.
The 31-year-old is currently hitting .223/.292/.295 with just eight extra-base hits in 166 at-bats, as he's actually been a negative WAR player at minus-0.2.
Will those struggles be enough for the contending Twins to consider making a change behind the plate? We shall see.
First Base: Mike Napoli, Boston Red Sox
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Last Week's Stats
5 G, 1-for-20, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 10 K
Player Overview
Mike Napoli has been a streaky performer at the plate throughout his career, capable of carrying an offense for stretches and disappearing other times.
This season, the hot streaks have been few and far between.
"It’s frustrating," Napoli told Ricky Doyle of NESN. "I’m going to keep working, keep grinding every day. I’m out here early, hitting early BP, doing my cage work, trying to keep going.
"Obviously, I don’t look comfortable up there. I’m not feeling too comfortable. Just working to that at-bat where I can find it and I can be in that position where I can do something."
Napoli is currently hitting .200/.297/.380 after his dismal performance last week, and his OPS has dropped from .818 over his first two seasons in Boston to .677 this year.
Second Base: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
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Last Week's Results
6 G, 1-for-20, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Player Overview
It looked for a brief time like Chase Utley had finally turned a corner at the plate.
The 36-year-old raises his OPS from .403 to .608 during an impressive 18-game stretch from May 15 to June 4 that saw him hit .367/.429/.550.
However, he's gone ice-cold once again with just one hit in his last 23 at-bats, dropping his season triple-slash numbers to .187/.262/.295 for a minus-0.9 WAR.
So what exactly is the cause of this significant drop-off at the plate? To put it simply, he's just not hitting the ball as hard.
FanGraphs provides the proof:
- Soft Contact: 13.1 percent in 2014, 18.8 percent in 2015
- Hard Contact: 30.4 percent in 2014, 22.4 percent in 2015
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Third Base: Will Middlebrooks, San Diego Padres
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Last Week's Stats
6 G, 2-for-21, 0 BB, 5 K
Player Overview
Once viewed as a key piece of the long-term puzzle for the Red Sox, Will Middlebrooks became expendable after Boston signed Pablo Sandoval in the offseason.
The Padres jumped at the chance to buy low, flipping recently acquired catcher Ryan Hanigan to Boston in exchange for the 26-year-old.
Middlebrooks has shown flashes at the plate, including a terrific stretch of games to close out the month of May that convinced me to pick him up on my fantasy team, but his overall numbers are still lacking.
While he has managed six doubles, eight home runs and 26 RBI in 197 at-bats, he's hitting just .228/.261/.391 on the year, and those numbers certainly took a hit with his performance this past week.
Shortstop: Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals
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Last Week's Stats
6 G, 2-for-21, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 0 BB, 10 K
Player Overview
A 20-20 player each of the past three seasons, Ian Desmond is not exactly putting together the type of contract year he'd hoped for when he turned down a seven-year, $107 million extension offer prior to last season.
The three-time Silver Slugger winner is hitting .230/.274/.361 with five home runs and one stolen base, and he's seen his walk rate drop from 7.1 percent last year to 4.6 percent this year, according to FanGraphs.
A zero-walk, 10-strikeout performance last week certainly didn't help those numbers any, and at this point he has to be pressing.
With Yunel Escobar and Danny Espinosa both producing and Anthony Rendon finally healthy, it will be interesting to see if the Nationals consider shopping Desmond before the deadline.
Left Field: Matt Joyce, Los Angeles Angels
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Last Week's Stats
6 G, 1-for-16, 1 2B, 1 R, 4 BB, 8 K
Player Overview
When Josh Hamilton began the season on the disabled list, offseason acquisition Matt Joyce was quickly pegged as someone who needed to step up for the Los Angeles Angels.
Suffice to say, that hasn't happened.
The 30-year-old is currently hitting .178/.262/.310 for a dismal 64 OPS+, and the Angels have recently dropped him to ninth in the batting order as a result.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't frustrated and disappointed," Joyce told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. "But I'm still in the lineup. I'm still getting a chance to play and make the most of it."
Center Field: Angel Pagan, San Francisco Giants
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Last Week's Stats
6 G, 1-for-21, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 5 BB, 2 K
Player Overview
A .292 hitter batting primarily out of the No. 3 spot in the San Francisco Giants' lineup heading into last week, Angel Pagan saw his average drop 22 points over the past seven days.
With Hunter Pence again sidelined, this time with a sore wrist, Pagan will likely remain in the middle of the order for the time being.
Ideally, he could slide down in the lineup to help take some pressure off of him while he battles through this slump.
Pagan has been a catalyst out of the leadoff spot the past several seasons, but with Nori Aoki having a fantastic season and Pence shelved to begin the year, he was asked to slide into the No. 3 hole.
Right Field: Alex Rios, Kansas City Royals
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Last Week's Stats
6 G, 2-for-23, 1 2B, 0 BB, 7 K
Player Overview
Signed to a one-year, $11 million deal to replace Nori Aoki as the everyday right fielder, Alex Rios began the season on fire.
The 34-year-old hit .321/.345/.464 over the first seven games of the season, but then missed the next 40 games with a fractured pinky finger on his left hand.
Since returning on May 31, he's hit just .105/.150/.132 with one extra-base hit in 38 at-bats, and those struggles continued this past week.
A right-handed power bat in right field was tops on the Royals' wish list heading into the offseason, and it looked like they found their man in Rios.
Now, they could again be in the market to upgrade if he doesn't turn things around.
Starting Pitcher: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
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Last Week's Stats
1 GS, L, 0.1 IP, 5 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 1 K
Player Overview
Even the best in the business lay an egg every once in a while, and Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez did that and then some against the Houston Astros on Friday.
King Felix entered the game at 9-2 with a 2.51 ERA through his first 12 starts of the season.
However, he lasted just 31 pitches and managed to get just one out against the Astros before a Jason Castro home run made it 8-0 and chased him from the game, leaving his ERA at 3.38.
"I don't know what happened. To be honest, I don't really know," Hernandez told reporters after the game (via ESPN). "They just kept getting hits. The home run from Castro was unreal. It was just one of those days."
Hernandez pitches next against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, when he'll go head-to-head with Madison Bumgarner and look to prove his last start was nothing more than a fluke.
Relief Pitcher: Matt Barnes, Boston Red Sox
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Last Week's Stats
3 G, 0-2, 3.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Player Overview
Since his promotion at the end of April, Matt Barnes has been a solid middle-inning option for the Boston Red Sox.
Entering last week, the 24-year-old had a 1.93 ERA and a pair of wins in 14 innings of work spanning 12 appearances.
However, he was roughed up in each of his three appearances last week:
- June 9: LOSS, 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER
- June 12: ND, 0.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER
- June 13: LOSS, 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER
That was all capped off with Barnes being optioned to the minors on Sunday, as the Red Sox promoted corner infielder Travis Shaw and will go with a six-man bullpen for the time being.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference, unless otherwise noted.
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