Biggest MLB Duds of July, Position by Position
For Joc Pederson and Justin Upton—two of the most prominent members of the July all-dud squad—the Midsummer Classic must feel like a lifetime ago.
As it turns out, Pederson and Upton aren't the only 2015 MLB All-Stars who landed a spot on this infamous team. The selection process was simple: The idea was to dig through the stats and single out the big leaguers who posted alarmingly bad numbers in the month of July.
There was room on the team for one designated hitter who starred as a pitcher and one of Pederson's teammates, Yasiel Puig, who tumbled through a video game-related slump.
Catcher
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Dishonorable Mention: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals; Stephen Vogt, Oakland Athletics; Alex Avila, Detroit Tigers
July All-Dud Catcher: Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals
There was plenty of competition for this spot, but none of the backstops listed above could match Ramos, who checked in with a .149 average and a .410 OPS.
As the catcher explained via James Wagner of the Washington Post, all those struggles at the plate began to wear on him:
"You're thinking about the day before, an 0-for-4. And then the next day, you want to hit singles and bring runners in. I want to do something for my team. I try to do my best. I try to turn the page and come back here every day and go out there and have fun.
"
As Wagner notes, it's possible Ramos' workload is starting to wear the 27-year-old down. He's already caught 78 games in 2015, after injuries limited him to 88 contests in 2014, 78 in 2013 and just 25 in 2012.
1st Base
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Dishonorable Mention: Logan Morrison, Seattle Mariners; Ike Davis, Oakland Athletics; Brandon Moss, Cleveland Indians/St. Louis Cardinals
July All-Dud First Baseman: Chris Carter, Houston Astros
The month of July was not kind to Carter.
The 28-year-old appeared in just 15 games for the Houston Astros, racking up more than three times as many strikeouts (16) as hits (five). One positive was that three of those five hits ended up leaving the yard.
For Carter, it's not just July, but the entire season that has been a dud. In 2015, Carter has hit .215 or lower in each month. His .109 average in July marked a new season low.
2nd Base
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Dishonorable Mention: Eric Sogard, Oakland Athletics; Jace Peterson, Atlanta Braves
July All-Dud Second Baseman: Dee Gordon, Miami Marlins
Gordon earned this nod for getting injured in a foolish fashion.
The Miami Marlins second baseman dislocated his left thumb while sliding headfirst into first base on July 11. As Ian Casselberry of The Outside Corner explains, the injury was entirely avoidable:
"MLB Network showed a highlight from the June 12 Fox Sports Florida telecast during which Marlins third base coach Lenny Harris warned Gordon to hit the bag with the heels of his hands, rather than his fingertips. Otherwise, he was going to dislocate his fingers one day. Unfortunately for Gordon, Harris turned out to be prophetic...
"
The ill-advised slide cost Gordon the chance to start at second base for the National League in the All-Star Game and paved the way for an all-around bummer of a month. In 14 contests, the spark plug hit just .208 for the Fish.
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Shortstop
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Dishonorable Mention: Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs; Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals
July All-Dud Shortstop: Marcus Semien, Oakland Athletics
Semien was an easy call at this spot.
For the 24-year-old, the trouble began at the plate, where he hit .183 with a .202 OBP, .268 slugging percentage and .471 OPS in 24 games for the Oakland Athletics.
His glove work was just as bad as his bat—if not worse. On the final day of July, Semien committed a costly error, which helped send Oakland to a 2-1 loss against the Cleveland Indians.
It was a frustratingly familiar plot line for the Athletics, as the shortstop has now piled up 29 errors. That's eight more miscues than any other player in the bigs.
3rd Base
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Dishonorable Mention: Luis Valbuena, Houston Astros; Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals
July All-Dud Third Baseman: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
July wasn't a total bust for Bryant, as the Chicago Cubs rookie hit four jacks—including a monster walk-off against the Colorado Rockies on July 27.
But at the same time, there was a lot that went wrong for Bryant. The 23-year-old endured his worst month in terms of average (.168), OBP (.270), slugging percentage (.368) and OPS (.639). He also punched out 37 times in 95 at-bats for the Cubs.
With Bryant in his first season in the majors, is it possible the rising star is starting to run out of gas?
"There's an extra month to this season, and I think I'm ready for it," Bryant said, via Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
Even if Bryant thinks he's good to go, the safe play for the Cubs would be to give the third baseman a few extra days of rest down the stretch to help keep him fresh.
Left Field
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Dishonorable Mention: David Murphy, Cleveland Indians/Los Angeles Angels; Matt Joyce, Los Angeles Angels; Travis Snider, Baltimore Orioles
July All-Dud Left Fielder: Justin Upton, San Diego Padres
Looking at the numbers, it's difficult not to wonder if all the trade speculation ended up getting to Upton. In 19 July games for the San Diego Padres, the left fielder clocked in with a .162 average and a .552 OPS.
Those underwhelming stats certainly didn't help boost the vet's value on the market and ultimately could have played a small role in why he stayed put at Petco Park.
July also marked the second consecutive month in which Upton has posted an average south of .200. That's not exactly the script the 27-year-old was hoping to follow with his first taste of free agency looming in the winter.
Center Field
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Dishonorable Mention: Rajai Davis, Detroit Tigers; Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds
July All-Dud Center Fielder: Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers
Pederson has been mired in such a funk that Los Angeles Dodgers skipper Don Mattingly has opted to hold the center fielder out of the lineup on consecutive days.
"Sometimes you can't see the forest from the trees," Mattingly told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. "You get too close to it; you don't really get to see the big picture. I just want him to see the big picture."
The slumping rookie hasn't been seeing much of anything at the plate, as he swung at a clip of .169 in July. In 23 contests, Pederson went down on strikes on 31 occasions.
What makes Pederson's recent struggles especially concerning is that this is not a new trend. After a monster April, Pederson's batting average has plummeted in each of the months that followed:
- April: .298
- May: .236
- June: .222
- July: .169
The Dodgers will be hoping that a quick break helps get the promising Pederson back on track. Otherwise, the 2015 NL All-Star will be spending a lot of time on the bench in the closing months of the season.
Right Field
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Dishonorable Mention: Torii Hunter, Minnesota Twins; Steven Souza Jr., Tampa Bay Rays
July All-Dud Right Fielder: Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers
After missing six weeks with a hamstring injury, Puig hasn't been his usual dynamic self in 2015. That was definitely the case in July when he logged a .198 average for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Fortunately for the NL West front-runners, the Cuban has shown signs of pulling out of his slide and knows how to avoid similar problems in the future.
"I just stopped playing soccer video games," Puig explained, via Bill Shaikin of the Los Angles Times. "I've found, when I play baseball video games, I do better."
Puig offered that gem of a quote after his own bobblehead night on July 29. In the Dodgers' 10-7 win over the Oakland Athletics, Puig clubbed a home run and drove in three.
Designated Hitter
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Dishonorable Mention: Billy Butler, Oakland Athletics; Jimmy Paredes, Baltimore Orioles
July All-Dud Designated Hitter: Adam LaRoche, Chicago White Sox
For LaRoche, the designated hitter for the Chicago White Sox, the highlight of his month came on the mound.
"I have begged every manager I have ever played for to let me go out there and pitch," LaRoche explained, via Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune after he threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning in the Chicago White Sox's 13-6 loss to the New York Yankees on the final night of July.
The 35-year-old recorded the last out of the frame by punching out Brendan Ryan with an 85 mph heater.
"We had some side bets going on whether I could break 80 or not," LaRoche joked.
LaRoche also collected four hits in the contest, but even with that outburst, he ended July with a .179 average and five RBI.
Starting Pitcher
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Dishonorable Mention: Alfredo Simon, Detroit Tigers; Shane Greene, Detroit Tigers; Michael Lorenzen, Cincinnati Reds; J.A. Happ, Seattle Mariners/Pittsburgh Pirates; Chad Bettis, Colorado Rockies; Yovani Gallardo, Texas Rangers
July All-Dud Starting Pitcher: A.J. Burnett, Pittsburgh Pirates
Burnett's seasons sure went sideways fast.
The veteran starter, who recently earned his first All-Star selection in his 17-year career, hasn't been able to get anyone out in the second half. In his three starts following the Midsummer Classic, Burnett was tagged for 19 runs on 32 hits in 16 innings of work.
After than awful run, Burnett landed on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation, per Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
To replace Burnett, the Pirates picked up J.A. Happ in a trade with the Seattle Mariners. The lefty hasn't been enjoying much success recently, either. Happ was a dishonorable mention for this spot after reeling off a 7.43 ERA in his last six outings.
Closer
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Dishonorable Mention: Greg Holland, Kansas City Royals; Fernando Rodney, Seattle Mariners; Trevor Rosenthal, St. Louis Cardinals; John Axford, Colorado Rockies
July All-Dud Closer: Jeurys Familia, New York Mets
Familia has recorded just one save for the New York Mets since the All-Star break. Even though the righty reliever has swung and missed in three of his last four tries, he hasn't lost his gig just yet.
"He's still gonna be the closer," manager Terry Collins said, via Kieran Darcy of ESPN New York. "But we'll hopefully get his confidence back and get him out there a little more often and see what the results are."
If the 25-year-old continues to struggle, Collins will have to revisit Familia's job status. Thanks to the addition of Tyler Clippard, the Mets now have a backup plan for the ninth inning.
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter, @KarlBuscheck.
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