Biggest MLB Duds of Week 18, Position by Position
Baseball is a humbling game. Just ask Paul Goldschmidt and Todd Frazier—two of MLB's brightest stars who just stumbled through a forgettable week.
Neither of those standouts has enjoyed much success since the calendar flipped to August, but no one had a worse week than Starlin Castro, who suddenly finds himself out of a job.
The all-dud squad for last week is populated by players like Goldschmidt, Frazier and Castro who just didn't have any luck at the plate or on the diamond. As it turns out, Goldschmidt and Frazier weren't the only players who took part in the Midsummer Classic who also made the cut for this team.
Catcher
1 of 11
Dishonorable Mention: Mike Zunino, Seattle Mariners; Stephen Vogt, Oakland Athletics
The All-Dud Squad Catcher: Russell Martin, Toronto Blue Jays
Winners of nine of the last 10, the Toronto Blue Jays have been flying along, but the club hasn't been getting much help from its All-Star backstop.
Last week, as the Jays closed in on the New York Yankees for the top spot in the division, Russell Martin slogged along with a .136 average (3-for-22), a .345 OPS and one run driven in.
The catcher was honored with his own bobblehead Monday, but he didn't get to celebrate, as he went 0-for-4 against the Minnesota Twins. Either way, Martin was overshadowed on that day by David Price, who made his club debut.
1st Base
2 of 11
Dishonorable Mention: Mike Napoli, Boston Red Sox/Texas Rangers; Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins; Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians; Pedro Alvarez, Pittsburgh Pirates
The All-Dud Squad First Baseman: Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
Even Paul Goldschmidt is susceptible to the occasional slump.
The first baseman, who is one of the leaders in the race for the National League MVP Award, has certainly been slumping in the first week of the month. In his last six games for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the 27-year-old swung at a clip of .125 (3-for-24) with just one run driven in.
Even with that dry spell, Goldschmidt owns a .332 average with 78 RBI on the season. That means he's still second in the Senior Circuit in both of those categories.
2nd Base
3 of 11
Dishonorable Mention: Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals; Scooter Gennett, Milwaukee Brewers
The All-Dud Squad Second Baseman: Omar Infante, Kansas City Royals
A spot on the all-dud team is nothing new for Omar Infante, who is sporting the lowest OPS (.551) in the American League.
This past week was more of the same for the Kansas City Royals' underachieving second baseman. In six contests for the AL Central front-runners, Infante logged a .150 average (3-for-20) and didn't pick up any extra-base hits.
With super-utility man Ben Zobrist now on the roster following a deadline swap, skipper Ned Yost has an in-house option if he wants to leave Infante anchored to the bench. So far, Zobrist has yet to play an inning at second.
.png?w=256)
Shortstop
4 of 11
Dishonorable Mention: Jose Iglesias, Detroit Tigers; Erick Aybar, Los Angeles Angels
The All-Dud Squad Shortstop: Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs
It looks like Starlin Castro is going to have a lot of free time on his hands.
With the Chicago Cubs battling for a postseason spot and the shortstop mired in a season-long slump, manager Joe Maddon has decided to bench Castro. For now, the 25-year-old Dominican appears to be handling his demotion with aplomb.
"I feel a little frustrated, especially...when they tell me I'm not going to play for I don't know when," Castro said, via Jay Cohen of the Associated Press. "In the beginning, I take it like really personal, but after that I think about it and you can't put those guys in the bench. They're really hot right now, and I understand."
While many of his teammates have been hot, Castro has been ice-cold. In his last seven games, the right-hander checks in with a .222 average. Dating back to the All-Star break, Castro has logged just a .183 average with a .441 OPS.
3rd Base
5 of 11
Dishonorable Mention: Juan Uribe, New York Mets; Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals
The All-Dud Squad Third Baseman: Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds
There's no question about it: Todd Frazier has been in a funk.
"You go through cycles," Frazier said, via Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com. "I've been there before. It happens every year. It's just a matter of getting out of it quick."
For Frazier, the end to the slide can't come quickly enough. In the past week, the Cincinnati Reds third baseman hit .077 (2-for-26). And it's not like Frazier's struggles only began at the beginning of the month.
Simply put, Frazier hasn't been his usual dynamic self ever since electrifying the crowd at Great American Ball Park on his way to winning the Home Run Derby. In the wake of putting on that show for the hometown fans, Frazier is hitting .165 with two jacks in 20 games.
Left Field
6 of 11
Dishonorable Mention: Gerardo Parra, Baltimore Orioles; David Murphy, Los Angeles Angels
The All-Dud Squad Left Fielder: Jayson Werth, Washington Nationals
Jayson Werth's pop has deserted him ever since he returned from a broken left wrist at the end of July.
In six games last week, the Washington Nationals left fielder connected on one extra-base hit (a double). It's not just the power that has been absent from Werth's game but really his hitting skills altogether. In 20 at-bats, the right-hander collected just three hits, good for a .150 average.
After that bummer of a week, Werth's season average has now dropped to .188 and his OPS sits at .519. Those are some brutal numbers considering the veteran is raking in $21 million during his injury-riddled campaign.
Center Field
7 of 11
Dishonorable Mention: Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles; Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds
The All-Dud Squad Center Fielder: Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers
Even as he wobbles through the second half of the season, Joc Pederson still retains the confidence of his manager Don Mattingly.
"He's part of what we do," Mattingly said, via Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. "We made a conscious decision to be a better defensive club this year, and he's a big part of that up the middle."
Pederson is lucky his boss values his defensive work, because he definitely isn't getting it done at the plate. In six games last week, Pederson hit .200 (3-for-15) with five punch-outs and zero extra-base hits. Pederson's lack of power has been alarming, as the lefty has just one homer going back to June 29.
Right Field
8 of 11
Dishonorable Mention: Matt Kemp, San Diego Padres; Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers; Josh Reddick, Oakland Athletics
The All-Dud Squad Right Fielder: Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds
Jay Bruce was MIA for the Cincinnati Reds last week. The 28-year-old right fielder notched just two singles in 25 at-bats (.080 average) while driving in a single run.
The worst part about Bruce's week was he wouldn't stop striking out. The lefty masher went down on strikes in all six games he appeared in and K'd on multiple occasions in four of those contests. In the end, Bruce ended up striking out 12 times.
Bruce's August downturn has been a complete surprise considering he was rolling along last month. In July, Bruce clocked in with a .315 average and a .978 OPS.
Designated Hitter
9 of 11
Dishonorable Mention: Jimmy Paredes, Baltimore Orioles; Adam LaRoche, Chicago White Sox
The All-Dud Squad Designated Hitter: Billy Butler, Oakland Athletics
Billy Butler is the definition of a rally killer.
The Oakland Athletics designated hitter, who batted .143 (3-for-21) last week, also grounded into a couple of double plays. On the season, Butler has now hit into 18 double plays, which is tied for the second-most in baseball.
Butler's lack of production at the dish earned him a seat on the bench Saturday, as the newly acquired Danny Valencia got the nod at DH. More time off could be on tap for the underwhelming veteran who is playing in the first season of a three-year, $30 million deal with Oakland.
Starting Pitcher
10 of 11
Dishonorable Mention: Cole Hamels, Texas Rangers; Yordano Ventura, Kansas City Royals; Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants; Kyle Gibson, Minnesota Twins; Odrisamer Despaigne, San Diego Padres
The All-Dud Squad Starting Pitcher: Jeff Samardzija, Chicago White Sox
Jeff Samardzija had a rough week at the office.
The Shark made two starts for the Chicago White Sox and didn't make it out of the fifth inning on either occasion. In 9.1 innings of work, the right-hander served up 16 runs on 14 hits, good for a 15.43 ERA. As a result of those back-to-back train-wreck outings, Samardzija's ERA has ballooned from 3.94 to 4.62.
Before the deadline, the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays were all "thought" to be kicking the tires on the starter, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The way Samardzija has been throwing the ball of late, all three teams must be thrilled that they didn't make a move.
Closer
11 of 11Dishonorable Mention: Santiago Casilla, San Francisco Giants; Brad Ziegler, Arizona Diamondbacks
The All-Dud Squad Closer: Cody Allen, Cleveland Indians
The ball just hasn't been bouncing Cody Allen's way.
That was literally the case for the right-hander Wednesday when he uncorked a wild pitch, allowing the Los Angeles Angels to walk off against the Cleveland Indians 4-3.
"If you don't throw strikes and give guys extra opportunities, it's going to hurt you," Allen said, via Paul Hoynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
That wasn't the first time Allen has been hurt in recent outings. Going back to the All-Star break, the opposition has battered the Tribe's closer to the tune of a .375 average.
Note: All stats courtesy of BaseballReference.com and MLB.com. All videos courtesy of MLB.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
.png?w=480)
