Biggest MLB Duds of Week 22, Position by Position
Everyone's entitled to a bad day at the office, but with time seemingly moving faster—after all, next week will be mid-September already—this is just about the worst possible time for a baseball player to have one of those days.
The stretch run has arrived, and a team's playoff hopes can be dashed by a streak of ugliness, both on and off the field, as we'll examine on the pages that follow. Of course, players on contending clubs aren't the only ones capable of delivering a stinker of a performance or falling into a funk.
Both contenders and non-contenders alike are represented on this week's All-Dud team, which runs the gamut from superstars to role players to youngsters who are just getting their major league careers underway.
With a focus on more advanced statistics (but not discounting traditional stats), let's find out who made the cut on our Week 22 squad.
Catcher: Yasmani Grandal, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Is Yasmani Grandal in a slump? You bet. But after going without a hit over 18 at-bats last week and recording only one base hit over his last 43 at-bats dating back to mid-August, it's fair to wonder whether something else is going on.
Either he's completely forgotten how to make contact with a baseball, or the shoulder he injured early last month is still affecting his swing. Whatever caused the downturn, the switch-hitting 26-year-old has gone from having his breakout season to becoming an automatic out in the Dodgers' stretch-run lineup.
My money's on the latter, but if that's the case, why in the world is Don Mattingly playing him on a daily basis? Now that the Dodgers have put some distance between themselves and second-place San Francisco, which sat 7.5 games back entering play Sunday, Grandal's health should be prioritized over a few late-season wins heading into the playoffs.
Dishonorable Mention: Francisco Cervelli, Pittsburgh; Yadier Molina, St. Louis
First Base: Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
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While Ryan Howard has become the punchline to some horrible jokes in recent years, Philadelphia's veteran first baseman had actually been playing some decent baseball of late. Heading into last week, Howard was hitting .289 with a .811 OPS over 23 August games, .283 with a .837 OPS in the second half.
But once last week arrived, Howard's bat went cold.
The only first baseman to make at least 10 plate appearances in Week 22 and not record at least one base hit, Howard's minus-62 wRC+ and .118 OPS were some of the worst numbers that any player posted last week, regardless of position.
Dishonorable Mention: Travis Shaw, Boston; Justin Smoak, Toronto
Second Base: Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians
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Other second basemen may have put up worse numbers last week than Cleveland's Jason Kipnis, but the Indians needed far more than the .154/.185/.231 triple-slash line that they got from their 28-year-old All-Star, especially with the team fighting to remain in contention for a playoff spot.
But Kipnis' struggles at the plate are nothing new.
Since being activated from the 15-day disabled list in mid-August, where he was resting his sore right shoulder, Kipnis has hit only .224 with a .636 OPS. While the Tribe have gone 10-7 since he returned to action, they shouldn't expect his bat to heat up anytime soon, as he's not a strong finisher.
Dishonorable Mention: Dee Gordon, Miami; Jace Peterson, Atlanta
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Third Base: Pablo Sandoval, Boston Red Sox
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If you want to argue that Pablo Sandoval shouldn't be here because he's injured, go right ahead. It's not going to get you anywhere, but feel free to make your case. Sandoval's back didn't tighten up until pregame batting practice Friday, and he appeared in each of Boston's previous four games.
While he drove in three runs in the four games that he played, Sandoval only reached base once in 17 plate appearances and posted an embarrassing minus-89 wRC+. At this point, Sandoval's forgettable debut season in Boston can't possibly end fast enough for both player and team.
Dishonorable Mention: Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh; Luis Valbuena, Houston
Shortstop: Erick Aybar, Los Angeles Angels
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While Albert Pujols and Mike Trout might be the keys to Los Angeles' success, the Angels are going to need contributions from everyone—especially their veterans, like shortstop Erick Aybar—if their stretch-run playoff push is going to be successful.
Aybar, who has struggled mightily since the All-Star break, hitting .238 with a .533 OPS, continued to be a non-factor last week, going 4-for-23 (.174) with a .341 OPS. The latter was the fourth-lowest mark of any qualified batter, regardless of position.
Dishonorable Mention: Alcides Escobar, Kansas City; Freddy Galvis, Philadelphia
Left Field: Steve Pearce, Baltimore Orioles
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While Steve Pearce flashed his athleticism and leather Wednesday night, robbing Tampa Bay's Brandon Guyer of a home run with a leaping catch, one play isn't nearly enough to atone for his lack of production at the plate this past week.
No qualified left fielder posted a lower batting average (.105), slugging percentage (.158) or OPS (.348) than Pearce, one of five Orioles regulars to hit below the Mendoza Line last week. If Baltimore is going to make one last push for a playoff spot, it's going to need a far more productive Pearce at the plate.
Dishonorable Mention: Ben Revere, Toronto; Jake Smolinski, Oakland
Center Field: Jacoby Ellsbury, New York Yankees
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It'd be unfair to call Jacoby Ellsbury a dud for getting sick, as that's something he really has no control over. It's not as if Ellsbury went skinny dipping in Arctic waters, resulting in the flu-like symptoms that kept him out of Friday's game and forced him to come off the bench Saturday.
But Ellsbury, the table-setter atop the Yankees lineup, wasn't exactly setting the baseball world ablaze in the games leading up to his illness. He reached base safely only three times last week, hitting .111 (2-for-18) with five strikeouts in the process.
Dishonorable Mention: Delino DeShields Jr., Texas; Adam Jones, Baltimore
Right Field: Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates
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Nobody disputes that Pittsburgh's Gregory Polanco has improved substantially over the course of the regular season, emerging as one of the game's most productive hitters since the All-Star break. But the 23-year-old's bat has gone ice cold at precisely the wrong time.
Polanco's minus-49 wRC+ and .170 OPS were the lowest among all qualified batters last week, regardless of position. While he's not the focal point of Pittsburgh's offense like Andrew McCutchen, it's no coincidence that Pittsburgh dropped five of six games last week as Polanco's struggles at the plate mounted.
Dishonorable Mention: Jay Bruce, Cincinnati; Rusney Castillo, Boston; Gerardo Parra, Baltimore
Designated Hitter: Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners
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Had Nelson Cruz not struck out in nearly 40 percent of his Week 22 plate appearances, he'd be a dishonorable mention on our All-Dud squad, with Detroit's Victor Martinez getting the starting nod for the second consecutive week.
One of two designated hitters to post a weekly OPS under .500 (.465), Cruz fanned seven times in 18 plate appearances, hitting .188 (3-for-16) and failing to drive in a run for Seattle before being forced from Wednesday's game with a strained right quad.
Dishonorable Mention: Adam LaRoche, Chicago (AL); Victor Martinez, Detroit
Starting Pitcher: Matt Harvey, New York Mets
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In the span of a few days, Matt Harvey has gone from superhero to supervillain in New York.
Harvey refused to commit to pitching in the playoffs or exceeding the 180-innings limit that his agent Scott Boras and Dr. James Andrews, who performed Tommy John surgery on his elbow, suggested for the season, as he explained to reporters Saturday:
"I’m the type of person, I never want to put the ball down. Obviously, I hired Scott as my agent and went to Dr. [James] Andrews as my surgeon because I trusted them to keep my career going and keep me healthy.
As far as being out there, being with my teammates and playing, I’m never going to want to stop, but as far as the surgeon and my agent having my back and kind of looking out for the best of my career, they’re obviously speaking their minds about it.
"
When I interviewed Harvey a few weeks ago, he spoke of the energy and vibe coming from the stands at Citi Field and how he and his teammates were feeding off it. Now, after essentially turning his back on both his teammates and fans, Harvey has become Public Enemy No. 1 in the Big Apple, as the New York Post's Mike Vaccaro writes:
"Go ahead. Be mad. Be furious. Boil all of your venom and aim it all at Matt Harvey, who’s got it coming. Harvey has proven to be the worst kind of sporting phony — the fake tough guy, a fugazi in full, all talk and no action. Rip away."
While it's Harvey's right to protect his surgically repaired elbow with an eye toward extending the prime years of his career, it doesn't mean he's making the right decision. Not for the competitor he claims to be, and certainly not for the Mets.
Dishonorable Mention: No pitcher has been less honorable over the past week than Harvey. Everyone else gets a free pass.
Relief Pitcher: Casey Fien, Minnesota Twins
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With Glen Perkins sidelined by back spasms and Kevin Jepsen unavailable, Minnesota manager Paul Molitor called upon veteran reliever Casey Fien to close things out against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday and Thursday.
Fien failed both times, blowing the save opportunities by allowing a combined four hits and four earned runs over an inning of relief. Combined with the two hits he gave up to Oakland last Sunday, Fien finished the week with a 3.50 WHIP and opponents batting a robust .600 with a 1.936 OPS against him.
Dishonorable Mention: Joaquin Benoit, San Diego; Mayckol Guaipe, Seattle
All statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs and are current through September 5. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts.
Hit me up on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR
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