Biggest MLB Duds of Week 24, Position by Position
Baseball is a funny game. Just ask Yoenis Cespedes, who went from dark-horse MVP candidate to MLB All-Dud squad member in the space of a week.
As it turns out, the New York Mets masher was just one of an array of stars who landed a spot on this unfortunate team. The selection process was all about digging through the numbers to figure out which major leaguers were the worst of the worst during the week that was.
The position players on the team were all right at the bottom of the leaderboard in stats such as average, OBP, slugging percentage and OPS. Meanwhile, the pitchers who made the grade either gave up a ton of runs or a key run at the worst possible moment.
There's no question about it—everybody on the All-Dud team had a week to forget. But nobody had it worse than the squad's reliever who pitched his way right out of a job.
Catcher: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
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Yadier Molina has caught more innings than any backstop in baseball. The way he's been sputtering at the plate, though, it looks like the rigorous workload is starting to catch up to the 33-year-old.
Last week, the seven-time National League All-Star was second-to-last in the bigs in average (.056), and last in OBP (.053), slugging percentage (.056) and OPS (.108). Molina only ended up playing in four games for the St. Louis Cardinals, as manager Mike Matheny made an effort to rest the star by sitting him out for back-to-back contests.
Matheny likely won't have the luxury of giving Molina so much time off down the stretch. Even though the Cards have the best record in the majors (92-56), the club only has a four-game advantage over the Pittsburgh Pirates and a five-game lead over the Chicago Cubs.
Dishonorable Mention: Tucker Barnhart, Cincinnati Reds; Wilson Ramos, Washington Nationals; Brian McCann, New York Yankees
1st Base: Lucas Duda, New York Mets
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Lucas Duda is still searching for his swing after returning from the disabled list September 7. Last week, the first baseman appeared in five games for the New York Mets, posting a .167 average (3-for-18).
However, the 29-year-old did provide reason for optimism in the opening game of the Subway Series. Against the New York Yankees Friday, Duda hit a double and a home run. The homer was Duda's 22nd of the season and his first since way back on August 2.
With October looming, getting Duda back on track should be one of the top priorities for the Mets. Thanks to the club owning a seven-game lead over the Washington Nationals, New York can afford to run Duda out in the lineup every day—even as he slowly rediscovers his old form.
Dishonorable Mention: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers; Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers
2nd Base: Chase Utley, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Chase Utley didn't get many chances to play last week, and he sure didn't make much use of the limited opportunities he did have.
In four games for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Utley posted a .063 average (1-for-16) and a .229 OPS. With Howie Kendrick now back off the disabled list, Utley could be spending a lot of time on the bench in the closing weeks of the season.
The 36-year-old has been taking grounders at third base but has yet to actually debut at that spot. Based on manager Don Mattingly's recent assessment, it sounds like Utley is still a work in progress at third.
"We want to get him to where he feels like he's not going to embarrass himself," Mattingly said, according to Vincent Samperio of Dodgers Nation.
Dishonorable Mention: Scooter Gennett, Milwaukee Brewers; Micah Johnson, Chicago White Sox; DJ LeMahieu, Colorado Rockies
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Shortstop: Alcides Escobar, Kansas City Royals
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Suffice it to say that Alcides Escobar earns his keep with his glove rather than his bat.
Last week, the 28-year-hit .150 (3-for-20) with a .340 OPS while failing to collect a single extra-base hit. Escobar's pop has absolutely vanished in the second half.
Since the All-Star break, the Kansas City Royals shortstop has tallied only five extra-base hits (including just one home run) and owns a .236 slugging percentage. That's remarkably low—even by Escobar's less-than-lofty standards. In eight MLB seasons, the right-handed hitter has compiled a .343 slugging percentage.
Dishonorable Mention: Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees; Jose Reyes, Colorado Rockies
3rd Base: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
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This was an easy call to make. Simply put, Evan Longoria endured a train wreck of a week.
The Tampa Bay Rays star wasn't just the least productive third baseman over that stretch but was one of the least productive big leaguers at any spot. Longoria's .071 (1-for-28) was the lowest mark among all qualified American League players. Meanwhile, he was also last in the circuit in OBP (.133) and OPS (.240).
Longoria's cold streak coincided with the Rays all but dropping out of the wild-card race. After the club dropped five of seven games last week, Tampa Bay now trails the second spot by 6.5 games with just 14 contests remaining on the docket.
Dishonorable Mention: Chase Headley, New York Yankees; Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners
Left Field: Brett Gardner, New York Yankees
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Even with the New York Yankees staring at a 3.5-game deficit in the AL East, Brett Gardner insisted he's paying zero attention to how the Toronto Blue Jays are playing.
"I could care less what they do," Gardner said, per Brendan Kuty of NJ.com.
The way he's been slumping at the plate, the 32-year-old doesn't have time to worry about the squad's division rivals. Gardner needs to figure out what's wrong with his swing.
Last week, his average was just .087 and he was the worst left fielder in the game in terms of slugging percentage (.087) and OPS (.279). Unfortunately for New York, Gardner's struggles are nothing new. Over his last 30 contests, the lefty hitter clocks in with a .204 average.
Dishonorable Mention: Ben Revere, Toronto Blue Jays; Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs
Center Field: Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets
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After a monster start to life with the New York Mets, Yoenis Cespedes has gone ice-cold.
The Cuban is mired in an 0-for-17 funk and checked in with an .050 (1-for-10) average in his last six contests. That figure was actually the lowest mark of any qualified big leaguer last week.
Cespedes' only hit was a homer, which means he now has nine jacks in September. As a result, he's still logged a .296 average and a .789 slugging percentage this month even with his recent slide.
Dishonorable Mention: Jackie Bradley Jr., Boston Red Sox; Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals
Right Field: Kole Calhoun, Los Angeles Angels
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Kole Calhoun has been doing a lot of swinging and missing.
In his last seven contests, the right fielder struck out nearly half of the time, compiling 15 K's in 29 at-bats. His 15 punchouts led the majors last week. Strikeouts weren't the only offensive category where Calhoun was right at the bottom of the leaderboard, either. The 27-year-old's .265 OPS was not only the worst mark among all qualified right fielders but the third-worst among all major leaguers.
With the Halos just a game-and-a-half back in the chase for the second wild card, the Angels need the usually-reliable Calhoun to snap out of his slump ASAP.
Dishonorable Mention: Avisail Garcia, Chicago White Sox; Matt Kemp, San Diego Padres
Designated Hitter: Kendrys Morales, Kansas City Royals
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The owner of a .288 average, an .816 OPS and 102 RBI, Kendrys Morales has been awfully good for the Kansas City Royals. So good, that manager Ned Yost is getting the designated hitter ready to play the outfield in case the Royals make it to the Fall Classic, according to Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star.
While the overall numbers have been impressive, Morales certainly hasn't been padding them as of late. In his last seven games, he has swung at a clip of .200, piling up nearly twice as many strikeouts (11) as hits (six).
While Morales ends up earning the all-dud distinction at this spot, it's worth noting that Albert Pujols was very much in the running. In his last seven games, he has collected just two hits for the Los Angeles Angels.
Ultimately, it wouldn't have been fair to label Pujols as a "dud" since the veteran slugger is dealing with an injured right foot. For his part, he is refusing to use his bum wheel as an "excuse," according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.
"Look at how I'm hitting. I can't drive off my back foot. I'm using my upper body a lot more. That's the reality. But you know me. I'm not looking for excuses."
Even if Pujols won't admit it, the stats suggest the injury provides a compelling explanation for his downturn. In his last 30 games, he has tallied a .185 average.
Dishonorable Mention: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox; Albert Pujols, Los Angeles Angels
Starting Pitcher: Jeff Samardzija, Chicago White Sox
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Jeff Samardzija wasn't just bad last week—the righty was historically terrible.
The Shark took the mound Tuesday and was the recipient of a 10-run shellacking at the hands of his former club, the Oakland Athletics. As Jayson Stark of ESPN noted, that beatdown made Samardzija one of just three pitchers in the last 50 years to serve up nine runs or more on three separate occasions in a single season.
For Samardzija, who hits the free-agent market at the end of the campaign, his contract season has turned into a complete nightmare. The 30-year-old is sporting a 5.27 ERA on the year and a 7.81 ERA in his last seven outings.
Dishonorable Mention: Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros; Tommy Milone, Minnesota Twins
Relief Pitcher: Mat Latos
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Mat Latos has only made one appearance out of the bullpen in his seven years in the bigs, but that lone outing was all it took for the vet to end his run as the reliever of his squad.
The right-hander allowed a game-winning home run to Nolan Arenado in the 16th inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies Tuesday. Just two days later, the club designated Latos for assignment, bringing a swift end to his brief stint in Southern California.
As Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times pointed out, the NL West front-runners had acquired Latos with the hope that he could be the team's No. 3 starter. Instead, his tenure at Chavez Ravine ended after two forgettable months. In six outings, Latos racked up a 6.66 ERA, as the opposition logged a .323 average.
Dishonorable Mention: Brad Boxberger, Tampa Bay Rays; Huston Street, Los Angeles Angels
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com.
If you wan to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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