Biggest MLB Duds of 2015, Position by Position
We've all had one of those days where nothing seems to go right, but have you ever had one of those years? For the players that made the cut on our season-ending All-Dud squad, 2015 will go down as a year they'd soon like to forget.
For none of these players came close to meeting even the most modest of expectations heading into the season. Some were major factors in their teams failing to meet those same expectations, while others were less of a burden on clubs that managed to find success despite their individual struggles.
Traditional statistics, advanced metrics and even a player's salary were considered in our final selections.
Catcher: Mike Zunino, Seattle Mariners
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Seattle mercifully demoted Mike Zunino to the minors in late August after a historically bad performance at the plate in his second full season, one that the team believed was beginning to negatively impact his work behind the dish.
“We hoped that he would come around,” manager Lloyd McClendon told the Seattle Times' Ryan Divish. “But I think it got to the point where the offensive pressure was starting to get to him from a defensive standpoint.”
How bad was Zunino offensively?
Among players with at least 350 plate appearances in a single season since 1901, only seven have posted a lower batting average than Zunino's .174 mark, and just 12 have had a lower on-base percentage than his .230 total.
McClendon still believes in Zunino and expects the 24-year-old will be his everyday catcher in 2016. But unless he's able to completely retool his approach at the plate this winter, that might be nothing more than wishful thinking.
Dishonorable Mention
Rene Rivera, Tampa Bay; Carlos Ruiz, Philadelphia; Kurt Suzuki, Minnesota
First Base: James Loney, Tampa Bay Rays
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A pair of stints on the disabled list did nothing to help James Loney's production in 2015, but the 31-year-old just wasn't very good when he was healthy and in Tampa Bay's lineup.
Don't be fooled by his .280 batting average, for Loney ranked last among first basemen in home runs (four), extra-base hits (20), slugging percentage (.359) and OPS (.680) with at least 350 plate appearances. Things weren't much better defensively, where he sat 24th in UZR/150 (-7) and 20th in DRS (-2).
That lack of production and a nearly $10 million salary in 2016 all but ensures Tampa Bay will be stuck with him at first base next season.
Dishonorable Mention
Ryan Howard, Philadelphia; Logan Morrison, Seattle; Brandon Moss, Cleveland/St. Louis
Second Base: Omar Infante, Kansas City Royals
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Kansas City expected Omar Infante to bounce back after a mediocre showing in his first season with the Royals in 2014. Instead, the 33-year-old battled injury and sparked controversy on his way to posting some of the worst numbers of his 14-year career.
An admittedly undeserving All-Star candidate, Infante set career lows in batting average (.220) and on-base percentage (.234), marks that made him the least productive second baseman in those categories.
In fact, Infante's .234 OBP is the seventh lowest among players with at least 450 plate appearances in a single season since 1901.
Dishonorable Mention: Stephen Drew, New York (AL); Chris Owings, Arizona; Carlos Sanchez, Chicago (AL)
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Third Base: Pablo Sandoval, Boston Red Sox
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Boston signed Pablo Sandoval to solidify third base. Instead, his play had fans yearning for the days of Will Middlebrooks. Maybe that's a stretch, but Sandoval, who signed a five-year, $95 million deal before the season, did nothing to endear himself to the Fenway faithful.
One of only two third basemen to post an OPS below .700, Sandoval's .245/.292/.366 triple-slash line was the worst of his career, while he had the lowest on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS among third basemen with at least 350 plate appearances on the season.
His defense, supposedly one of his strong suits, was atrocious. No third baseman posted a lower UZR/150 (-22) or DRS (-11) than the Kung Fu Panda, who looked about as out of shape as a position player could be.
Dishonorable Mention: Cody Asche, Philadelphia; Lonnie Chisenhall, Cleveland; Chase Headley, New York (AL)
Shortstop: Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox
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If 2015 winds up being the last season Alexei Ramirez spends in a Chicago White Sox uniform, the former All-Star will be leaving the Windy City on a down note.
His .249 batting average, .357 slugging percentage, and .642 OPS are the lowest of his eight-year career, while his defense continues to deteriorate. Ramirez ranked near the bottom of the shortstop leaderboards in both UZR/150 (-6.5) and DRS (-6).
Chicago holds a $10 million option on the 34-year-old for 2016, and if Ramirez has his way, the team will pick it up. "I like all of the people who work here. They're like my family," he told the Chicago Tribune's Colleen Kane. "I don't want to even think about being on another team. I want to be here, and I want to finish my career here."
But with top prospect Tim Anderson working his way through the farm system and the versatile Tyler Saladino capable of holding things down at shortstop until Anderson is ready, it's hard to see where Ramirez fits into the team's plans moving forward.
Dishonorable Mention: J.J. Hardy, Baltimore; Jean Segura, Milwaukee
Left Field: Hanley Ramirez, Boston Red Sox
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After hitting .293 with 10 home runs, 22 RBI and a .999 OPS over 21 April games, it looked as if Hanley Ramirez's return to Boston was going to be a rousing success. But then he tweaked his shoulder in a failed attempt to corral a fly ball in early May and everything fell apart.
He'd appear in only 84 more games after April, hitting .238 with nine home runs, 31 RBI and a .644 OPS before his season came to an end in late August. Perhaps the most troubling part of Han-Ram's year was his inability (or unwillingness) to become an adequate defender in left field, as ESPN.com's Jayson Stark notes:
"According to Fangraphs, he wound up with a UZR/150 of minus-31.0 -- worst by any major league left fielder since Manny Ramirez racked up a minus-34.0 in 2006 on the same turf. And, as the Boston Globe's Alex Speier has documented, the Red Sox have gone 21-12 since they had the sense to ban this man from all future left-field adventures.
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The Red Sox have considered moving him to first base next season, and you can be sure that they'll try to trade him (and Pablo Sandoval) this winter. But as he's due more than $68 million over the next three years and essentially a designated hitter at this point in his career, that may prove to be impossible.
Dishonorable Mention: Melky Cabrera, Chicago (AL); Ichiro Suzuki, Miami; Jayson Werth, Washington
Center Field: Billy Hamilton, Cincinnati Reds
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Until Billy Hamilton learns how to get on base consistently, allowing his world-class speed to really shine as the game-changing weapon it is, he will always find himself a legitimate candidate for All-Dud squads at the end of the season.
While he's established himself as one of the game's elite defenders in center field and recorded his second consecutive season with at least 50 stolen bases, Hamilton's .274 on-base percentage leaves much to be desired.
Only three players made at least 450 plate appearances this season and reached base less frequently than Hamilton—Kansas City's Omar Infante (.234), Washington's Wilson Ramos (.258) and Arizona's Chris Owings (.266).
Perhaps Cincinnati will take some advice from Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer, who suggests pairing Hamilton up with the likes of Juan Pierre, Pete Rose or Brett Butler (the latter currently employed by the Miami Marlins) to learn how to keep the ball on the ground more often, allowing his speed to become more of a factor.
Dishonorable Mention: Michael Bourn, Cleveland/Atlanta; Jacoby Ellsbury, New York (AL); Angel Pagan, San Francisco
Right Field: Alex Rios, Kansas City Royals
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Convinced that his four home runs in Texas last season were an aberration and not a sign of diminished power, Kansas City signed Alex Rios to a one-year, $11 million deal in the hopes of replacing some of the pop the team lost when Billy Butler left for Oakland.
It made sense, considering Rios averaged 18 home runs a year from 2005 to 2013. But Rios has gone deep only four times for the Royals and provided less-than-stellar defense. However, he'll have a chance to leave a positive impression in the postseason.
Dishonorable Mention: Avisail Garcia, Chicago (AL); Ichiro Suzuki, Miami; Yasmany Tomas, Arizona
Designated Hitter: Adam LaRoche, Chicago White Sox
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Adam LaRoche's first season with the Chicago White Sox turned out to be the worst of his 12-year career. Hitting .207 with 12 home runs, 44 RBI, a .293 on-base percentage and a .634 OPS, it'd be easy to say that the 35-year-old simply doesn't have anything left.
Neither LaRoche nor White Sox manager Robin Ventura believes that's the case.
“You look at the guy with his body of work, and all you can say is he has been frustrated as much as anybody,” Ventura told CBS Chicago's Bruce Levine.
"I look at this as more of a fluke than thinking I lost it,” LaRoche added.
Due $13 million in the final year of his deal, LaRoche and the White Sox had better hope 2015 was a fluke and not a sign of things to come. For it's going to be difficult for the White Sox to reach the postseason without substantially better production out of their full-time designated hitter.
Dishonorable Mention: Billy Butler, Oakland; Victor Martinez, Detroit
Starting Pitcher: Matt Garza, Milwaukee Brewers
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Flip a coin if you want to figure out what was worse: Matt Garza's performance in Milwaukee's rotation this season or his reaction when told that he was being removed from the mix.
Garza, who pitched to a 5.63 ERA and 1.57 WHIP, allowing nearly 11 hits per nine innings of work, was offered the chance to pitch out of the bullpen when told he was being removed from the rotation in early September.
He not only refused, but also took a shot at then-general manager Doug Melvin and called the team's decision a "slap in the face." Really, Matt? A slap in the face? You allowed at least four earned runs in 13 of your 25 starts, including eight in which you gave the Brewers five innings or fewer.
That the Brewers stuck with you as long as they did is nothing short of miraculous.
Dishonorable Mention: Kyle Kendrick, Colorado; Mat Latos, Miami/Los Angeles (NL/AL); Kyle Lohse, Milwaukee; Rick Porcello, Boston; Chris Tillman, Baltimore
Closer: Fernando Rodney, Seattle Mariners/Chicago Cubs
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While he tended to make things interesting, Fernando Rodney always seemed to get the job done. It's why he made his second career All-Star appearance and led baseball with 48 saves a season ago.
But things went from interesting to infuriating rather quickly for the 38-year-old, who blew six of his first 22 save opportunities, pitching to a 5.68 ERA and 1.50 WHIP before losing his job to rookie Carson Smith, getting designated for assignment and ultimately being traded to the Chicago Cubs.
Dishonorable Mention: Jonathan Papelbon, Philadelphia/Washington; Bruce Rondon, Detroit
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs and are current through Oct. 3. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts (via Baseball Prospectus).
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