Biggest MLB Duds of Week 13, Position by Position
While Homer Simpson is sure to be a fan of the No. 13 (a baker's dozen, resulting in one extra donut), the number has long been thought to be unlucky. Elevators in office buildings around New York City and other locales skip what should be the 13th floor entirely.
Chances are that the players who earned a spot on this week's All-Dud team would agree it's a terrible number—even if it's the one on the back of their jerseys.
Taking traditional and advanced statistics into consideration, here's a look at the players who can only hope their luck will change in the weeks ahead.
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
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Thursday saw Salvador Perez nearly take out home plate umpire Mike Everitt as he tried to get to a foul ball. While he didn't reach the ball and wound up on the ground, both Perez and Everitt escaped unharmed and shared a laugh afterward.
With that incident garnering so much attention, it was easy to overlook how ineffective Perez was at the plate last week. Baseball's best all-around catcher hit only .120 (3-for-25) with one RBI, 10 strikeouts and a .274 OPS.
Dishonorable Mention
Chris Iannetta (SEA): 5 G, .118 BA (2-for-17), 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, .276 OPS
First Base: Tommy Joseph, Philadelphia Phillies
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Tommy Joseph may prove to be the long-term answer at first base in Philadelphia, but the 24-year-old looked like anything but last week.
Going by FanGraphs' weighted runs created plus metric (wRC+), Joseph was baseball's least productive player, posting a minus-77 wRC+. With a wRC+ of 100 being league average, Joseph was 177 percent less productive than the average big league player last week.
That he struck out 37 percent of the time (seven whiffs in 19 at-bats) without drawing a walk did nothing to help his numbers.
Dishonorable Mention
Joe Mauer (MIN): 5 G, .067 BA (1-for-15), 6 BB, 5 K
Second Base: Scooter Gennett, Milwaukee Brewers
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Scooter Gennett put together an excellent June, hitting .322 with eight extra-base hits (three home runs), 14 RBI and an .868 OPS en route to being named Milwaukee's Player of the Month.
After going 3-for-5 with a two-run home run against Oakland on June 22, Gennett tried to explain what he'd been doing differently to have all this success. “Lately, I’ve just been trying to be more patient at the plate. … Kind of treat everything like it’s a 2-0 count until I get to two strikes,” he told Fox Sports Wisconsin, via MLB.com.
Either that approach stopped working or Gennett got away from it, because he finished June with a whimper. The 26-year-old hit just .167 (3-for-18) with three walks, three strikeouts and a .452 OPS in Week 13, finishing with a 29 wRC+ that was the lowest among all qualified second basemen.
Dishonorable Mention
Chase Utley (LAD): 6 G, .150 BA (3-for-20), 1 2B, 3 BB, 2 K, .461 OPS
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Third Base: Adonis Garcia, Atlanta Braves
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Adonis Garcia's week started off on a high note, with the 31-year-old hitting a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning last Sunday against the New York Mets that gave the Braves a 5-0 lead in a game they'd ultimately win, 5-2.
Unfortunately for Garcia, that was the highlight of his week. He'd finish hitting only .133 (4-for-30) with a double, that home run, four RBI and a .400 OPS. Despite that pair of extra-base hits and a solid RBI total, Garcia was the only third baseman to finish the week with a negative wRC+ (minus-4).
Dishonorable Mention
Jefry Marte (LAA): 6 G, .150 BA (3-for-20), 2 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, .400 OPS
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles
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To be sure, J.J. Hardy is probably still trying to work off the rust that built up while he was sidelined with a broken foot, which kept him out of action from early May until mid-June. But the veteran shortstop is back in Baltimore's everyday lineup, and as a result, he is expected to produce at the plate.
He was the victim of some bad luck, as Melvin "Don't call me B.J." Upton Jr. robbed him of a two-run home run against San Diego on Tuesday night. But that doesn't excuse a dreadful .285 OPS or that he hit .125 (3-for-24) over six games, grounding into a pair of double plays in the process.
Dishonorable Mention
Addison Russell (CHC): 7 G, .050 BA (1-for-20), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K, .459 OPS
Left Field: Justin Upton, Detroit Tigers
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It looked as if Justin Upton had finally turned his season around heading into the week.
Detroit's $132 million left fielder had put together an impressive two-week stretch from June 11 to June 24—one that saw him reach base safely in all but one of his 14 games and hit .291 with seven extra-base hits (four home runs), 15 RBI and a .972 OPS.
While he's in the midst of a four-game hitting streak, the momentum from his two-week tear has disappeared. Week 13 saw Upton hit .154 (4-for-26) with two RBI, seven strikeouts and a paltry .346 OPS.
Dishonorable Mention
Alex Gordon (KC): 7 G, .154 BA (4-for-26), 3 BB, 9 K, .395 OPS
Center Field: Jackie Bradley Jr., Boston Red Sox
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While Jackie Bradley Jr. seems destined to make his first All-Star Game appearance about a week from now, he played like anything but an All-Star last week. Considering how big a part he's played in Boston's success this season, it's no surprise the Red Sox went 2-4 in the six games he played.
Bradley Jr. crossed home plate four times and swiped a pair of bases but hit only .167 (4-for-24) with two walks, 10 strikeouts and a .439 OPS. His wRC+ of 13 was not only the lowest among qualified center fielders for the week but also the lowest mark posted by any of Boston's qualified position players.
Dishonorable Mention
Andrew McCutchen (PIT): 6 G, .200 BA (5-for-25), 2 2B, 1 BB, 5 K, .511 OPS
Right Field: Aaron Hicks, New York Yankees
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Week 13 was a painful one for Aaron Hicks, both at the plate and on the basepaths.
The 26-year-old collected only one hit (a meaningless double against Minnesota last Sunday), hitting just .045 (1-for-22) on the week. He did walk three times, but his groin was on the receiving end of a tag from Texas shortstop Jurickson Profar as he attempted to advance to second base.
To make matters worse, his .251 OPS was the lowest among all qualified outfielders, and at one point he found himself sitting in favor of Rob Refsnyder against a left-handed starter. With Hicks being historically better against southpaws than right-handed pitchers, that could be an ominous sign about his long-term future in New York.
Dishonorable Mention
Matt Kemp (SD): 4 G, .125 (2-for-16), 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, .364 OPS
Starting Pitcher: Eduardo Rodriguez, Boston Red Sox
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Boston pitching coach Carl Willis is convinced Eduardo Rodriguez has been tipping his pitches, as he explained to ESPN.com's Scott Lauber, and after his most recent start, it's easy to buy into that assessment.
Rodriguez lasted only 2.2 innings against Tampa Bay on Monday, allowing nine earned runs and 11 hits (including two home runs) while walking one and striking out two. After the game, the Red Sox demoted the 23-year-old to Triple-A Pawtucket.
The Red Sox needed Rodriguez to look like the pitcher who went 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 21 starts last season. Instead, they got a performance befitting a pitcher who has lost all confidence on the mound, which left the team with no choice but to send him down to figure things out.
Dishonorable Mention
Nathan Eovaldi (NYY): 2 GS, 0-2, 9.58 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 13 H (6 HR), 6 BB, 6 K
Relief Pitcher: John Axford, Oakland Athletics
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John Axford has floated as a possible trade chip for Oakland to play as the non-waiver trade deadline draws near, but weeks like the one he just had make it unlikely the A's would get fair market value for the 33-year-old.
Axford blew both of his save opportunities last week, allowing six earned runs and six hits over only 2.2 innings of work. He also walked more batters (three) than he struck out (two), which is always a recipe for disaster.
Dishonorable Mention
Cesar Ramos (TEX): 2 G, 0-0, 15.43 ERA, 1.93 WHIP, 4.2 IP, 8 H (3 HR), 1 BB, 2 K
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, FanGraphs and MLB.com and are current through July 2. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts (via Baseball Prospectus).
Hit me up on Twitter to talk all things baseball: @RickWeinerBR.
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