Biggest MLB Duds of Week 16, Position by Position
In due time, we'll find out if any of the players on this week's All-Dud team will one day have a chance of joining Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza in the hallowed halls of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. With the way this group swung the bat and threw the ball this week, the odds aren't in their favor.
From seasoned veterans to up-and-coming youngsters, a variety of players have gotten off to truly horrendous second-half starts. We'll take a look at the worst of the worst—one player at each position, including designated hitter—on the pages that follow.
So grab your Pepto-Bismol and strap yourself in—a bumpy ride awaits.
Catcher: Salvador Perez, Kansas City Royals
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With four of its six games last week against Cleveland and Detroit, the two teams Kansas City trails in the American League Central standings, the Royals needed their biggest stars to come through with clutch performances.
It's a challenge Salvador Perez wasn't up to meeting.
The four-time All-Star went 2-for-23 (.087) with one RBI and eight strikeouts, including a 1-for-10 showing with five whiffs against the division-leading Indians. His .174 OPS was the lowest in the AL and second lowest in all of baseball this week.
Dishonorable Mention
Buster Posey (SF): 5 G, .118 BA (2-for-17), 3 BB, 4 K, .368 OPS
First Base: Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants
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You wouldn't know Brandon Belt was a first-time All-Star this season with the way he's swung the bat since returning to action from the Midsummer Classic.
Belt snapped an 0-for-19 streak with a sixth-inning single against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, finishing the week hitting .091 (2-for-22) with a walk, 10 strikeouts and a .221 OPS.
Dishonorable Mention
Wil Myers (SD): 6 G, .087 BA (2-for-23), 1 BB, 10 K, 1 SB
Second Base: Neil Walker, New York Mets
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While Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington has regrets about the offseason trade that sent Neil Walker to the New York Mets in exchange for veteran starter Jon Niese, it's not as if the Mets wound up with the second coming of Rogers Hornsby.
Since starting the season on fire, hitting .307 with nine home runs, 19 RBI and a .962 OPS in April, Walker has hit only .213 with seven home runs, 21 RBI and a .624 OPS. His play last week did nothing to stop that downward trend, as Walker would go 1-for-20 with a walk and six strikeouts, posting baseball's lowest OPS (.145) in the process.
Dishonorable Mention
Jurickson Profar (TEX): 5 G, .000 BA (0-for-16), 3 BB, 3 K, .200 OPS
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Third Base: Maikel Franco, Philadelphia Phillies
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Few players were as hot as Maikel Franco was during the 10 games heading into the All-Star break, with the 23-year-old hitting a scorching .450 with seven extra-base hits (five home runs), 11 RBI and a 1.351 OPS.
He's been unable to rediscover that magic since, however, hitting just .133 with a .295 OPS over eight second-half games. That includes a 3-for-22 showing last week, a stretch that saw him strike out seven times and, thankfully, avoid serious injury after being hit on the wrist by a 96-mph Gerrit Cole fastball Friday night.
Dishonorable Mention
Gordon Beckham (ATL): 6 G, .125 BA (3-for-24), 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 K, .417 OPS
Shortstop: Danny Espinosa, Washington Nationals
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Strong defense and big power have helped Danny Espinosa keep top prospect Trea Turner from taking his job as Washington's starting shortstop. And with Turner filling in at second base for Daniel Murphy, who took over at first base for the injured Ryan Zimmerman, Espinosa's job remains safe.
But if he continues to deliver weeks like the one he just had, calls for Turner to take over at shortstop upon Zimmerman's return are only going to grow louder.
Espinosa went 2-for-25 with a pair of doubles, one RBI and 11 strikeouts over six games last week, fanning at least once in each contest. Turner, on the other hand, reached base safely in all but one of the five games he played, using his tremendous speed to steal three bases.
Dishonorable Mention
Eduardo Nunez (MIN): 7 G, .138 BA (4-for-29), 6 RBI, 1 BB, 9 K, .299 OPS
Left Field: Khris Davis, Oakland Athletics
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Trade rumors and speculation have swirled in Oakland for weeks, and with the trade deadline arriving next week, the chatter is only going to get louder. One player the trade winds haven't spent much time swirling around is Khris Davis, who leads the A's in home runs (23), RBI (62) and total bases (166).
While Davis went deep last week, hitting a solo shot off Houston reliever Scott Feldman on Monday, it was a rather unproductive week for the 28-year-old. He'd go 3-for-27 with two RBI, two walks, six strikeouts and a .422 OPS that was the second lowest among qualified left fielders.
Dishonorable Mention
Brandon Guyer (TB): 7 G, .190 BA (4-for-21), 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, .510 OPS
Center Field: Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers
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Los Angeles certainly hoped that Joc Pederson, who was activated from the disabled list Tuesday, would inject some life into the lineup upon his return.
While he drove in three runs, the 24-year-old hit only .158 (3-for-19) in four games, striking out eight times and finishing the week with a .316 OPS. If there was good news for the Dodgers, it was that his lack of production didn't stop the team from winning three of the four games in which he played.
Dishonorable Mention
Tommy Pham (STL): 7 G, .087 BA (2-for-23), 2 2B, 2 BB, 11 K, .334 OPS
Right Field: Steven Souza Jr., Tampa Bay Rays
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One thing we'll never be able to say about Steven Souza Jr. is that he's a bad teammate. The 27-year-old was caught fanning Oswaldo Arcia in the dugout with a towel after Arcia, using the oxygen tank at Coors Field in Colorado, scored from first on a double by Logan Forsythe.
But that doesn't make up for a week that saw him go 3-for-23 with a pair of RBI and seven strikeouts. Perhaps most disappointing about those numbers is that, despite playing two games in the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field, Souza failed to record an extra-base hit.
Dishonorable Mention
Jason Heyward (CHC): 6 G, .111 BA (2-for-18), 1 BB, 2 K, .269 OPS
Designated Hitter: Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers
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While his best years are behind him, 37-year-old Victor Martinez has enjoyed a resurgence in 2016, hitting .291 with 17 home runs, 56 RBI and an .826 OPS. But you wouldn't know that was the case after watching him last week—or for most of July, for that matter.
In 18 games since going deep twice against Tampa Bay on July 1, V-Mart has hit just .145 with two extra-base hits and a .449 OPS. Last week, the seasoned veteran went just 3-for-21 with two RBI, four strikeouts and five walks—four of which were intentional, courtesy of the Chicago White Sox.
Dishonorable Mention
Pedro Alvarez (BAL): 6 G, .130 BA (3-for-23), 2 HR, 2 RBI, 8 K, .522 OPS
Starting Pitcher: Jacob Turner, Chicago White Sox
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Jacob Turner's first two big league starts in more than a year—he last took the ball to start a game in September 2014 as a member of the Chicago Cubs—might very well be the last two he makes all year.
The 25-year-old was tagged for eight runs and seven hits in just four innings by the Los Angeles Angels last Sunday, then surrendered four earned runs and five hits over only 3.1 innings of work against Detroit on Friday.
"It definitely got up there really quick," Turner told the Chicago Tribune's Paul Skrbina about his pitch count (101 pitches) after Friday's debacle. "When I got ahead they would foul of two, three, four pitches and maybe hit on one. You have to give them credit."
It didn't help that Turner walked four Tigers, either. He'd finish the week 0-1 with a 14.73 ERA and 2.59 WHIP with seven walks and eight strikeouts over only 7.1 innings.
Dishonorable Mention
Matt Wisler (ATL): 2 GS, 0-2, 9.58 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 10. 1 IP, 13 H (4 HR), 11 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
Relief Pitcher: Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals
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While its unfair to point the finger at Joakim Soria for all of Kansas City's issues this season, the former All-Star has been a major disappointment in his first season back with the team he began his career with.
He failed to record an out against Detroit last Sunday, giving up a single to Tyler Collins and then a game-winning, two-run home run to Jarrod Saltalamacchia. With the Royals trailing, 3-1, against Texas in the seventh inning Saturday, he allowed four earned runs to give the Rangers the lead for good.
For the week, he surrendered six earned runs on six hits (two home runs) with a pair of walks and strikeouts over just two innings of relief.
Dishonorable Mention
Albert Suarez (SF): 1 G, 15.00 ERA, 2.67 WHIP, 3 IP, 8 H (1 HR), 5 ER, 1 K
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com and current through July 23. 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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