Statistically The Five Worst Chicago White Sox Players This Year
There are so many more useful stats today than there were years ago. From OBP to BABIP, we as fans can break down who on our team has really been useful and who is just taking up a roster spot.
One stat in particular is useful when looking at the big picture: WAR. Wins Above Replacement.
As Baseball Reference explains it "A single number that presents the number of wins a player added to the team above what a replacement player (think AAA or AAAA) would add."
Too many times this year it's looked like the Sox have had a AAA-esque player at DH. As it turns out, sometimes that guy has been worse than a replacement player.
I'll take you through the five worst players on the White Sox this season according to the WAR statistic.
5. Gordon Beckham -0.2 WAR
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Likely there won't be another season where Gordon Beckham finds himself as less valuable than a replacement player. However, this season he's earned it with a brutal start to the year that made many wonder if he was a major league talent.
To Beckham's credit, he's fought back and now sits with a .252 average. However, his .695 OPS is far too low for a player of his caliber, even if he is a second baseman.
Beckham's fielding ended up slightly below average, -2 Rdrs. This could be because of the transition to a new position. Or it could be that he's just not a great fielder (-3 Rdrs last season).
Despite the less than encouraging numbers I along with many other White Sox fans are still hopefully that Beckham will reach his All-Star potential. He's looked much better in the second half of the season and a fresh slate next season might do him a lot of good.
4. Alejandro De Aza -0.3 WAR
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Well this one doesn't quite seem fair, but numbers are numbers and statistically Alejandro De Aza was the fourth worst White Sox player according to WAR.
De Aza battled for the fourth outfield/ Pablo Ozuna spot in spring training but was ultimately beaten out.
After spending the majority of the season in the minors De Aza has gotten 19 ABs with the big club and has posted a .263 average and .300 OBP.
The speedy left handed hitter could potentially be a fourth or fifth outfielder because of his speed and left handed bat. In his longest season in the big leagues he posted a -1.1 WAR with the Marlins in a 158 at bats.
That being said, guys like De Aza do serve a purpose on a good team and their small amount of at bats can skew numbers and make the statistics become misleading.
3. Mark Teahen -0.4 WAR
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There aren't many players on the White Sox disliked the way Mark Teahen is.
It's not because of his personality or because we as fans loved Chris Getz and Josh Fields (trust me, no one misses them)
It's because he somehow duped Kenny Williams into giving him an absurd three-year contract extension this past winter. Then he proceeded to hit .260 with four homers and 25 driven in. Not to mention that he found time to make 10 errors in only 52 games!
-0.4 WAR doesn't seem low enough for Marky Mark.
In case you were wondering, the left handed strikeout artist averages a -0.7 WAR for his career.
Let me put it another way: This season was above average by Mark Teahen's standards.
See you in 2011, Mr. Teahen!
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2. Jayson Nix -0.6 WAR
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The first scouting report I heard about Jayson Nix when the White Sox got him was that the could field like Ozzie Smith and could hit like Troy Tulowitzki.
Clearly my scouting reports are made by idiots.
It turns out that Nix is an alright fielder who can play many infield positions, although he doesn't play any of them like Ozzie Smith. Maybe one could say he plays them like Ozzie Guillen.
For the Sox this season, Nix hit .162 in 52 at-bats before he was waived and found his way to Cleveland.
Last season in almost 300 ABs with the Sox, he had a 0.9 WAR and in slightly more ABs with the Tribe this season he's once again posted a 0.9 WAR. Much like De Aza, Nix's WAR is skewed by the small number of AB's.
1. Mark Kotsay -0.9 WAR
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Mark Kotsay is to the White Sox what Jessica Simpson was to Cowboys fans: unwanted, unnecessary, and always finding a way onto TV.
I'm going to give you Kotsay's numbers. Keep in mind that the White Sox brushed aside Jim Thome and were comfortable with Mark Kotsay.
.238 average, .308 OBP, eight homers and 31 runs driven in.
These numbers came while Kotsay often batted fifth or sixth.
Frustrating? Yes. Avoidable? Yes.
The White Sox acquired Kotsay when he was waived by the Red Sox last season. Since that time Ozzie and Kenny have treated the 35-year-old utility player like he was not "Mark Kotsay" but in face was a different former left handed player cast off by the Red Sox: George Herman Ruth.
The fact that Mark Kotsay was the worst player on the White Sox this season according to the WAR statistic, yet is still showing up four or five days a week in the lineup is an indictment of both the GM and the manager.
Here's hoping Kotsay saves White Sox fans and decides to hang up the spikes after this season.
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