MLB All-Disappointment Team: The Biggest Early Letdown at Every Position
The MLB season is now well under way, more than a month in.
We have seen how the players have played thus far, and while we have been thrilled by some performances, we have been utterly depressed by others.
At this point we are wondering whether these players will break out of their slumps soon or have truly poor seasons.
The following 12 players are the most disappointing at their respective positions. While the roster these players compose has the potential to be unbelievable, they would form the worst team in MLB at this point.
Starting Pitcher: Phil Hughes, NYY
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Phil Hughes was an ace for the Yankees last season, going 18-8. While his ERA was not spectacular, it was still pretty good, and the Yankees found another great pitcher.
This season, however, Hughes has an ERA of 13.94 in his three starts and a record of 0-1.
Hughes has almost doubled his WHIP from last year; it sits at an ugly 2.226. Hughes is just getting pounded after Yankees fans expected him to step up.
Hughes has been dreadful in his three starts, and he will need to turn his season around fast if the Yankees want to hold off the tough AL East.
Catcher: Red Sox Catchers
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The Boston Red Sox are splitting time between Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jason Varitek, but both are underperforming.
Saltalamacchia is hitting better than Varitek at .204 with six RBI. Varitek, on the other hand, is hitting .111 with only one RBI. Neither has hit a home run.
The two catchers on the Red Sox are doing terribly and are batting a combined .167.
The pair can manage the staff well enough, but they are just utterly pathetic at the plate, and they are one of a few major areas of blame for Boston’s slow start.
First Base: Carlos Pena, CHC
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Carlos Pena came with substantial risk, and the Chicago Cubs were fine with that when they signed him. Now, however, they wish they didn’t.
Pena is batting .157 with only six RBI. The biggest part of Pena’s game is his power, and he has not hit a home run in 25 games this season. His power outage is severe, and the Cubs need him to turn it around quickly.
Pena’s batting average has been falling since 2007 and hit a new low in 2010 at .196. Unfortunately, he could hit even worse than that in 2011. He also had 28 home runs in 2010, which was very poor for him considering his low batting average, but he still has yet to hit one this season.
Pena’s slump is huge, and the Cubbies will need his bat in full force if they want to compete with the Reds, Brewers and the rest of the NL Central.
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Second Base: Dan Uggla, ATL
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Dan Uggla was brought over to Atlanta to provide a spark on offense, but he has not done that.
Uggla is hitting a mere .209, which is a huge disappointment after he hit a career-high .287 in 2010. Uggla also had a career high in RBI with 105, but he only has nine RBI so far in 30 games, which puts him on pace for about half of his 105 last season.
Uggla has had some decent power, hitting five home runs, which puts him on pace for about 30, which is about his average.
Uggla has had some trouble with his new team, and his .266 OBP shows it.
Third Base: Mark Reynolds, BAL
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Mark Reynolds was brought to the new-look Orioles for some power. The O’s decided they would deal with his 200-plus strikeouts if he could hit 30-plus home runs again.
Unfortunately, Reynolds only has three home runs a month into the season and almost 10 times as many strikeouts.
Reynolds has a .176 batting average to go along with his three home runs, and he has been struggling mightily at the plate. He is one of many players on this list to be struggling with his new team...maybe he should try another venue.
Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez, FLA
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I almost put Jimmy Rollins here but decided not to after he did well over the past week, raising his numbers significantly.
Hanley Ramirez is still in his slump, however, and all facets of his game are hurting. Hanley relies on his batting average being over .300 to get on base, and then he can use his speed to steal bases, distracting pitchers and wreaking havoc on the basepaths in general.
This year, however, Ramirez is hitting a miserable .191 with 11 RBI and one home run.
Ramirez still has his speed, but he just can’t steal bases like he used to. Ramirez has only stolen three bases, while he has been caught stealing four times. He can’t get into scoring position when he’s on, and he has essentially lost his edge.
Left Field: Raul Ibanez, PHI
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Raul Ibanez was 0-for-35 before his game against the Washington Nationals on May 3, but he broke that streak with a ground-rule double in the fourth inning. That double was hit first hit since April 18 and his first extra-base hit since April 9.
Ibanez’s average hit .304 this season but has taken a nosedive down to .154. One of the best indicators of Ibanez’s power outage is the fact that his on-base percentage of .238 is higher than his slugging percentage of .209. In 2009, Ibanez’s slugging was .205 higher than his on-base, which should tell you something is wrong this year.
Ibanez has only three doubles, one home run and 10 RBI a month into the season. He has been absolutely pathetic.
Center Field: Carl Crawford, BOS
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Over the past several years, we have come to know Carl Crawford as a .300 hitter who can hit about 15 home runs and even more triples. Crawford was yet another free agent during the offseason, and he has had some problems in Boston.
Crawford is hitting only .181 with only one home run and seven RBI. Crawford is not producing for the Red Sox, and he has fallen victim to being called the reason for the Red Sox’ struggles.
Crawford’s OBP of .225 and SLG of .257 have shown his struggles in the season, and he will definitely need to turn things around if the Red Sox want to pass the Yankees for control of the AL East.
Right Field: Adam Dunn, CHW
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Adam Dunn is another free agent who has not yet produced. The White Sox brought Dunn in to give their lineup some serious power; he has hit at least 38 home runs in seven straight seasons, and he averages about 40 home runs per 162 games.
Dunn was brought in for his power, but he has only hit three home runs and knocked in just 12 runs. He has had a power outage, and to make matters worse, he is only batting .165.
Dunn is the second outfielder to have a slugging percentage lower than his on-base percentage. He is only 31, and he should still have some good years ahead of him, but his slow start has a lot of people worried and even more White Sox fans disappointed.
Relief Pitcher: Rafael Soriano, NYY
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Rafael Soriano was the best relief pitcher on the market during the 2010-11 offseason, but he has not shown anything special yet.
Soriano posted a 1.73 ERA in 2010 and 45 saves with the Rays. His WHIP was well under 1.000 in 2010, and it was at 0.802 at the end of the season.
Soriano was an All-Star in 2010 and came in eighth in Cy Young voting despite being a reliever. He was a huge player on the market, and like many big-name players, he went to the New York Yankees.
This season, Soriano has an ERA of 6.57, and his WHIP is at 1.784. He has been one of the Yankees’ worst relievers and has been a huge letdown.
Closer: Matt Thornton, CHW
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Matt Thornton is the closer for the Chicago White Sox...for now. Thornton raised expectations in 2010, posting a 2.67 ERA, the third season in a row with an ERA under 2.75.
In 2011 Thornton was given the closer role, but he has gone 0-for-4 in save chances. He also posts an 8.64 ERA and a WHIP of 2.52. Thornton has not been his regular spectacular self, and he is at risk of being demoted to being a regular reliever again.
Thornton leads MLB in blown saves; the next closest is a six-way tie with two apiece. Thornton has been the worst closer in the big leagues, and he also had high expectations.
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