One Hitter from Each MLB Team Who Drives Fans Crazy

There is at least one player on every team that drives the fans crazy. These players either have all of the talent in the world and fail to live up to it or they are very inconsistent at the plate.

Players like this draw strong reactions from the fans. They are applauded when they do well but also cause fans to react and even get defensive when they begin to struggle.

Each of these players makes their team’s fans neurotic throughout the course of the season with their struggles.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Chris Young

Chris Young is a very talented baseball player, but at times, he simply looks overmatched at the plate. He is a 20/20 player but he does not produce at as high of a level as is expected of him.

Young has had problems with strikeouts and has averaged 145 strikeouts a year during his career. Additionally, even with all of his success, Young has a career 95 OPS+. He has so much talent and yet drives fans crazy with a few of his flaws.

Atlanta Braves: Jason Heyward

There is absolutely no question that Jason Heyward has a world of talent. He has the potential to develop into a superstar and Atlanta Braves fans saw glimpses of this promise in Heyward's rookie year.

However, his second season did not go as well. Heyward struggled with injuries and fans were wondering if this was the same player who had finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting the previous season. His struggles frustrated fans who were expecting big things from him.

Baltimore Orioles: Mark Reynolds

The Baltimore Orioles know that there is a lot of give and take with Mark Reynolds. They know that they can expect big power numbers from him, but that comes along with a high strikeout total and a low batting average.

Reynolds drives fans crazy with his big whiffs. He has led his league in strikeouts for the past four seasons. His career .238 batting average is tolerable because he has 40 home run power.

Boston Red Sox: Carl Crawford

There were big expectations for the Boston Red Sox this season after they signed Carl Crawford. However, both the team and the player managed to disappoint.

Crawford had the worst season of his major league career and he struggled right from the start of the year. The Red Sox and their fans are now wondering if Crawford will ever be able to live up to his contract. 

Chicago Cubs: Alfonso Soriano

Chicago Cubs fans must be counting down the days until that Alfonso Soriano's contract expires. The team has been burdened by his eight-year, $136 million deal and they certainly have not gotten what they paid for.

Soriano will be 36 years old by the time the 2012 season starts and it does not seem as if he is going to turn things around any time soon.

Chicago White Sox: Adam Dunn

The Chicago White Sox thought that they found a big bat for the middle of their lineup when they signed Adam Dunn during the 2011 offseason. It turns out that they were very wrong on this account.

Dunn, who had demonstrated 40-plus home run power in the past, became completely lost at the plate with the White Sox. He had a miserable .159 batting average and only blasted 11 balls over the fence.

Cincinnati Reds: Drew Stubbs

There are a number of players that show flashes of potential and then begin to struggle. The Cincinnati Reds have one of these players in Drew Stubbs.

Stubbs has problems with his plate discipline and he led the National League with 205 strikeouts in 2011. If he can resolve these issues and improve his batting average, Stubbs can become a top-tier outfielder.

Cleveland Indians: Grady Sizemore

Grady Sizemore was a superstar until he ran into injury issues. The Cleveland Indians decided that this was a reason not to pick up his option for 2012, but they still had faith in him so they later re-signed him.

Indians' fans know what Sizemore is capable of so it is very frustrating to watch him struggle. It will be interesting to see which Grady Sizemore shows up in 2012.

Colorado Rockies: Ian Stewart

Ian Stewart was supposed to the third baseman of the future for the Colorado Rockies. He lived up to this billing during the his first two full years in the majors.

Things began to fall apart for Stewart towards the end of the 2010 season and they got worse in 2011. Stewart was eventually demoted to the minors and now the Rockies are considering trading him.

Detroit Tigers: Brandon Inge

As versatile as Brandon Inge has been on the field, it does not make a difference when he struggles at the plate. Entering the 2011 season Inge was a .237 hitter who averaged 14 home runs a season.

While these are not great numbers, they are much better than what Inge was able to put up in 2011. Saying he struggled would be an understatement as Inge batted .197 with three home runs in 102 games. 

Houston Astros: Brett Wallace

When he was in the minor leagues, there was a lot of excitement about Brett Wallace and his potential. He has bounced around to four different teams since 2009 and he has not been as good as advertised.

The Houston Astros were hoping that Wallace could be a part of their future. He was given a chance to be a starter in 2011 and he struggled with it. Wallace will get at least one more opportunity, but he definitely needs to improve his performance if he wants to stay in Houston.

Kansas City Royals: Chris Getz

There are not to many players in the Kansas Royals' lineup that really deserve the ire of the fans. A number of young hitters are still developing and they got good seasons out of a few journeymen outfielders.

The one player that drives Royals fans crazy when he steps to the plate is Chris Getz. He is the definition of a light-hitting infielder. Getz's slugging percentage (.287) was 26 points lower than his on-base percentage (.313) in 2011.

Los Angeles Angels: Vernon Wells

There were a number of hitters who drew the ire of the Los Angeles Angels fans in 2011. One of them stands out because of his contract, although Jeff Mathis or Hank Conger could have also taken this spot.

Vernon Wells entered the season as a .280 hitter and proceeded to bat just .215 in 2011. Wells was able to hit for power as exemplified by his 25 home runs, but he couldn't get on base. He had an atrocious .248 on-base percentage.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Juan Uribe

The Los Angeles Dodgers were hoping that they a player that could fill one of the holes in their infield when they signed Juan Uribe. It turns out that they did not get what they were hoping for.

Just a year after he hit 24 home runs, Uribe saw his home run total drop to four. He barely was able to keep his batting average over the Mendoza Line and ended the season with a .204 batting average.

Miami Marlins: Chris Coghlan

The Miami Marlins were expecting big things out of Chris Coghlan following his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2009. They did not get them in 2010 and things got worse in 2011.

His performance made the 2009 season seem like a mirage. Coghlan has frustrated Marlins fans after he had shown so much promise.

Milwaukee Brewers: Casey McGehee

Just like Chris Coghlan, Casey McGehee was a player who broke out in a big way in 2009. McGehee followed his 2009 performance with an even better one in 2010.

Then, the 2011 season rolled around. McGehee looked nothing like the player that Milwaukee Brewers fans had watched the past two years. McGehee had an ugly 69 OPS+ in 2011 and left many scratching their heads.

Minnesota Twins: Tsuyoshi Nishioka

Minnesota Twins fans were excited to see what Japanese import Tsuyoshi Nishioka could do during his first season in the majors leagues. Unfortunately for both them and the team, Nishioka had problems staying on the field.

When Nishioka did play, his production at the plate was ugly. In 221 at-bats Nishioka had just five extra base hits and he had a 48 OPS+.

New York Mets: Jason Bay

Jason Bay's deal with the New York Mets is already looking like it will join Oliver Perez's contract as one of the worst in team history. Bay has done nothing but frustrate fans since he signed.

In 218 games with the Mets, Bay has half as many home runs as he had in his only full season with the Boston Red Sox. He also has 15 less RBI and a lower batting average.

New York Yankees: Nick Swisher

New York Yankees fans do not have many players in their lineup to complain about. Most of their problems have been with their rotation.

If there is one hitter that drives Yankees fans crazy it would have to be Nick Swisher. He has a lot of strikeouts and he sometimes gets in prolonged slumps.

Oakland Athletics: Daric Barton

For years Daric Barton was supposed to be the next starting baseman for the Oakland Athletics. Barton was given that opportunity a number of times.

Each one of these times, Barton could not hold on to the role. He has struggled for years and has never really broken through. Barton is still just 26 years old so there is hope for him.

Philadelphia Phillies: Domonic Brown

This is one that could quickly change next year. There are a growing number of Philadelphia Phillies fans that have legitimate concerns about Domonic Brown.

Brown struggled a bit during the 2011 season when he was able to get on the field. He has so much potential so it is not surprising that fans are impatient to see him show it off.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Pedro Alvarez

While little children are looking for Waldo, Pittsburgh Pirates fans are looking for the real Pedro Alvarez. During his rookie season, Alvarez showed up impressive power and he had a decent approach at the plate.

Then, in 2011, it seemed to all fall apart for Alvarez. He hit just .191 in 74 games. He also slugged just four home runs and drove in 19.

San Diego Padres: Jason Bartlett

The San Diego Padres bought into Jason Bartlett's great season in 2009 and they decided to trade for him. The decision has not exactly paid off for them and now they are even considering trying to trade him.

Bartlett struggled with the Padres and put up numbers that were much closer to his career totals than the ones that he put up during his breakout year. It is hard for the team to accept his .308 on-base percentage and his struggles on the basepaths as well.

San Francisco Giants: Andres Torres

Andres Torres did not get a real shot at playing in the major leagues until he was 31 years old and he took advantage of his opportunity. He surprised many when he put up good numbers once again the following season.

Torres struggled with injuries in 2011, but when he was on the field, it wasn't pretty. He had the worst season of his career and there were talks that the San Francisco Giants might non-tender him.

Seattle Mariners: Chone Figgins

If there was one contract that the Seattle Mariners could get out of, it would undoubtedly be the one that they gave to Chone Figgins. He was in a competition with Adam Dunn this season to see who could be the game's worst everyday player.

Figgins batted just .188 on the year and he struggled trying to steal bases as well. In just 17 attempts, Figgins was caught stealing six times.

St. Louis Cardinals: Ryan Theriot

As the World Series Champions, St. Louis Cardinals fans can't really have to many complaints about their team's players. If there is one player that was a concern, it would have to be Ryan Theriot.

There is a reason that the Cardinals went out and got Rafael at the trade deadline to replace Theriot in their lineup.

Tampa Bay Rays: Sam Fuld

The legend of Sam Fuld was fun while it lasted in Tampa Bay, but after a while Rays fans noticed that Fuld was not an everyday outfielder.

Fuld was a threat on the basepaths as he managed to steal 20 bases on the year, but the Rays could simply not put up with his .240 batting average and lack of power from left field.

Texas Rangers: Mitch Moreland

The Texas Rangers have been looking for a first baseman for the past few years and they thought that Mitch Moreland could be the solution to their problems. He had a decent season, but he drove fans crazy.

Moreland showed off some power, but Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is a very hitter-friendly place. He has a way to go to improve, but he could be a very good player.

Toronto Blue Jays: Travis Snider

Given that he has already played 232 games in the major leagues, it is easy to forget that Travis Snider is just 23 years old. He has a lot of potential and has certainly shown flashes of it in the majors.

Snider has been up and down between the majors and the minors. Whenever he struggles, the Toronto Blue Jays send him to the minors. Snider needs to solve his strikeout and contact issues if he is going to be a part of the Jays' future.

Washington Nationals: Jayson Werth

The Washington Nationals surprised many people when they went out and signed Jayson Werth to a mega-deal. In return, Werth surprised the Nationals when he played like someone who was worth nowhere close to $18 million a year.

Nationals fans expect Werth to be a part of the team's core once Bryce Harper reaches the major. If Werth continues to struggle, then fans will continue to be frustrated with him and his big contract.