Thursday 10 - Most disappointing players of 2008
It’s time for another ‘Thursday 10′ post at Inside the Ballpark. Today’s list looks at the Top 10 Most Disappointing Major League Baseball Players of 2008. It was tough to narrow the field to just 10 players, however these players have had the most disappointing seasons to date. Maybe one or two of them will turn it around and won’t make the list near the end of the season, but for now, they are on the list.
Top 10 Most Disappointing Major League Baseball Players of 2008
10. Roy Oswalt - Houston Astros - Oswalt has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the past few years, yet this season he has hit more speed bumps than anyone could have imagined. The Astros were counting on Oswalt’s consistency to help lead a pieced-together pitching staff, yet the Weir, Mississippi native is just 5-7 on the year with a 5.04 earned run average. Oswalt has also allowed 17 home runs this year.
9. Freddy Sanchez - Pittsburgh Pirates - Just two years ago, this former NAIA All-American won the National League batting crown with a .344 average. Now, however, Sanchez is hitting only .229 and has struck out 35 times. In 2006, when he won the batting title, Sanchez struck out only 52 times.
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Sorry Ryan Howard, but you have to be on this list with that horrible batting average.
Photo: Newscom |
8. Ryan Howard - Philadelphia Phillies - I’m sure some of you are surprised that Howard’s name is on this list. Well, you shouldn’t be. How can I leave a guy that is hitting just .221 off this list? Yes, Howard has 19 home runs and 62 runs batted it, but he’s hitting only .221! Also, the former NL MVP has racked up 101 strikeouts in 272 at bats. In case you were wondering, that means Howard strikes out once every 2.7 at bats. UNBELIEVABLE!
7. Barry Zito - San Francisco Giants - Ah, yes. Barry Zito. I have no idea what has happened to Zito since he left Oakland, but he’s not the same. He’s not earning his $126 million contract. The former Cy Young winner is 2-10 with a 5.88 ERA this season for the Giants. He also has walked more hitters (44) than he has struck out (38).
6. Paul Konerko - Chicago White Sox - It’s hard to believe that Konerko could already be nearing the end of his career. But, that could be what is happening with his stats. Konerko is hitting just .215 for the White Sox. It’s not just the power that has dropped off for Konerko, it’s also the power numbers. He has only eight home runs and 30 RBI this season. His inability to help the White Sox, along with the slumping numbers of Jim Thome could mean Chicago misses the playoffs for the third straight season.
5. Carlos Delgado - New York Mets - Delgado, like Konerko, is showing signs of slowing down. Delgado hasn’t hit .300 in a season since he joined the Mets. This season, he is hitting only .238 and has power numbers similar to that of Konerko’s with nine homers and 32 RBI. Delgado didn’t have a stellar season in 2007 either, but his 2008 season has been especially disappointing.
4. Andruw Jones - Los Angeles Dodgers - To be fair, Jones had a horrible season with the Atlanta Braves last year. However, he is doing even worse in L.A. this year. Jones is batting well below the Mendoza Line at .165 in 133 at bats. He’s not hitting with power this year, since he has only two home runs and not driving in runs either (seven total RBI). I doubt Joe Torre ever thought before the year began that Jones shouldn’t be in the lineup instead of mulling over the whole Juan Pierre controversy. Either way, Jones’ stats are pathetic and he could easily be the biggest free agent signing bust of the year.
3. Khalil Greene - San Diego Padres - A couple of things Greene needs to finally figure out; he’s not at Clemson University anymore and he’s not using an aluminum bat. Greene flat out tore it up at the plate in college. But, he hasn’t figured it out at the professional level. This season, he’s hitting just . 226 and has a .271 on base percentage. Greene has also struck out 69 times and drawn only 16 bases on balls.
2. Bill Hall and Rickie Weeks - Milwaukee Brewers - I have to put both of these guys together at the number two slot. Both have had absolutely horrible starts to the 2008 season. Hall is hitting only .216 in 213 at bats this season. He owns a .285 OBP and has whiffed 60 times, while earning only 18 walks. Weeks is just as bad, batting just .210 this season.
1. Justin Verlander - Detroit Tigers - Coming into the 2008 season the Tigers were one of the top favorites to contend for the AL title. There’s no secret that Verlander was going to be the ace of the pitching staff and again be dominant. Except, he hasn’t been. Verlander is just 3-9 this season with a 4.55 ERA. He has scouts wondering why his arm slot has dropped causing his velocity to fall and his breaking ball to flatten out. He’s won at least 17 games in his last two seasons, yet this year, he could lose that many.
Just missing the list are Robinson Cano, Jason Isringhausen, Ian Snell, Brett Myers, Gary Matthews Jr., and Jim Thome.
Tags: Andruw Jones, Barry Zito, baseball, Bill Hall, Carlos Delgado, Chicago White Sox, detroit tigers, Freddy Sanchez, Houston Astros, Justin Verlander, Khalil Greene, los angeles dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, Paul Konerko, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Rickie Weeks, roy oswalt, Ryan Howard, San Diego Padres, San Francisco GiantsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, MLB News, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Thursday 10, detroit tigers, los angeles dodgers
10 opinions for Thursday 10 - Most disappointing players of 2008
Andrew
Jun 19, 2008 at 8:31 am
I’d like to nominate Nick Swisher. Maybe not as high-profile as some of the other names here, but Sox fans had anointed him as the new baseball god and lovechild of Ditka and MJ, only to watch a career .260 hitter fall short of even that nonspectacular number.
Tony Baldwin
Jun 19, 2008 at 10:56 am
Swisher is a guy I thought about, but who’s more disappointing? Him or Thome or Konerko. I thought Konerko hands down. Swisher is kind of that guy that White Sox fans believe they got just before the season. But yes, he has disappointed.
Jeff
Jun 19, 2008 at 11:02 am
You really missed the boat on Verlander. Yes, he was terrible in April, but in his last 7 starts, he has 6 quality starts and an ERA of 2.62. He has been consistently screwed by his team all season. There has been a mind-boggling lack of run support, many unearned runs, and questionable managerial decisions that have converged to give him his 3-9 record. Barry Zito is the most dissapointing player in the game, hands down.
The Zoner
Jun 19, 2008 at 11:04 am
Swish has turned it around nicely, and while he doesn’t hit for average he does get on base a lot.
Zoner Sports » AROUND MLB
Jun 19, 2008 at 11:12 am
[…] the Ballpark takes a look at the 10 most disappointing players so far this […]
Tony Baldwin
Jun 19, 2008 at 11:22 am
Jeff - I appreciate you standing up for Verlander, but I didn’t just throw him at the top of the list for no reason. The fact is that he’s not the dominating pitcher he was last year or the year before. Just four starts ago, he got thumped by the Mariners to the tune of 8 hits and 4 runs. Only three times this season has he struck out 7 batters or more and five times this season he has surrendered five walks in a game. It’s not all about run support.
Max
Jun 19, 2008 at 9:46 pm
ROBINSON CANO. ROBINSON CANO. ROBINSON CANO.
SoxAddict
Jun 20, 2008 at 7:51 am
Andruw Jones should be borderline #1.
Greene doesn’t disappoint me at all. What else would you expect from a guy with a career OBP barely over .300? Same with Bill Hall.
Weeks doesn’t shock me either. His OBP still looks good but his BA is only like 30 points or so below his career average.
nick
Jun 24, 2008 at 4:52 pm
come on now. you left the most dissapointing player in baseball off the list man! hands down Victor Martinez and his 0 HR’s. You should put some more thought into this stuff.
Tony Baldwin
Jun 24, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Nick - Victor is batting .278…. yes, he has ZERO homers and only 21 RBI, BUT what protection does he have? Hafner? Out. Garko? Get real. Victor is not the disappointment. The rest of the hitters on the Indians (minus Grady Sizemore) are.
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