Inside The Ballpark - Baseball Humor Blog

Thursday 10 - Worst Major League Baseball teams of 2008

by Tony Baldwin on June 12th, 2008

There’s no doubt that 2008 has been a crazy and unpredictable season so far. Some teams are rising to the occasion, while others are completely bombing. So today on the ‘Thursday 10′ I bring to you the Top 10 Worst Major League Baseball Teams of 2008. This list probably won’t be very controversial. It’s almost impossible to argue about any of the teams making this list. Also - as a follow-up to this list - next week I’ll be bringing you the Top 10 Worst Players of 2008. So - you won’t want to miss that!

Here it is:

Top 10 Worst Major League Baseball Teams of 2008

10. Houston Astros - Sure, many experts didn’t expect the Astros to compete in the National League Central this season. Mainly because of the Astros’ suspect starting pitching rotation. After you get past Roy Oswalt - it was expected that Houston was in trouble. Well - unfortunately, even with Oswalt on the mound this season, Houston is having problems. If it weren’t for Lance Berkman, the ‘Stros could already be in the NL Central cellar. However, Berkman’s offensive numbers have helped keep Houston in the middle of the division so far. Yet, the Astros are falling fast and could drop far enough out of contention before the All-Star break even makes it here.

9. Cincinnati Reds - The Reds are the worst team in the NL Central. Even super rookie Jay Bruce hasn’t been able to right the ship. However, the Reds will not finish in the cellar this season, but don’t expect a playoff run either. The problem with the Reds is plain-and-simple. No pitching. Sure, Edinson Volquez is having a great season, but what about the rest of the staff? How about looking at earned run averages that are all above 4.30. Three of the other four starters have ERA’s above five, including Matt Belisle, who boasts a 7.28 ERA. Combined, the entire Cincinnati staff has a 4.54 ERA.

8. San Diego Padres - If it were not for the great pitching by the Padres, San Diego would be the worst team in baseball. San Diego’s offense is struggling. Coming into Thursday, the Padres had score less runs that everyone in the National League, except the Washington Nationals. At 3.6 runs per game - you are expecting a lot out of your pitching staff. The Padres pitching staff has done a good job this season, keeping this team out of the NL West cellar, however, the entire offense boasts only one hitter with a .300 batting average. As a team, San Diego is batting .243 overall and has struck out 528 times (7.9 per game) this season. If only Jake Peavy could hit like Micah Owings (or any of the offensive player could hit like Ownings for that matter).

7. New York Mets - Surprised? I am. This team should not be on this list. Not with the players they have on their current roster. Sure, if the Mets don’t get into contention anytime soon with the hot Florida Marlins, you can bet Willie Randolph’s days will be numbered. Before we go on and blame this underachieving season on injuries - I will say that the Mets have been playing a little better lately. However, it’s still not good enough to be the team everyone expected them to be before the 2008 season began. Only one .300 hitter (with over 100 at bats) is on the roster (Ryan Church). This team seemed to be lifted by the return of none other than Fernando Tatis, but even he can’t help out that much. The problem is too many players on the offensive end that are just trying to get through another season. Carlos Delgado is getting old. Carlos Beltran is not the big-money player everyone thought he was in the 2005 playoffs. Even David Wright is not putting up the best numbers right now. With the best pitcher in baseball (Johan Santana) and a couple of the best young stars (Wright and Jose Reyes), this team needs to get things together, and quick.

6. Washington Nationals - Do you remember opening night (well, opening night in the United States) this season on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball? The Nationals started Odalis Perez and won the game on a walk-off home run by Ryan Zimmerman. Nats fans were celebrating the opening of their new ballpark with a bang. Well - that’s ages ago (at least it seems like). Now, the Nationals are the worst team in the NL East. The team batting average is .234 and the pitching staff has combined for a 4.56 ERA. Skipper Manny Acta is in for a long season. The Nationals just don’t have the star power to really put up much of a fight this year and most likely will end up with the worst record in the National League.

5. Kansas City Royals - Much like the Nationals, the Royals started out the year looking like a .500 ball club. However, things change fast. Kansas City has slipped to the bottom of the American League Central, even below the woeful Detroit Tigers. The Royals are just too young across the board to even compete. The offense is churning out only 3.7 runs per game, while the pitching staff is allowing 4.8 runs per game. Manager Trey Hillman is in a race, but it’s not for the divisional lead. He’s in a race to keep his job and he seems to be losing. The only question is whether Hillman or Seattle Mariners manager John McLaren gets the ax first.

4. New York Yankees - Yes, I know the Yankees are .500 now. Congratulations. It seems that the order of the universe is almost restored, Hank. Except, it’s not. New York is at the bottom of the AL East, tied with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles. They are chasing the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays. Never thought you would hear that one, right? The Yankees seem to be that team that just can’t catch a break this year. Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada have all caught the injury bug at one time or another this year. And the pitching staff is in shambles. Joba Chamberlain was supposed to be inserted into the rotation to help stop the bleeding, but he hasn’t really taken off in that role. I doubt anyone in New York would have guessed that Mike Mussina would be the owner of the best ERA in the starting rotation (3.82). Now - if the Yanks want to catch the Red Sox or even the Rays, they need to start clicking right now. They can’t wait until after the All-Star break. They need to get momentum going into the All-Star break and begin putting together 4-5 game win streaks regularly.

3. Detroit Tigers - Like the Yankees, the Tigers had high expectations. Many thought they would see a Tigers-Yankees AL championship series. However, that idea is in danger. The Tigers acquired Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera prior to the season with hopes of having one of the best offensive lineups in the league. Yet, Cabrera hasn’t produced and Willis has been shipped down to the minors. The entire pitching staff is having problems this season. Justin Verlander hasn’t been dominating and his velocity has slipped. The Tigers’ best pitcher was brought up to take Willis’ spot in the rotation early on in the season (Armando Galarraga). Yes, Detroit has had many injuries. But, give me a good reason why they are just above the AL Central cellar. I don’t think anyone can really explain it.

2. Seattle Mariners - The Mariners recognize that they are not doing well this year. However, they are playing the blame game. The pitching staff is complaining that catcher Kenji Johjima’s pitch selection is leading to the sixth-worst ERA in the majors this season. Management decided to blame hitting coach Jeff Pentland for the fourth-worst batting average in the majors (.247) and fired him. How does the acquisition of Erik Bedard look now? Bedard is 4-4 with a 4.26 ERA. Not exactly ace-like numbers. On the offensive side of things, not one player (not even Ichiro) is hitting over the .300 mark. Skipper John McLaren better pack his bags and keep them packed. He’s the next to go.

Matt Holliday and the entire Colorado Rockies team are heading for the worst record in baseball if things don’t change quick. Photo: Newscom

1. Colorado Rockies - How do you go from winning the NL pennant a year ago to being the worst team in the NL the very next season? I’m not sure how it happened, but things are not looking up for the Rockies. Now - looking at the Rockies stats, they aren’t the worst in the league. However, they aren’t the best either. Colorado is near the bottom in ERA (4.74) and close to the middle in batting average (.256). It’s been the slow starts by many of the offensive players that have really hampered the Rockies. Matt Holliday is hitting .314 but only has eight home runs. Todd Helton is hitting .294 and Troy Tulowitzki has been really slow to get going this season with a .193 average. No one has expected the Rockies pitching staff to ever be the best in the league, especially pitching in the thin air. However, outside of Aaron Cook (9-2), no Rockies pitcher has over two wins. I think it’s safe to say that there will not be a repeat appearance in the World Series for the Rockies this season.

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POSTED IN: Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Lance Berkman, Miscellaneous, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Thursday 10, Toronto Blue Jays, cincinnati reds, detroit tigers