Major League Stats Losers

Most baseball fans would be able to tell you that Alex Rodriquez is the Major League leader in home runs, that Chris Young is the leader in ERA, and that Magglio Ordonez is the best hitter in the league as we approach the All-Star break. What most fans wouldn't know however, is the flip side; the dead last men in each of those categories. So as an All-Star break treat, here is a look at the Major League Stats Losers*:

BA: Julio Lugo, Boston Red Sox
Stat: .189 BA in 296 AB
Everyone knows the Red Sox are stacked this year, but Theo and company can't possibly feel comfortable with their leadoff hitter batting below the Mendoza line. The sad truth is that Lugo is the only SS on the Sox roster, and unless Boston is able to swing a trade Lugo and his $8.25 million salary will continue to be in the lineup every night.

(Side Note: Andruw Jones' struggles this season have been well documented, but for some perspective on just how bad he has been try this one on for size: Lugo is the only qualified batter in the Majors with a lower batting average than Jones' .204.)

HR: Juan Pierre, L.A. Dodgers
Stat: 0 HR in 367 AB
Pierre is the HR chump of the major leagues, with more AB without a homer than any other player. In Pierre's defense, he is not a home run hitter in any sense of the word as witnessed by his career high of three. What should be more worrisome to the Dodgers is Pierre's marked declines in both BA and OBP from his career marks.

RBI: Luis Castillo, Minnesota Twins
Stat: 13 RBI in 292 AB
This is not a new development for Castillo, as he went an entire season in 2000 with only 17 RBI. As the Twins' leadoff hitter he doesn't get too many opportunities to drive in runs, and when he has had the chance he has hit a respectable .283 with runners in scoring position. This is just one of those stats you have to chalk up to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

SO: Adam Dunn, Cincinnati Reds
Stat: 103 SO in 303 AB
Dunn is no stranger to punch outs, as he has the two highest single season SO totals in Major League history. (195 and 194) What is mind boggling is that Dunn has done nothing to improve, as he is again on pace for 194 Ks. If the 27 year old Dunn keeps up this absurd pace for the next 5 years he will be 3rd on the all time strikeout list by the age of 33.

ERA: Kip Wells, St. Louis Cardinals
Stat: 5.99 ERA
Wells' performance this year should not come as much of a suprise considering the fact that last season he posted an ERA of 6.50 in limited action with the Rangers and Pirates. Wells has only posted a quality start in 4 of his 15 starts this season, and has drifted in and out of the Cardinals starting rotation.

L: Paul Maholm, Pittsburgh Pirates
Stat: 5-11 record
In all fairness Wells also has 11 losses, but for the sake of variety we'll put Maholm here. Maholm hasn't been terrible this season, rather he has performed in the manner one would expect of a 25 year old pitcher on terrible team to perform. He has shown flashes of brilliance (a CG, 3 hit shutout of the Astros) but has been doomed by inconsistency and a lack of run support. (The Pirates have had 3 runs or less in 12 of Malholm's 18 starts)

Stat Loser LVP: Nick Punto, Minnesota Twins
Stats: .209 BA, 1 HR, 15 RBI in 273 AB
While not the biggest loser in any of the three big categories, Punto is the only player with a realistic chance to wear the Triple Crown of Shame. He has the 3rd lowest batting average, 2nd fewest homers, and 2nd fewest RBIs among qualified batters. Simply put, Punto has been the worst regular in baseball this season by a long shot.

*among players qualified for a batting or ERA title

Heat Check: MLB Free Agent Class of 2007

The baseball season is about a third of the way done, and the general shape of the pennant races, All Star races, and MVP races is beggining to come together. What is also becoming more clear, is whether or not teams spent their dollars wisely in free agency. So here is a look at the top ten free agents from this past year's class, and how they are panning out so far this season. (Note: Players are ranked by the total dollar value of their contract, not per season average.)

10. Juan Pierre, LA Dodgers: 5 years, $44 million
Stats: .269 BA, .297 OBP, 0 HR, 13 RBI, 19/25 SB
Scoop: Pierre has not turned out to be at all what the Dodgers were expecting when they signed the center fielder to a long term deal this past winter. Although he is second in the NL with 19 SB, Pierre, a career .301 hitter with a .349 OBP that has never had a season with an OBP below .326, Pierre has seen is batting measurables fall off markedly. At present he is almost a liabilty at the top of the order, having drawn only 9 walks in 61 games. Pierre is also in the midst of a 6 for 36 slump, and has not drawn a walk in the past 14 games. He also has two errors and no assists in the field.
Score: C -

9. Jason Schmidt, LA Dodgers: 3 years, $47 million
Stats: 1-2, 4.76 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 1/4 QS
Scoop: Schmidt looked bad in his first three starts before going on the DL for seven weeks, amassing a 7.36 ERA in his first three starts. Schmidt returned from his right shoulder injury on Tuesday and threw 6 shutout innings and surrendered only one hit against the Padres. The question remains whether or not the 34 year old pitcher will be able to remain healthy through the life of his contract.
Score: INC.

8. Gary Matthews Jr., LA Angels: 5 years, $50 million
Stats: .290 BA, .349 OBP, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 9/12 SB
Scoop: The Angels signed Matthews hoping that he would perform closer to his .313, 19 HR season for the Rangers last season than to his career averages of .265 and 15 HRs. What they have gotten from Matthews thus far is something inbetween, although part of that may be because the Angels have shifted Matthews around the lineup this season. Matthews has split time almost evenly between the leadoff and cleanup positions, and is actually batting 13 points higher in the leadoff spot. Now that Matthews seems to have found a home in the cleanup spot expect his RBI numbers to see a spike, but Matthews does not look like he is going to get near his .313 average of last season. The Angels might regret this signing though, especially considering that next season's free agency crop includes such CFs as Andruw Jones, Ichiro, and Torii Hunter.
Score: B -

7. Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox: 6 years, $52 million
Stats: 7-4, 4.63 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 7/12 QS
Scoop: Dice-K's deal has a bit of an asterisks attached, that of course being the $50 million dollar negotiating fee the Sox had to pay before they even signed him. As such, Dice-K has to be examined with a great deal more scrutiny than his contract would normally dictate. In examining his performance this season, and setting aside the media hyperbole, it is apparent that Dice-K has not lived up to his enormous reputation thus far as a staff ace. Rather, he has performed at the level of what he actually is right now: a 3rd starter on a good team. If pushed into the second spot in the rotation next season, Dice-K might see his W-L record drop drastically. The Red Sox certainly did not put out $102 million for this kind of performance.
Score: C

6. Gil Meche, Kansas City Royals: 5 years, $55 million
Stats: 3-6, 3.16 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 10/14 QS
Scoop: Meche's deal was perhaps the most scrutinized of the entire offseason, but the Kansas City front office saw a top of the rotation pitcher about to enter his prime in the person of the 28 year old Meche. Despite a few tough starts this season, it appears that the Royals may have been on to something. Although his W-L record may not indicate it, Meche has been a fairly good starter this season, ranking in the top ten in the AL in ERA. If Meche maintains an ERA around 3.00 and throws quality starts three quarters of the time, the wins will come for both him and the Royals.
Score: B

5. J.D. Drew, Boston Red Sox: 5 years, $70 million
Stats: .235 BA, .348 OBP, 4 HR, 24 RBI
Scoop: The most frightening thing about the above stats for Red Sox fans is that they are after Drew exploded for a 2 HR, 7 RBI performance last night. Drew has also been erratic in right field, commiting 3 errors in 48 games. The Sox certainly cannot afford to keep Drew in the fifth spot in their batting order for the next five years if he keeps flirting more with the Mendoza line than .300, and it looks as if last season's .283, 20 HR, 100 RBI performance may have been a mirage.
Score: D -

4. Aramis Ramirez, Chicago Cubs: 5 years, $75 million
Stats: .299 BA, .352 OBP, 13 HR, 39 RBI
Scoop: The Cubs were not about to let their 28 year old star 3rd baseman get away from them, and thus far it looks like that was a good choice. Ramirez is on pace for 38 HR and 115 RBI and has brought consistency to the Cub's cleanup spot. In addition to his exploits at the plate, Ramirez is playing the best defense of his career at the hot corner. This signing looks like a winner.
Score: A

3. Carlos Lee, Houston Astros: 6 years, $100 million
Stats: .308 BA, .354 OBP, 11 HR, 52 RBI
Scoop: Lee has been one of the few bright spots on a struggling Astros team this season, and leads the NL in RBIs. The 30 year old Lee appears to be coming into his prime, and the Astros look to have a very good cleanup hitter signed up for the foreseeable future. Lee has also looked good out in the field, already amassing 6 assists out of left. $100 million deals are always risky, but it looks as if the Astros have come out big on this one.
Score: A

2. Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants: 7 years, $126 million
Stats: 6-6, 4.02 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 8/14 QS
Scoop: Zito had an extremely rough start to the season, amassing a 3-5 record and 5.14 ERA in his first ten starts. It seems as if he may have turned a corner however, as he has gone 3-0 in his last three starts with a .45 ERA before getting shelled tonight by the A's. So which Zito is going to stick around? The ace, or the the guy that went out the first ten starts this season? Only time will tell with that question but it appears that Zito, much like Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder before him, may never regain the form from his glory days in Oakland. Sadly for Giants fans, that was what the San Fran was paying for.
Score: C -

1. Alfonso Soriano, Chicago Cubs: 8 years, $136 million
Stats: .326 BA, .376 OBP, 10 HR, 21 RBI, 8/10 SB
Scoop: Soriano may well be the toughest top free agent to analyze. On one hand, he came to Chicago with the reputation of being a 40/40 guy. Thus far, he is on pace to have 29 HR and 24 SB. On the other hand, Soriano, a career .282 hitter, is enjoying the best batting average of his career by far. The Cubs were foolish if they thought Soriano would be an RBI machine out of the leadoff spot, so don't let his RBI total fool you. Soriano has indeed been knocking runners in when they are there, hitting .333 with runners in scoring position this season. And miraculously, Soriano has yet to commit an error this season after having at least 11 every season before now. The truly puzzling part of Soriano's performance this season has been why Lou Pinella has not been sending him more often on the base paths. Has Soriano lost a step? Perhaps, but in my book I think Pinella is just gun shy. Although Soriano may not have been worth quite as much as the Cubs spent on him, if he keeps hitting above .300 he will turn out to be a great investment.
Score: B +