Baseball's Stumbling Frauds
Every year there are surprises in baseball. There's been plenty of focus on the surprising play of the Marlins and Rays, and the expected strong starts of the Cubs and Red Sox. Less attention has been paid to the busts, those teams that have perplexed and disappointed prognosticators. Here's a look at some teams that have struggled and what has gone wrong.
Tigers: After reaching the 2006 World Series, the Tigers were all but crowned champions for 2008 after acquiring slugger Miguel Cabrera, SS Edgar Renteria and pitcher Dontrelle Willis. Who wouldn't want a lineup with Renteria, Curtis Granderson, Carlos Guillen, Ivan Rodriguez, Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Gary Shefflied? Motown's version of Murderer's Row.
Yet, the offense is in the middle of the pack in runs scored, partly because of injuries to Granderson and Sheffield. The pitching has been a disaster, ranked last in the American League and second worst in all of baseball, and the defense has made the third-most errors in the AL. 7 losses to open the season seemed like a fluke, but they had a recent stretch losing 11 of 13. This offense is talented, but there are plenty of holes to fix all around.
Padres: It's not your imagination, the Padres did win 89 games last season. They finished just one game behind the D-Backs and Rockies, both playoff teams. They've made the fewest errors in the big leagues, but there are major problems with the pitching and hitting. Playing in such a huge park, runs are expected to be hard to come by with this team. The offense has scored the fewest runs in the league. The Padres started 27-19 under the total, including 15-5 under at home.
The pitching is 8th in the NL, very disappointing playing in such a pitcher-friendly park. Don't look for any improvement offensively as the Padres have perhaps the slowest and least athletic team in the majors. Manager Bud Black might be under fire already as last week GM Kevin Towers said, "I'm not going to watch this for another four months. If we make changes, they will be wholesale." Anybody want to buy some unathletic underachievers?
Rockies: Colorado's miracle run to the World Series last October indeed appears to be a fluke. Last year the Rockies were No. 1 in fewest errors allowed and that great defense had a domino effect on the pitching staff. Colorado is ranked second in the NL in team defense, but that's the only thing that's gone right for the defending NL Champs.
The Rockies are 13th in the NL in runs scored, 14th in team ERA. All that defense can't help your pitchers throw strikes, and that's the problem: San Francisco and Colorado pitchers have walked the most batters in the NL. They are poor starters, too: the Rockies have been outscored 41-24 in the first inning,
Mariners: A year ago Seattle started the season 5-3, led by dominating young pitcher Felix Hernandez. A young ace can do wonders for a staff and the Mariners had high hopes for 2007. Then, they stumbled, losing 6 in a row as Hernandez missed a month with an elbow problem. So they went out and got a second ace for 2008.
This year Hernandez has been healthy and hopes were even higher with the acquisition of lefty Erik Bedard, the 2007 AL strikeout leader. Yet, Seattle is a huge underachiever despite plenty of talent, with players like Ichiro Suzuki, Richie Sexson, Adrian Beltre, catcher Kenji Johjima and closer J.J. Putz. The offense draws the fewest walks in the AL and is last in OBP.
Yankees: A $209-million dollar payroll just doesn't buy what it used to. The final season in Yankee Stadium is off to a forgettable start, with NY in last place. They are third worst in runs scored in the AL and 11th in pitching. NY started 29-14 under the total because of an overvalued offense in the eyes of oddsmakers.
GM Brian Cashman put all his chips on kid pitchers Phillip Hughes and Ian Kennedy, refusing to trade them for ace Johan Santana. The non-move has been disastrous, with Hughes and Kennedy awful. Last week Alex Rodriguez returned from an injury and the team went out and lost 12-2 at home to the Orioles. "It was ugly," Yankee first-year manager Joe Girardi said. Looks like Joe Torre picked the right time to head west.
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