This week in Anaheim, we’ll be seeing the best baseball has to offer. But let us not forget those at the other end of the spectrum, for whom a trip to the All-Star Game this year is nothing more than a dream. After the jump, you’ll find the worst players at each position in the American League, as measured by Wins Above Replacement from baseball-reference.com. Contrary to earlier suspicions, it’s not the entire Baltimore Orioles roster.
American League All-Fail Team
WAR is a measure which combines offense, defense, pitching and base-running into one simple measure of a player’s value, compared to a hypothetical AAA replacement. The minimum for inclusion is 40 games at the spot for position players, 8 starts for rotation members, and 20 IP for relievers. I don’t care if the player is not able to play because he’s on the DL, because this is not a real team, folks. The National League All-Fail team was posted yesterday.
Position Players
Catcher: Gerard Laird, Tigers (-0.5 WAR)
First-base: Justin Smoak, Rangers/Mariners (-0.2)
Second-base: Gordon Beckham, White Sox (-0.8)
Third-base: Brandon Wood, Angels (-1.6)
Short-stop: Cesar Isturis, Orioles (-0.5)
Outfield: David Murphy, Rangers (-0.7)
Michael Cuddyer, Twins (-0.3)
Trevor Crowe, Indians (-0.3)
Designated Hitter: Adam Lind, Blue Jays (-0.8)
Starting pitchers:
Ryan Rowland Smith, Mariners (-1.9)
Rick Porcello, Tigers (-1.1)
Ian Snell, Mariners (-1.1)
Nick Blackburn, Twins (-1.1)
Gil Meche, Royals (-1.0)
Relievers
Chad Gaudin, Athletics/Yankees (-0.9)
Joba Chamberlain, Yankees (-0.8)
Jamey Wright, Indians (-0.6)
Kerry Wood, Indians (-0.6)
Brandon League, Mariners (-0.6)
Chan-Ho Park, Yankees (-0.5)
Hideki Okajima, Red Sox (-0.5)
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