Fallen Stars: The all-disappointing squad
by Tracy Ringolsby, Special to FOXSports.com
And for every All-Star there is a Fallen Star.
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This weekend, Major League Baseball will announce the All-Star rosters. For now, we'll settle for the Fallen Stars.
They are players who have had first halves they'd like to forget. They have established themselves in the past as stars (or budding stars), and could well get their career back in order. But for whatever reason — pressing, injuries or diminished abilities — 2008 hasn't been what they had hoped.
Catcher
AL: Kenji Johjima, Seattle. A .288 hitter his first two seasons in the big leagues, the former Japanese All-Star isn't living up to that 3-year, $24 million contract he recently signed. Three months into the season his on-base percentage was only .270. What's more, the pitchers moan about the way he handles a game, which is why the Mariners are getting a more extended look at Jeff Clement, a left-handed bat and their No. 1 pick in 2005.
NL: Paul Lo Duca, Washington. Signed to a $5 million deal just days before being named in the Mitchell Report, he has hit below .200, spent two stints on the disabled list and lost the catching job to Jesus Flores. Trying to salvage the investment, the Nationals have had LoDuca fill in at first base and in left field but it hasn't been pretty.
First Base
AL: Paul Konerko, Chicago. It's been a painful season for Konerko. He played despite an extremely sore thumb since April 24, and then went on the disabled list with a strained left oblique on June 15. It's not just that he's only hitting .215, but that .368 slugging percentage is .122 below his career average.
NL: Carlos Delgado, New York. With his defense, he has to hit and produce runs to have any value. He has 14 home runs, but the really telling numbers are the 65 strikeouts in 301 at-bats, a .203 average at Shea Stadium and a .214 average with runners in scoring position.
Second base
AL: Josh Barfield, Cleveland. Picked up from San Diego for emerging 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff prior to last year, Barfield was sent back to Triple-A to start the season, finally got called up on June 9 and after going 0-for-6 was sidelined with surgery to repair a torn tendon in the middle finger on his left hand.
NL: Freddy Sanchez, Pittsburgh. Sanchez underwent shoulder surgery last September and was supposed to be ready to start working out six weeks later. Yeah, right. He wasn't able to play in the field until the final week of spring training and the shoulder continues to bother him. A .315 hitter in his first three full big-league seasons, he's struggled to hit .229 with a .257 on-base percentage.
Third base
AL: Eric Chavez, Oakland. The $11.5 million man spent the first two months of the season on the disabled list with his recurring back problems. Then he gets back, manages only two home runs in his first 85 at-bats, and finds himself having to DH after missing additional time with a sore right shoulder.
NL: Nomar Garciaparra, Los Angeles. Well, at least his contract is up at the end of the season. Enough said.
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| The Red Sox haven't done much wrong in the last five years...but what were they thinking with Julio Lugo? (Elsa / Getty Images) |
Shortstop
AL: Julio Lugo, Boston. Has anyone figured out what the Red Sox were thinking when they handed this guy a four-year, $36 million deal. He can't hit enough — which isn't an option anyhow — to make up for his defensive deficiencies at a position where defense is a premium. He had 16 errors his first 70 games this season, giving him a legit shot to shatter his personal career-worst 25 errors.
NL: Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado. He did miss six weeks with a torn tendon in his left quadriceps, but the season was painful even before that April 29 injury. The intensity that was so critical to his smash rookie debut became an enemy when he struggled early this season. Now it's just about regaining respect.
Left field
AL: Garrett Anderson, Los Angeles. MVP in the 2003 All-Star Game, Anderson isn't creating much of a market for pending free agency. The numbers are so-so, underscored by a .292 on-base percentage and .384 slugging percentage.
NL: Eric Byrnes, Arizona. Arizona decided to dump Carlos Quentin and gave Byrnes a three-year, $30 million deal last summer. Is anybody being held accountable?
Center field
AL: Gary Matthews Jr., Los Angeles. He turned a one-year wonder into a five-year, $50 million contract, and showed so well his first year that the Angels went out and signed Torii Hunter to a five-year, $90 million deal this past offseason. He's getting most of his time in left field this year but struggling to get to .240.
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| Injury problems are catching up to Andruw Jones. (Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images) |
NL: Andruw Jones, Los Angeles. The Dodgers thought they pulled a quick one when they shelled out $36.2 million for a brief two years to sign Jones. Not quite. The natural abilities are eroding and the lack of work ethic has taken its toll. Out since the final week of May with a torn meniscus in his right knee, he had only two home runs and a .165 average to show for his first 43 games.
Right field
AL: Nick Swisher, Chicago. In fairness to the versatile Swisher, who can play anywhere in the outfield plus first base, he did hit .315 in June, showing signs of already starting his rebound from the first two months in which he hit .201 and had only 14 RBI.
NL: Austin Kearns, Washington. This phenom has been anything but phenomenal. Sidelined with right elbow surgery in late May, the ultimate statement of the season he endured is that his on-base percentage, a questionable .295, is actually higher than his slugging percentage (.267).
Designated Hitter
AL: Gary Sheffield, Detroit. The man whose bat speed is what others are judged by is now 39, and age combined with ailments are taking a toll.
Starting Pitcher
AL: Dontrelle Willis, Detroit. Acquired in a major offseason deal and then given a three-year, $29 million deal, Willis missed more than a month with a hyperextended right knee and in his five appearances allowed 13 earned runs (thanks to 21 walks) in 11 1/3 innings, He was sent to extended spring and finally optioned to Class A Lakeland, where control problems continue. He walked three in his first two innings at Lakeland on Sunday.
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| Barry Zito's run on the other side of the bay has not been memorable. (Doug Benc / Getty Images) |
NL: Barry Zito, San Francisco. Are details really necessary? Well, he's only got five years after this one remaining on that seven-year, $126 million deal.
Closer
AL: Joe Borowski, Cleveland. How bad a season has it been? Well, there have been injuries and there have been indignities. Face it, three consecutive scoreless appearances allowed him to enter July with a 6.75 ERA, lowest it's been this season except for one day (4.50 after his second appearance). He's converted only six of nine saves. But then, it's been that kind of year for the Indians.
NL: Manny Corpas, Colorado. The second-half phenom who failed only once in 20 save situations after his mid-season insertion into the closer role a year ago, Corpas isn't even trusted with a setup role this season. Moved out the closer role on April 23, he has converted only four of 10 save opportunities. He's walked 17 in 40 innings after issuing only 20 walks in 78 innings a year ago.
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