Monday, May 25, 2009

The 10 Biggest Disappointments in Chicago Baseball So Far

Obviously both sides of town haven't quite had the start to the season we all hoped for. The Sox had a nice bounce back week and home, while the Cubs have hopefully hit rock bottom. With all the struggling going on, obviously there are some players who have  disappointed us all. Here are Chicago's 10 most disappointing players so far. 

This list is in no particular order, just five names from each team

Cubs
1. Milton Bradley, OF- Milton has been a victim of bad luck at the plate, but the fact is he is hitting .188 and that isn't good. He got $1o million a year with the idea that he would be a great hitter and put the Cubs lineup over the top. Instead he has been a major part of the problem two months into the season.

2. Geovany Soto, C- Quickly becoming one of my least favorite players, Soto has gone from power hitting stud to fat piece of crap in just one offseason. He has one wind blown homer, a .579 OPS, and not much else. Soto appears primed to join the long list of Cubs rookies who go on to be one hit wonders.

3. Rich Harden, SP- It isn't the predictable trip to the DL that bothers me, or is it the inability to go more than 6 innings a start. We know that stuff about Harden, the problem is he has a 4.74 ERA and seems to alternate between great starts and horrific ones. 

4. Mike Fontenot, 2B- This might not be Fontenot's fault, but it doesn't make it any less disappointing. The trade of Mark DeRosa led to Fontenot being put into the role of everyday player. His .208 batting average suggests that he isn't an everyday player. A lack of able backups further suggests that we are going to see a lot more of Fontenot for better or for worse. 

5. Derrek Lee, 1B- We all sort of knew that this would happen. Lee had an awful second half of last season, and has continued it this year. Now his .248 BA actually isn't that bad considering the rest of the team, but it is bad considering he is supposed to be the three hitter of an elite MLB team.

White Sox
1. Josh Fields, 3B- Fields was a one point the top prospect for the Sox, and even had a real strong showing in 2007 to get people excited. Joe Crede left after last year and Fields was given the everyday job a third, only to blow it on both offense and defense. His UZR is terrible at third, and his two homers and .217 batting average aren't helping things. 

2. Carlos Quentin, LF- If he hadn't broken his wrist last year, we are looking at the AL MVP. This season he started on home run tear, but his batting average never really got off the ground. His .223 average is awful, but he does have a .766 OPS so he hasn't been useless. Odds are Quentin figures his stuff out and produces a mid .800 OPS for the season. 

3. Gavin Floyd, SP- Floyd along with Jon Danks helped propel the White Sox to the playoffs last season. Now Floyd was really good his last start, but his season hasn't been the best so far. His 6.54 ERA isn't good at all, and he is on pace for 100 walks this season, 30 more than he issued in 2008. 

4. Alexei Ramirez, SS- Before the season started Ramirez was named the "Best Player in Chicago" by the Sun-Times, but it isn't fair to hold Chris De Luca's ramblings against Ramirez. Alexei was one of the best rookies in the AL last year, and was key to the Sox down the stretch, but so far this season he has been nothing short of bad. His three homers and .599 OPS leave much to be desired. Unlike his fellow sophomore slumping Chicago player Soto, Ramirez isn't a victim of being fat, rather I think the league has figured out how to pitch to him making it his turn to adjust back to them. 

5. Jose Contreras, SP- Him being a disappointment isn't his fault, but rather the way the media in Chicago got excited that he was able to come back from a torn Achilles so quickly. Contreras is an old man that probably should have been pulled from the rotation after his second start. The 8.19 ERA and 0-5 record barely tell the story of his awfulness. Fortunately he was sent to AAA to rot, where he can't do any damage. 

Did I miss somebody? Name somebody I shouldn't have? Comment below. 

1 comment:

  1. I think every one of these players who played last night did awesome. Even quentin got a hit before his injury. I might insult the crap out of every player each day.

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