Worst Red Sox Player of All Time

[notin]

He'd try to take a shot of the tequila, but miss. Shame.

 

He was also very injury-prone, with my personal (and completely unsubstantiated) theory being that his foot problems began when Will Middlebrooks tripped him in the 2013 World Series.

 

After that, Craig just got hurt doing anything. It got to the point that if he tried to make tuna fish on toast, he’d end up in the burn unit with mayonnaise in his hair…

[mvp 78]

If contracts don’t matter, Rusney’s defense - which can be placed among the best outfielders in MLB by some metrics - keep him off this list. And worst contract puts Pablo Sandoval squarely atop this list

 

The issue with a “worst player” is playing time needs to be a factor. Dwayne Hosey was a really bad player, but he also only had 168 plate appearances over 2 seasons. Jack Lopez didn’t look like much either, but these were AAA or AAAA guys called up for emergencies and shouldn’t have been relied upon.

 

Someone like Glenn Hoffman (Trevor’s older brother) who posted a.635 OPS (OPS+ 71) in over 2000 PA while providing weak defense needs far greater mention…

 

His defense was fine according to Fangraphs and BRef. He's basically a 0 WAR guy.

[mvp 78]

ps. I'm ignoring pitchers from 2020, because this thread is ostensibly about big leaguers.

 

Heh...

 

Yeah, not fair to Kyle Hart or Robinson Leyer, but you could throw Zack Godley in there.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Heh...

 

Yeah, not fair to Kyle Hart or Robinson Leyer, but you could throw Zack Godley in there.

 

Mazza gave up the longest home run I've ever seen, and then the Rays traded for him...

[Nick]

Dice K was a bargain based on dollars per pitches. He wanted to get through a game without ever throwing a strike.

[Old Red]

1.6 WAR in BOS. He was overpaid, but not even the worst guy on his team.

 

Once again all of these are just opinions. Here’s your sign.

[mvp 78]

Mazza gave up the longest home run I've ever seen, and then the Rays traded for him...

 

He looked good in the stirrups though.

[mvp 78]

Once again all of these are just opinions. Here’s your sign.

 

You should get better ones then.

[moonslav59]

you should get better ones then.

 

the context was per dollar.

 

Try to keep up.

[Old Red]

You should get better ones then.

 

Who made you judge?

[mvp 78]

the context was per dollar.

 

Try to keep up.

 

The context is that I made this thread.

[mvp 78]

Who made you judge?��

 

Me. I made the thread.

[moonslav59]

The context is that I made this thread.

 

Oooooo. Whoopdee freakin' dooo!

[Old Red]

Me. I made the thread.

 

Yabba dabba d o o! Your claim to fame.

[harmony]

It's strictly for amusement, though. We're not hurting anyone. Not like the players are ever going to know.

Perhaps a parent, a sibling, a spouse, a cousin, a former coach or a former teammate.

 

Word gets around.

[moonslav59]

Yabba dabba d o o! Your claim to fame.

 

Like no thread ever goes off on tangents.

 

It seemed like a dumb question. The worst player ever is probably someone we never heard of.

 

It seemed better to name the worst player in terms of wasting money, failing to meet higher expectations than others or both.

 

Castillo fit both categories.

[notin]

His defense was fine according to Fangraphs and BRef. He's basically a 0 WAR guy.

 

He also started for what? 4 years? Rusney played the equivalent of 1/2 of a season in a 5 year deal. Playing time matters

[notin]

Once again all of these are just opinions. Here’s your sign.

 

 

1.6 WAR isn’t an opinion. It’s data…

[moonslav59]

1.6 WAR isn’t an opinion. It’s data…

 

Yes, data that shows he was a big let down on expectations and even bigger letdown on WAR per dollar.

 

Maybe not "the worst," but in those contexts, not a wild opinion.

[notin]

Yes, data that shows he was a big let down on expectations and even bigger letdown on WAR per dollar.

 

Maybe not "the worst," but in those contexts, not a wild opinion.

 

I think if Rusney didn’t keep getting hurt, and if he didn’t get caught up in a luxury tax limbo, he would have been fine. Probably not $72 mill worth of fine, but good enough to make other flops more noticeable…

[notin]

Maybe we could also have a “Biggest Letdown Prospect” thread. And hear about disappointing players besides Lars Anderson…

[Old Red]

I think if Rusney didn’t keep getting hurt, and if he didn’t get caught up in a luxury tax limbo, he would have been fine. Probably not $72 mill worth of fine, but good enough to make other flops more noticeable…

 

The point is he didn’t.

[moonslav59]

I think if Rusney didn’t keep getting hurt, and if he didn’t get caught up in a luxury tax limbo, he would have been fine. Probably not $72 mill worth of fine, but good enough to make other flops more noticeable…

 

I'm not arguing he's the worst, but it's not absurd to think he belongs on a list of biggest letdowns and waste of salary.

[Old Red]

I'm not arguing he's the worst, but it's not absurd to think he belongs on a list of biggest letdowns and waste of salary.

 

Rusney wouldn’t have been my first pick, but I was just trying to come up with someone who hadn’t been mentioned yet, and he was the first one who came to mind.

[moonslav59]

Rusney wouldn’t have been my first pick, but I was just trying to come up with someone who hadn’t been mentioned yet, and he was the first one who came to mind.

 

That's how I took it.

[notin]

In think the worst Red Sox player should be someone who actually, you know, played. You know someone who, when you saw them starting, made you think “when are they going to replace this guy?”

[Old Red]

In think the worst Red Sox player should be someone who actually, you know, played. You know someone who, when you saw them starting, made you think “when are they going to replace this guy?”

 

Everyone has an opinion, and some are different than others, and that’s the way it should be. It doesn’t mean one opinion is better than another. It all depends on the interpretation also.

[Bellhorn04]

Perhaps a parent, a sibling, a spouse, a cousin, a former coach or a former teammate.

 

Word gets around.

 

Well, maybe you should think about that the next time you tell us that we're over-valuing a Red Sox player or prospect, which you often do.

 

In that case you're the one who's saying "they're not that good". And who knows if a relative of that player isn't reading?

 

Sometimes your moral high ground gets a little too high.

[jad]

Well, maybe you should think about that the next time you tell us that we're over-valuing a Red Sox player or prospect, which you often do.

 

In that case you're the one who's saying "they're not that good". And who knows if a relative of that player isn't reading?

 

Sometimes your moral high ground gets a little too high.

 

Public figures do not have the same protections (even legal protections) for libel and slander as ordinary citizens. So if you want to be a public figure, you really need to grow a thicker skin. Whereas us poor slobs here--you know, we feel REALLY BAD when we listen to some whippersnapper give us moral lectures. It's SOOOOOO hurtful.

[notin]

Everyone has an opinion, and some are different than others, and that’s the way it should be. It doesn’t mean one opinion is better than another. It all depends on the interpretation also.

 

 

Then stop getting so defensive every time someone else expresses one. If some else’s opinion is “You’re wrong,” aren’t they entitled to that?