The 10 worst MLB players of 2018

Five Worst Hitters of 2018

With wRC+ as our measuring stick, these five hitters separated themselves from the pack in the worst way possible (we’ve included a few other statistics for good measure).

Any way you slice it, this past season was horrific for Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis, which we’ve already detailed. The one thing he can hold his hat onto, though? He at least accumulated more RBI (49) than the Orioles did wins (47). So that’s something.

Alcides Escobar has never been known for his bat. However, it’s become more of an issue as his defensive value continues trending downward. His 2018 campaign would’ve been a lot worse had it not been for a second-half “surge” of sorts. Escobar entered the All-Star break with a .199/.247/.275 triple slash, good for a 39 wRC+. He finished with the above numbers because he returned from that breather to slash .297/.345/.392 (102 wRC+) over the final two-and-a-half months.

Billy Hamilton also isn’t a major leaguer because of his ability at the plate, but it’s continuing to hinder his overall production. What really sticks out is a rise in fly balls. While he put together a 26.9% line-drive rate, it was accompanied by a 35.2% fly-ball rate — his highest since 2015. His infield-fly rate also keeps increasing, settling in at a career-worst 17.2% clip in 2018. For someone with a career .088 ISO, keeping the ball on a line or on the ground is the preferred course of action.

Victor Martinez officially hung up his spikes at the end of this season, and his last year in the sun didn’t go how he would’ve liked. Although he didn’t exactly set the world on fire as a visiting player (.710 OPS, .138 ISO, 90 wRC+) it was a lot better than what he did at Comerica Park (.595 OPS, .070 ISO, 60 wRC+).

Dee Gordon did post his fifth consecutive season of 30-plus steals, but things slowly went downhill after a solid start. His monthly wRC+ between April and September read as follows: 108, 90, 49, 97, 49, 66. Yikes. His already-low walk rate decreased to a barely existent 1.5%, easily the worst in baseball among qualified hitters. Gordon’s .288 on-base percentage was also one of the league’s worst, and a stark contrast from the .341 mark he posted with the Miami Marlins in 2017.

About Matt Musico

Matt Musico currently manages Chin Music Baseball and contributes to The Sports Daily. His past work has been featured at numberFire, Yahoo! Sports and Bleacher Report. He’s also written a book about how to become a sports blogger. You can sign up for his email newsletter here.

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