Least Valuable Player: AL

Dave Paisley

We all know who the big guns are when it comes to the MVP awards, but what of the little guys? They aren't bad enough to ride the pine every day, but they really aren't that good either. They're what I called the "Awful Stars" around the time of the Mid-Summer Classic, and their annual award is the Least Valuable (every day) Player.

Amassing 500+ plate appearances while being the worst player in your profession isn't easy. It helps to have had one hot season (or sometimes even a month) somewhere in the recent past, so team management and fans keep hoping you'll get better.

LVPs are typically chosen from among the dregs of the triple crown categories -- Average, home runs and RBI. In addition to the triple crown stats, I've shown runs scored and OPS (On base percentage Plus Slugging average). I have to admit that the following list isn't scientific. It includes the lowest OPS regulars at the very top, but does skip over a few spots to capture some of the more prominent names in the league.
 

Player	AB	AVG	HR	RBI	R	OPS
Brian Hunter	555	.254	4	34	63	.637
Royce Clayton	492	.242	8	46	82	.656
Alex Gonzalez	519	.249	12	49	66	.668
Pat Meares	504	.264	8	63	54	.670
Otis Nixon	411	.287	1	19	63	.687
Miguel Cairo	455	.275	5	40	43	.689
Darren Lewis	536	.261	7	61	81	.695
Paul Molitor	451	.277	3	61	65	.701
Ron Coomer	480	.275	14	63	51	.703
Rickey Henderson	495	.228	12	52	91	.703
Tom Goodwin	471	.291	2	28	95	.709
Mark McLemore	412	.262	5	50	76	.720
Cal Ripken Jr.	547	.276	13	57	61	.736

 
Our runaway winner of the AL LVP for 1998 is Brian Hunter. Not only is he really horrible offensively, he plays a position that normally requires some offensive skills to match the modest defensive requirements of center field. If he were a shortstop I'd cut him some slack, but he isn't. No surprise, then, that the next three names on the list are shortstops. Not much to choose between Clayton, Gonzalez and Meares. They're the anti-A-Rod/Nomar/Jeter triumvirate. At least they aren't Rey Ordonez...well, not quite.

From here, our only job is to mock and ridicule the rest of the list as necessary. Is it a shock to anyone that four on this list are Twins? And another, Marty Cordova, almost made it on at the bottom.

Otis Nixon not is a gargoyle, but his offensive numbers have a gargoyle-ish look to them. Even for a leadoff guy, 19 RBI is an incredibly small number. Even allowing for a trip to the DL, I have a hard time finding something positive to say. How about this -- his OPS is better than Hunter's. Whew.

Skip over a couple of middle infielders and we get to, possibly, the most pathetic end to a probable HoF'ers career in living memory. Paul Molitor is proving just how empty a .277 batting average can be. What's worse, as an everyday DH, this is absolutely atrocious. His numbers aren't very good for a catcher or shortstop, never mind a position that exists purely to provide offense. Sad, very sad.

It finally looks like Rickey Henderson has come to the end of the line, too. It's tough to get a decent OBP when your batting average is a mere .228. Meanwhile, Tom Goodwin is showing that he's just as bad as he ever was. The good news? He isn't Brian Hunter or Otis Nixon. OK, the news isn't that good.

And creeping onto the list of fading, aging veterans is the venerable St. Cal himself. If you're reading this, Cal, check out the list above you and note it well. It would be sad to see your career end as ignominiously.

 

about the author

Dave Paisley was last seen dressing in a New York Mets uniform in hopes of going down to the team's dugout and picking a fight with Tony Phillips. Tell him he's not bad, just misunderstood at drdjp@strikethree.com.