The Best (Players) of the Worst (Teams)

The Washington Nationals, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres are all suffering through brutal seasons. The Nationals (50-85) and Mariners (50-83) still need 13 wins before the close of the ’08 season to avoid 100 losses and the Padres are not far behind at 51-82. None of the league’s worst teams this season have winning percentages below .350 but since the beginning of professional baseball, at least one team per decade has delivered a winning percentage below that mark. Here’s a look at the worst* team from each decade and the best player on the team that year (* = worst in terms of winning percentage only):

2000s – 2003 Detroit Tigers (43-119, .265)
Best Player: DMITRI YOUNG (.297 BA-29 HR-85 RBI-.909 OPS)

As bad as the Tigers were in ’03, they were worse without Young in the starting lineup. In games that Young didn’t play, the Tigers were 3-11 (.214) on his off days. Per MLB rules, the team had to send a player to the All-Star game and Young was their man but he never got off the bench. He led the team in hits (167), doubles (34), triples (7), home runs (29), RBI (85), runs scored (78), batting average (.297), on-base percentage (.372), slugging percentage (.537), OPS (.909) and strikeouts (130). Young spent most of his time as the team’s DH but did play 61 games in left field and 16 at third base where he made eight errors.

1990s – 1996 Detroit Tigers (53-109, .327)
Best Player: BOBBY HIGGINSON (.320 BA-26 HR-81 RBI-.981 OPS)

It’s possible to make an argument that someone else on the team was better — Travis Fryman, Cecil Fielder and Tony Clark all had solid seasons — but Bobby Higginson’s sophomore season was one of his best. He led the team in batting average (.320), on-base percentage (.404), slugging percentage (.577), OPS (.981), walks (65) and doubles (35). Fryman was actually elected to the All-Star team and named “Tiger of the Year” but a look at the two player’s numbers and the edge goes to Higginson. When you lose 109 games, is there a reason to look beyond the numbers?

1980s – 1988 Baltimore Orioles (54-107, .335)
Best Player: EDDIE MURRAY (.284 BA-28 HR-84 RBI-.835 OPS)

Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. — both Hall of Famers — were the two players lucky enough to experience every game of 1988 including their 21-game losing streak to start the season. The Orioles came close to a winning month in August when they went 14-15 and Murray hit .376 with seven of his team-high 28 homers. Murray finished fourth in the American League in homers and ninth in total bases with 286.

1970s – 1979 Toronto Blue Jays (53-109, .327)
Best Player: JOHN MAYBERRY (.274 BA-21 HR-74 RBI-.833 OPS)

In April ’78, the Blue Jays purchased John Mayberry from the Kansas City Royals. The deal was possible because of Royals manager Whitey Herzog’s perception that the left-handed slugger lacked a solid work ethic. Mayberry went from a perennial contender to a struggling expansion squad that suffered their worst season in 1979. Mayberry started 129 games that season and led the team in on-base percentage (.372), slugging percentage (.461), OPS (.833), home runs (21), RBI (74) and walks (69). In the 33 games Mayberry did not start, the Blue Jays went 7-26 (.212), even more pitiful than their overall performance.

1960s – 1962 New York Mets (40-120, .250)
Best Player: RICHIE ASHBURN (.306 BA-7 HR-28 RBI-.817 OPS)

In the last season of his Hall of Fame career, Richie Ashburn was the first-ever Met selected to an All-Star game. After leading the team with a .306 average, Ashburn retired. Don Zimmer once asked Ashburn why he retired after hitting .306. “He said, ‘I was afraid we’d lose 120 games again, and I didn’t want to go through that.'” The 35-year-old Ashburn also led the Mets with 12 steals.

1950s – 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates (42-112, .273)
Best Player: RALPH KINER (.244 BA-37 HR-87 RBI-.884 OPS)

Another Hall of Famer forced to suffer through a horrible season was Ralph Kiner. Despite their league-low 42 wins, Kiner received enough votes in the MVP balloting to finish 23rd in the National League. Kiner led the team in nearly every offensive category and led the National League in home runs with 37 for the seventh consecutive season. He also led the NL in walks (110) and finished fourth in slugging percentage (.500), sixth in on-base percentage (.384), seventh in total bases (258), ninth in runs scored (90) and ninth in RBI (90). The next season, Kiner was traded to the Cubs in June in a 10-player deal between the two teams.

1940s – 1942 Philadelphia Phillies (42-109, .278)
Best Player: TOMMY HUGHES (12-18, 3.06 ERA, 1.28 WHIP)

The ’42 Phillies averaged just 2.61 runs per game. So, it is no surprise that Tommy Hughes had a losing record despite his low ERA and solid WHIP. A neat little feature on Baseball-Reference is the “neutralize stats” function. With the click of a few buttons, you can take a look at what Hughes’ numbers might have looked like based on another team’s performance. Change Hughes’ stats based on the Phillies only World Championship season of 1980 and Hughes jumps to 16-13 with a 3.38 ERA. The 22-year-old righty received MVP consideration in 1942 and finished 22nd in the balloting.

1930s – 1935 Boston Braves (38-115, .248)
Best Player: WALLY BERGER (.295 BA-34 HR-130 RBI-.903 OPS)

The ’35 Braves are probably most well known for being the last team to see Babe Ruth in a uniform. The 40-year-old Ruth hit just .181 in his last year in the Majors and only one in the National League. However, the team did have an impressive performer in Wally Berger. Berger’s All-Star performance earned him a sixth-place finish on the NL ballot for MVP. He won two-thirds of the Triple Crown with a National League-high 34 homers and 130 RBI and also finished third in total bases (323), fourth in slugging percentage (.548), sixth in doubles (39) and seventh in OPS (.903).

1920s – 1928 Philadelphia Phillies (43-109, .283)
Best Player: PINKY WHITNEY (.301 BA-10 HR-103 RBI-.768 OPS)

There are a number of players who could lay claim to the best player on the ’28 Phils but rookie Whitney and Fresco Thompson both received support in that season’s MVP balloting. Whitney finished 18th and Thompson finished 22nd for the National League’s worst pitching team. The lineup had some pop, though, and the 23-year-old Whitney led the team in RBI with 103. Whitney also played on the worst team of the ’30s as a member of the previously mentioned ’35 Braves.

1910s – Philadelphia Athletics (36-117, .235)
Best Player: JOE BUSH (15-24, 2.57 ERA, 1.23 WHIP)

Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie was shut out of Philadelphia the season after he left the Philadelphia Phillies which is how he landed in Cleveland. At the age of 40, Lajoie returned to Philadelphia to finish his career and played the ’15 and ’16 seasons with the squad. After a rough 43-win ’15 season, the Athletics managed to win just 36 games in Lajoie’s last season in the Majors. Joe Bush had a solid season on the mound and picked up 42% of the team’s wins. Bush finished second in the American League in shutouts with eight and also led the league in losses with 24.

1900s – 1904 Washington Senators (38-113, .252)
Best Player: CASE PATTEN (14-23, 3.07 ERA, 1.25 WHIP)

The ’04 Senators were shut out 27 times and started off the ’04 campaign 0-13. After starting off the season 1-16, the team replaced Malachi Kittridge with Patsy Donovan who did not fair much better in his only year as manager of the Senators. Both Kittridge and Donovan played for the team and were not filling up the stat sheet either. Pitcher Case Patten picked up 14 of Washington’s 38 wins but also lost 23 times in 45 outings. Patten also led the American League in saves with three and hit batsmen with 20.

1890s – 1899 Cleveland Spiders (20-134, .130)
Best Player: JOE QUINN (.286 BA-0 HR-72 RBI-.657 OPS)

In their last season in professional baseball, the Cleveland Spiders won just 20 of 154 games in 1899 including just five of their last 72. The Spiders were owned by the Robison brothers who also owned the St. Louis Perfectos. The brothers thought the team in St. Louis would draw more fans if they fielded the better team there and transferred the best players from the Spiders to St. Louis. The team’s attendance was so poor that National League teams refused to travel to their park and the Spiders played most of their games on the road. They finished the season 11-101 (.098) on the road and 9-33 (.214) at home. Joe Quinn was their best player and also the manager of one of arguably the worst team in baseball history.

1880s – 1884 Wilmington Quicksteps (2-16, .111) [of the Union Association]
Best Player: DAN CASEY (1-1, 1.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP)

The Union Association played just one season before it folded. Late in their only season, the floundering league added the Wilmington Quicksteps when the Philadelphia Keystones folded. The Quicksteps joined the league and behind Casey won their first game. After a 1-0 start, the team slowly began to unravel as players parted for other leagues. Casey pitched just two games for the Quicksteps and gave up 17 runs in 18 innings but just two of those runs were earned. Casey was a 20-game winner in 1886 and 1887 as a member of the Philadelphia Quakers and won 96 games in seven years of professional baseball.

1870s – 1872 Washington Nationals (0-11, .000) [of the National Association]
Best Player: HOLLY HOLLINGSHEAD (.341 BA-0 HR- 6 RBI-.765 OPS)

The second of many failed attempts to bring baseball to the Nation’s Capital, the first edition of the Washington Nationals failed to win a game before going out of business in 1872. Holly Hollingshead headlined the horrendous hitters of the Nationals and had the team’s only triple. He also led the team in hitting with a .341 average and slugging percentage with .409. Hollingshead also played for the third franchise in D.C. as a member of the Washington Blue Legs in 1873 and later joined the second attempt at a Nationals franchise in professional baseball in 1875.