The Very Worst

Interesting essays here and here looking at some of baseball’s worst-ever players, or at least players who in one way or another were famously bad. A few of the Deadspin piece’s potshots are unmerited (how can you discuss Billy Martin’s playing career and ignore its most famous feature, his .333/.371/.566 career postseason batting line?), but it’s still entertaining if you don’t take it too seriously. I hadn’t really known about Tommy Dowd’s fielding (he not coincidentally led the 1899 Cleveland Spiders in plate appearances), or Gus Weyhing’s HBP record (Weyhing, better known as the last man to play without a glove, hit 79 batters and threw 105 wild pitches in 102 starts his first two seasons, age 20-21. Yet before they moved back the mound when he was 27, Weyhing had a 3.16 career ERA – ERA+ of 119 – and a .588 career winning percentage, having posted an average record of 30-21).
H/T

One thought on “The Very Worst”

  1. I suppose it’s no consolation that it still makes them better at baseball than 99% of the population.

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