With two months down in the 2021 MLB season, it’s a good time to check on some of the worst teams in baseball this year.
Some of these teams looked okay out of the gate, but have regressed and are now the basement-dwellers we expected them to be.
Here is the bottom five through the end of May.
5. Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers have dropped five straight and are now 22-33.
They have a run differential of minus-33 and have looked lifeless lately.
The Rangers’ lineup is below average across the board and lacks star-power—the offense ranks 21st in MLB with a .681 team OPS.
That said, Adolis Garcia is looking like a diamond in the rough for this organization.
Garcia has a .286 average and .911 OPS to complement a great 2.8 WAR this season.
🚨 ROBBERY 🚨
ADOLIS GARCIA DOES IT ALL 👏
(via @BallySportsSW)pic.twitter.com/deeSw6ybJV
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 28, 2021
He could be a nice piece moving forward.
Texas’ rotation has struggled mightily all year long which has been the biggest factor in the team’s poor season.
4. Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies don’t do anything particularly well.
Here is how the team ranks in the major categories:
Team OPS: 19th (.685)
Starting pitching ERA: 19th (4.42)
Bullpen ERA: 30th (5.44)
C.J. Cron and Ryan McMahon are having solid offensive years, but that’s the extent of the team’s success.
The Rockies are currently 20-34.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks have the second-worst record in MLB at 19-35.
Carson Kelly has far and away been the brightest spot for the Diamondbacks this season.
He’s batting .303, getting on base at a ridiculous .443 clip and slugging .525.
Kelly aside, Arizona’s offense has largely been abysmal.
As far as pitching goes, the Diamondbacks rotation woes have not been aided by a poor season for Madison Bumgarner.
Taylor Widener and Zac Gallen have both been great over limited starts, but Luke Weaver, Merrill Kelly and the aforementioned Bumgarner have all struggled.
The club also has a 4.91 bullpen ERA which ranks 26th in baseball.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates
There’s not a whole lot going right for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season.
At 20-32, the Pirates have one of the worst records in baseball, and the team’s minus-74 run differential is the worst in baseball.
Offensively, the Pirates have some solid pieces.
To name a few, Colin Moran, Adam Frazier, and Bryan Reynolds are all having very good seasons.
On the other end of the ball, however, is where the Pirates are terrible beyond repair.
Of the six Pittsburgh pitchers who have started at least four games this season, four have an ERA of 5.67 or worse.
JT Brubaker (3.74 ERA) and Tyler Anderson (4.63) have been the team’s only serviceable starters all year.
The Pirates are presumably preparing to sell at the upcoming trade deadline.
1. Baltimore Orioles
Like the Pirates, the 17-37 Baltimore Orioles have an embarrassing rotation situation.
John Means deserves all the credit in the world for his breakout season, but beyond Means, the staff is a mess.
Bruce Zimmerman (5.15 ERA), Jorge Lopez (5.29), Matt Harvey (6.84), and Dean Kremer (6.87) round out the starting five, and it’s hard to feel good about your chances when your staff is in that sort of shape.
Trey Mancini (one of the best stories in baseball this year), Freddy Galvis, and Cedric Mullins are all having solid offensive years, but their production has largely gone to waste.
Orioles lose, 3-2, their 14th straight. Austin Wynns and Freddy Galvis stranded two in the 10th. Their 14th straight.
Jorge López pitched six innings of one-run ball. Ryan Mountcastle homered. Scoreless innings for Valdez, Scott and Fry. Plutko is the loser. They are 17-37.
— Jon Meoli (@JonMeoli) May 31, 2021
We’ll see where the organization goes from here after another disappointing season.
Leave a Reply