The New York Yankees were presumably favorites to win the 2010 World Series. Their fans remind us daily that the team has won 27 titles. We've had the names of legends blasted into our brains, Ruth, DiMaggio, Mantle, Jeter...the list goes on, but, here at Stop Sac Bunting, we want to focus on the forgotten and replaceable. In honor of the playoffs, we'll name the most replaceable Yankees players to win the series.
I'll begin by making this distinction: When discussing the worst player to win a World Series, there are some criteria that our awful victor must fulfill. First, we're not going back to 1867 with this, we're talking modern era, say 1947 forward, the game is so different from the 1920s, it's near impossible to study statistics in the same manor as it is today....and, a disclaimer, while I utilize and enjoy statistics, I'm no Bill James. But, since I mildly understand sample size, the players must also have over 400 plate appearances in the season in which the Yankees won.
The statistical outlines will be mixed between on-base plus slugging percentage as well as range factor and total zone runs and WAR for defensive purposes.
Here's the five worst of the best:
1951 - New York Yankees 2B Jerry Coleman -
Part of several New York Yankees winning teams, Coleman managed just a .630 OPS good for an OPS+ of 73. It should come as no surprise that 1951 was Coleman's last year as a full-time player. His total line looked like this: .249 average / .315 on-base percentage / .315 slugging / three home runs / 11 doubles / six stolen bases. Coleman's range factor of 5.03 was well below league average of 5. 69. Not to mention he made 17 errors in 102 games at second base. Yes, second base, the same position some players routinely make between zero and five errors at every season. Coleman's Wins Above Replacement according to Baseball-Reference was 1.1 or basically an average replacement player. Yet, Coleman was celebrating on the same field as Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra.
1956 - New York Yankees 3B Andy Carey -
Here's Carey's total line from '56, you may want to shield your eyes: .237 / .310 / .339 / .649 (OPS+ 74) / seven home runs / nine stolen bases. Even with slightly above average fielding, Carey's WAR was 0.2 for '56. We can say this to Carey's credit, he hit very well (.311 average) with two outs and runners in scoring position, but overall with runners in scoring position he hit just .269.
1961 - New York Yankees 2B Bobby Richardson -
Before we get stared on Richardson's awful 1961 season, we'll say this: If you think the media sucks up to the Yankees like Forest Gump to that hippi tramp Jenny now, in 1961, some writers voted Bobby Richardson for MVP. That's like voting that Elliot Spitzer for president. Richardson had a 67 OPS+ and .610 OPS. And, though his fielding wasn't terrible in '61, during the rest of his career every stat points to his futility at the position. If we ever talk about overrated players, Richardson will be right up there, he was only above average for his position once during his 12-year career. But, let's get back to '61:
It was almost like Richardson refused to make an impact on his team. He stole nine bases and was caught seven times. He only walked 30 times and scored only 80 runs while playing all 162 games on one of the best offensive ballclubs of all-time.
Richardson had nine hits in the World Series, but eight were singles and he only score two runs.
1996 Yankees DH Ruben Sierra -
The Yankees ran, or I suppose you could say sat, a bunch of designated hitters in '96 including Daryl Strawberry and Cecil Fielder. Even Tim Raines DH'ed twice. It was like the 1991 All-Star team, only beleaguered by cocaine and cheeseburgers. But Sierra was a black belt in being a wash up. He stepped up 407 times for the Yankees in '96, hit .258 / .327 / .403 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI. While the numbers would be outstanding for a second baseman in 1961, Sierra's numbers compared to other DH's in the AL paint the ugly picture. In fact, compared to anyone his power numbers stunk. The AL hit a home run once in ever 32 at-bats in 1996, Sierra hit one ever 37 for the Yankees.
To the Yankees' credit, Ruben didn't play for them by the time the World Series came along, but the guy did get eventually get a ring.
2000 Yankees 3B Scott Brosius
Plenty of Yankees fans would love to tell you that Scott Brosius was a great third baseman and that he's super clutch and the definition of all that is the Yankee aura and so on and so on. But, in 2000, Scott Brosius was terrible. Not just sub-par, not just an off year, but plain awful. So bad that he didn't surpass a .300 on-base percentage and led the team in double plays. Not double plays turned, but double plays hit into. Speaking of which, the .230 hitter also played very average defense in 2000, managing a 0.4 defensive WAR.
Brosius did hit one home run in the World Series, but outside of that bomb, he hit under .230 for both the ALDS and ALCS. In fact, myth spreading Yankee fans would hate to know the Scotty B's "clutch" reputation is one of near insanity. His career playoff OPS is .696 in over 200 plate appearances. Yes, he had a big home run in the 2001 World Series, but outside of that, he was mostly ghostly in the playoffs.
