The Five Worst Hitters in Baseball

The criteria: You have to be an active player having played at least five seasons in the majors. You also must have at least three seasons with at least 300 at-bats or more. Batting average and power will be equally taken into account, so even if you bat .230 but hit 30 HRs, you probably won’t be showing up on the list.

The reason: For some reason, I love seeing athletes fail. Maybe part of it is because I was never good enough to sniff any type of professional sport, so why not watch professionals stoop to my level.

5) Gerald Laird: Catchers are always fun to look up, because there are plenty of bad ones. Laird stands out because he is an overrated defensive catcher. Yes, he can throw out base runners (174 out of 458), but he’s also committed 42 career errors. But we need to take a closer look at the hitting. Where do we even begin? Should we start with a career .300 OBP? How about the .241 average? Laird is just a mess of a hitter, strike out about once every five at-bats. Laird is still 32, so he’s got a few more years of horrendous hitting left in him.

4) Craig Counsell: It’s tough to put Counsell on the list because by next year, he’ll probably be retired (He’s 40). Counsell though deserves not just a spot here, but a lifetime achievement award. In 4588 career ABs, Counsell has just 41 HRs and a .257 batting average. He’s never hit over .300 in seasons in which he has amassed over 300 at bats (6 in total), and his best year was in 2005 when he hit 9 HRs and knocked in 52 runs. Counsell’s batting stance is one of the most awkward in baseball history, and so are his numbers.

3) Jack Wilson: Wilson has always been a favorite of mine to watch, because there isn’t anything about his hitting that scares anyone. When he first came into the league, he was considered a decent prospect because of his glove. But people quickly realized that Wilsoncouldn’t do much more. He had two semi-decent seasons -- .308 average in 2004 and a .296 average in 2007—but unfortunately, Wilson could never build any type of momentum. He has a career average of .267 in over 4600 at-bats while hitting just 61 HRs. Wilson’s longevity is based around his fielding, but even that is starting to deteriorate. Wilson is still just 33, so maybe he has one more double-digit HR season in him (he’s had two).

2) Ronny Cedeno: Cedeno is such an enigma because he actually has some hitting skills. He had two minor-league season where he batted over .350 while amassing double-digit steals. But for some reason, Cedeno just can’t figure out major-league pitching. What separates Cedeno is his strikeouts (369 in 1732 career major-league at bats) along with a .245 career average. The pop is somewhat there (31 HRs), but he’s a complete mess at the plate. Cedeno somehow still has a job despite a 2010 season where he hit .256 with just 38 RBIs in over 450 at-bats.

1) Cesar Izturis: His ten-year career has been full of mediocrity. In over 4000 at-bats, Izturis has hit just 15 HRs while having a .256 career average. Izturis has some speed (109 career SBs, but I doubt any of his seven major league teams would want him up in a big spot. Izturis batted over .280 just once (2003), but has always been known more for his glove than his bat.