If you want to get specific and toss around culpability, then there are main offenders to be found. Since, in this space, we reputedly love nothing so much as going negative, we're going to take a look at the players who have, to date, most effectively shanghaied their teams' hopes of contention.
In all instances, these are established players who should be faring better than they are. More specifically, these are the players who, while not alone in their offenses, have done their level-best to reduce their employers from national contenders to forgettable also-rans. These are the guys who must step it up in a hurry:
1. Andruw Jones, Dodgers
Yes, Jones is presently on the disabled list after undergoing knee surgery, but that's merely the start of his problems. On the season, he is batting .165, is on pace for just seven home runs, and has played sluggish defense in center. At the time, Jones' signing looked like a sensible value addition on the part of GM Ned Colletti, but it's turned out to be a low-grade disaster. Perhaps it's the knee, perhaps it's a lack of conditioning — whatever the cause, Jones has seriously hurt the Dodgers' chances thus far. It takes a lot to make Juan Pierre look like an upgrade, but Jones has somehow done it.
2. Justin Verlander, Tigers
The Tigers in 2008 have been a veritable superfund site. Expected to contend for "best team in baseball" honors, Detroit is instead languishing at the bottom of the none-too-impressive AL Central. You can point to any number of guys who aren't getting it done, but Verlander, the Tigers' ace, stands out. This season, Verlander is toting around an RA (runs allowed per nine innings) of 5.82, and he's been even worse than that away from Comerica Park. With Dontrelle Willis laid up and Kenny Rogers circling the drain, the onus is on Verlander to improve in a hurry.
3. Travis Hafner, Indians
Think the Tribe is battling a case of buyer's remorse on Hafner's contract? Despite a down year in 2007, the Indians inked Hafner to a four-year, $57-million contract extension with an option for 2013. He's rewarded their faith by performing even worse in 2008. To date, he's hitting .217 AVG/.326 OBP/.350 SLG. Sure, he's been playing despite an ailing shoulder, but unless he starts producing, the Indians are going to have trouble repeating as division champs. Ditto for Casey Blake and Asdrubal Cabrera.
4. Robinson Cano, Yankees
Coming into 2008, Cano boasted a career batting line of .314 AVG/.346 OBP/.489 — quality numbers for an up-the-middle defender. However, this season he's been lost at the plate (.276 OBP). You can point to other reasons for the Yankees' struggles — Alex Rodriguez's injury, the rotation, Derek Jeter's drop in production and customarily poor defense, the lack of reliable middle relievers not named Joba Chamberlain — but Cano's troubling decline has a lot to do with it. Fixing the Yankees is an exercise in triage at this point, but what's certain is that Cano must improve going forward.
5. Brett Myers, Phillies
Myers doesn't have the best track record as a human being, and this season he's got the numbers to match. His RA stands at 6.34, and, in a related matter, he's coughed up 15 bombs in just 65.1 innings. The Phils were banking on Myers to stabilize the rotation behind Cole Hamels this season, but he has failed miserably. Philly doesn't have much in the way of in-house replacements or trade-able young talent, so it's on Myers to get better.
6. Carlos Delgado, Mets
Delgado declined last season, but a modest production spike in the second half raised hopes that he'd improve in 2008. That's not happening. At present, Delgado is batting .215 AVG/.294 OBP/.387 SLG, while the average NL first baseman has a batting line of .271/.358/.478. As you can see, that's a serious production deficit. Delgado is 36 years of age, so drastic improvement isn't likely. However, the Mets need him to achieve at least adequacy. It's simply hard to win when you're getting such poor numbers from a power position like first base.
7. Eric Gagne, Brewers
As hard as it is to believe this, Gagne has actually been worse as a Brewer than he was as a member of the Red Sox in 2007. The defrocked Milwaukee closer has an RA of 6.98, and he's walked 16 batters in 19.1 innings. Oh, and he's also on the DL with shoulder tendinitis. The bullpen has been a problem throughout Ned Yost's tenure in Milwaukee, and unless Gagne can get healthy and begin finding the strike zone the Brewers won't catch the Cubs, Cardinals and Astros.
8. Brad Penny, Dodgers
Andruw Jones isn't the Dodgers' only problem. Penny was one of the NL's best starters in 2007; this season, however, he's been anything but. An RA of 5.45 at the front of the rotation doesn't cut it, especially when you're trying to keep pace with the Diamondbacks. If the opposite side continues abusing Penny to such an extent, then those numbers aren't going to improve.
9. Jeff Francis, Rockies
The reigning NL champs are struggling, and Francis shoulders much of the blame. In 2006 and 2007, Francis appeared to be headed toward ace-dom, but this year he's taken several steps back. Coors Field doesn't explain away a 6.18 RA, and that's to say nothing of the fact that Francis has actually been worse on the road this season. Unless Francis can do a better job of spotting his off-speed stuff against right-handed hitters, he'll continue to struggle.
10. Trevor Hoffman, Padres
The master of the change-up is having a rough go of it in 2008. At this writing, Hoffman has a 4.86 RA, and that's despite having logged the majority of his innings in baseball's best park for pitchers. For a team as bad as the Padres (they're on pace for 101 losses), there are more than enough demerits to go around. With that said, it's clear that Hoffman's best days are behind him.
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