By season’s end, a ball club’s overall success or failure is usually based on the expectations placed upon it in early spring.
Some of April’s supposed powers proved to be underwhelming come September. Here are six teams which best fit that description.
6. Cleveland Indians
Nobody was catching the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central. The Tribe, which finished 13.5 games out in the divisional race, instead remained in the Wild Card hunt until the final week. That false hope, though, masked a season in which they far too often toed the line of mediocrity. Defending Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber regressed, posting a 9-16 mark despite striking out 245. The call-up of rookie Francisco Lindor on June 14 eventually got the Indians back into contention. But a losing record at home and an offense that ranked 18th in runs scored prevented Cleveland from gaining traction – spinning its wheels to an 81-80 finish.
5. Detroit Tigers
A mid-season injury to a player of Miguel Cabrera’s stature would hamper most clubs. The Tigers, however, should have been able to absorb it. The two-time MVP missed 43 games and was well below his usual power standards. His teammates picked up the slack at the plate. It’s on the mound where this Motor City bunch broke down. The temporary absence of Justin Verlander (starting the year on the DL) and the permanent departure of Max Scherzer (to Washington) was plainly visible. Detroit had the worst team earned run average in the American League and continued to be a disaster in late innings – an pertinent issue dating back to the playoffs last year.
4. Boston Red Sox
The negativity of 2015 gives way to optimism for 2016 in Boston. And no member of the Red Sox can make that claim more than their manager. John Farrell’s diagnosis of lymphoma in August forced him to step away from the team, but the recent announcement of remission will give him and his players peace of mind when spring training begins. In addition to the real-life distraction, there on-field factors that prevented the Sox from keeping pace with their AL East foes. Pitching was the primary culprit, as opponents batted .264 and the staff compiled an ERA of 4.24. The off-season addition of Pablo Sandoval, though, was a truly failed experiment.
DETROIT, MI – JULY 22: Pitcher Mike Montgomery #37 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after giving up a grand slam home run to Nick Castellanos #9 of the Detroit Tigers (not in photo) during the third inning of the game on July 22, 2015 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
3. Seattle Mariners
It seems crazy to think this was the chic pick to come out of the American League. Nelson Cruz, Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez alone aren’t enough to carry a team. Beyond this trio were several glaring weakness that held the M’s back to a 76-86 record and a fourth-place finish. Beyond King Felix, the rotation was suspect at best. Taijuan Walker had 11 wins, but a 4.56 ERA. J.A. Happ’s struggles got him shipped out of the Pacific Northwest. The bullpen was even worse – allowing 265 runs and 212 walks. Cruz and Cano collectively generated most of the offense – which doesn’t bode well when there needs to be seven other members of the batting order.
2. San Diego Padres
A.J. Preller went all in. The Pads’ GM made more deals than traders on Wall Street during the winter. Matt Kemp, Melvin Upton, Justin Upton, Wil Myers, James Shields, and Craig Kimbrel were just a few of the names acquired by San Diego in an effort to make some noise in the NL West. But the only noise made, it turns out, was a thud. While Kemp ended up with 100 RBI and Justin Upton tallied 26 homers, the Padres offense – for the most part – was barren. The team was dead last in both batting average (.243) and on-base percentage (.300), leaving its starting pitchers with many hard-luck decisions. Proof that winning the off-season sometimes gets you just 74 wins in the regular season.
1. Washington Nationals
Here now is the best example of why no prediction is guaranteed. Most had the Washington Nationals pinned to dominate the National League East. Many slotted them into the World Series. Instead, they watched the postseason from home after 83 wins – seven games the behind first place New York Mets. To no surprise, the incompetent managing skills of Matt Williams earned him a pink slip.
The Washington Nationals have fired manager Matt Williams. After a horrendous season, it was their only option http://t.co/3UMb6sVNI1
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) October 6, 2015
Bryce Harper – who will win his first NL MVP award, in spite of vast underachievement all around him – asked in Spring Training, “where’s my ring?” My guess is that it got lost in the team’s self-imposed dumpster fire.