The J.D. Drew signing looked so much better on paper...

Left Fielders

Jason Bay, Pittsburgh Pirates

Yes the Pirates stink, but that is nothing new so it doesn’t qualify as an excuse for Bay.  He will still come close to his runs batted in output from a season ago only furthering the fact that his team’s overall poorness does not excuse the across-the-board decreases.  Don’t be too alarmed by the stolen base drop as he only totaled 11 last year, so while the percentage is high, the actual production isn’t as significant.

Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox

Ramirez has even less of an excuse than Bay because his Red Sox have been excellent this season.  In fact, he will see of slight bump in runs batted in should he keep pace, though not proportionally when you consider he is scheduled to play 28 more games than he did a season ago.  That makes the home run fade even more alarming.

Center Fielders

Andruw Jones, Atlanta Braves

Jones secured his spot on this list pretty early in the season as his awful season has been well-documented everywhere.  The most surprising thing about it is that Jones is playing for his next contract.  He apparently didn’t contact Adrian Beltre to learn how that was done.  As with Sexson, Jones’ average has always been something you absorb to get the massive power, but this year’s .214 eliminates the benefits of an Ichiro Suzuki or Hanley Ramirez on the team.

Bill Hall, Milwaukee Brewers

Hall’s home run totals since he broke in have been: 1, 5, 9, 17 & 35.  Though each accompanied a rise in games played, one clearly stands out!  Sure, an injury has robbed of some games and he will play 18 less should he keep pace, but that doesn’t come close to explaining away the 65% drop in home run production.  Worse yet is that he even addressed his primary weakness from 2006: strikeouts.  He struck out 1.1 times per game played last year and brought it down to 0.9 this season.

Vernon Wells, Toronto Blue Jays

Wells got his fat contract from the Blue Jays before the 2007 season and apparently that was enough for him.  Ah, that was a cheapshot.  Wells is a tremendous player and one of my favorites, but he simply hasn’t gotten the job done this season.  Many were actually expecting him to improve upon his 32 home runs and 106 runs batted in from last year, instead he is pacing to drop almost 40% in home runs and another 12% in runs batted in.  His 17 steals were a boon last year, but even that area has seen a significant drop in 2007.

Right Fielders

Austin Kearns, Washington Nationals

Kearns is yet another guy on the list that is seeing massive drops in production despite the fact that he will likely play more games than he did in 2006.  Like Lopez, he did take full advantage of the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, but his problems across the board are still tough to swallow.

J.D. Drew, Boston Red Sox

You generally don’t expect to see two players from a team that holds baseball’s best record, but such is the case with the Boston Red Sox.  Their big free agent acquisition from the off-season has been a complete bust in every facet.  The 50% rise in stolen bases is actually just one more stolen base to his two from 2006.  His home run and runs batted in paces are downright pedestrian at eight and 61, respectively.

Questions and comments may be sent to Paul at paulsporer@sportsgrumblings.com