The 100 Worst Baseball Players Of All Time:

[adminbaberuth]

Some of my favorites:

http://deadspin.com/5820716/the-100-worst-baseball-players-of-all-time-a-celebration-part-1

[img]http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/deadspin/2011/07/01-mariomendoza.jpg[/img]. Mario Mendoza, 1974-1982 (Pirates/Mariners/Rangers)
Mario Mendoza is the bad player all other bad players are measured by. The Mendoza Line, a .200 average, has been the benchmark of failure for the legions of weak-hitting infielders who came after him. His career average was .215—making him the rare player for whom "lifetime .215 hitter" means he was better than you thought.

[img]http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/deadspin/2011/07/06-michaeljordan.jpg[/img]. Michael Jordan, 1994 (Birmingham Barons)
Some people might think walking into a AA ballpark at the age of 30, after not having played competitive baseball for a decade, and hitting .202 with 30 stolen bases is impressive. Not on a per-dollar basis: During Michael Jordan's baseball stint, Bulls/White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf continued to pay his basketball salary. That, along with the absurd standards Jordan set for himself in the NBA and the Veeckian nature of his endeavor, are enough to land His Airness on this list.

[img]http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/deadspin/2011/07/15-curt-blefary.jpg[/img]15. Curt Blefary, 1965-1972 (Orioles/Astros/Yankees/Padres/Athletics)
Curt Blefary was so bad defensively that his teammate Frank Robinson called him "Clank." (Robinson was a master at nicknames: he also christened the large Southerner Boog Powell "Crisco.") Blefary attempted first base, third base, catcher and the outfield—all to equally comic failure. He blamed the frequent position changes—attempts by managers to keep Blefary's bat in the lineup—for the offensive woes that descended upon him after a stellar rookie season.

[img]http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/deadspin/2011/07/20-butchhobson.jpg[/img] Butch Hobson, 1975-1982 (Red Sox/Angels/Yankees)
Butch Hobson was the Dante Bichette of his time. Playing for Boston in the late 1970s, Hobson hit for power but often more than negated the home runs with terrible defense. In 1978, he committed 43 errors at third base, making him the first player in over half a century to post a fielding percentage —.899—below .900. And yet somehow, according to advanced statistics, that wasn't even Hobson's worst defensive year. In 1981, his only season with the Angels, Hobson committed 17 errors in 83 games and demonstrated what might be described as negative range. Later, Hobson contributed a gem to the genre of minor league manager ejection videos. As manager of the Nashua Sounds, he pulled out the first base bag, carried it into the stands, and handed it to a little boy.
[flash=300,300]http://www.youtube.com/v/xtDReUIgVsY?version[/flash]

[img]http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/deadspin/2011/07/32-bob-kammeyer.jpg[/img] Bob Kammeyer, 1978-1979 (Yankees)
Bob Kammeyer gave up only eight runs pitching for the Yankees in 1979. Unfortunately, he never recorded an out, and ended the season with an earned run average of infinity. Infinity is only slightly worse than his 1978 ERA of 5.82.

[img]http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/deadspin/2011/07/35-aloysiusstanislaustravers.jpg[/img] The Reverend Aloysius Stanislaus Travers, 1912 (Tigers)
In May of 1912, a man named Claude Lueker, who had no hands, heckled Ty Cobb by calling the Georgia Peach—himself a renowned bigot—"half a ******." Cobb entered the stands and slugged Lueker repeatedly, ignoring the pleas of fans for him to stop beating up a man with no hands. When Cobb was suspended indefinitely for the assault, his Tigers teammates went on strike until Cobb was reinstated. To avoid paying hefty fines and forfeiting the next game, the Tigers had to find replacement players. Aloysius Travers was one of those replacements: a violist and college student, the not-yet priest was assistant manager of the St. Joseph's College baseball team. In his one major league appearance, Travers pitched a complete game, allowing 26 hits and 24 runs (only 14 earned).

[img]http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/deadspin/2011/07/42-crazyschmit.jpg[/img] Crazy Schmit, 1890-1901 (Cleveland Spiders/Orioles/Pittsburgh Alleghenys/New York Giants)
Before Terrell Owens and his pen, there was Crazy Schmit and his notebook. Schmit, a pitcher for the Cleveland Spiders, had a terribly bad memory. Legend has it that to overcome his forgetfulness, Schmit kept a notebook in his pocket full of what he considered to be opposing hitters' weaknesses, and consulted its contents while on the mound. Allegedly he once pulled out the notebook with Cap Anson (sometimes the story has it as Honus Wagner) at the plate, read aloud that the Anson's weakness was the base on balls, then proceeded to walk him. While we'll never know whether the notebook gambit was effective, we know that Schmit himself was not. He retired with a 5.45 ERA

[img]http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/deadspin/2011/07/67-caseycandaele.jpg[/img] Casey Candaele, 1986-1997 (Astros/Expos/Indians)
When we published a lighthearted remembrance of Casey Candaele on Pitchers & Poets, Candaele's brother wrote us an angry email. He didn't appreciate our tone. Well, how about this: Casey Candaele played nine seasons and hit fewer career home runs than Carlos Zambrano. On warm Sunday mornings, he liked to take batting practice naked. On team flights, he liked to ride food trays down the center aisle. There exists on the internet a loving but overwrought poem about Candaele entitled simply "Competent." Perhaps, but only barely.

[img]http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/deadspin/2011/07/69-kurtbevacqua.jpg[/img] Kurt Bevacqua, 1971-1985 (Padres/Royals/Rangers/Brewers/Indians/Pirates)
Kurt Bevacqua once called Tommy Lasorda a "fat little Italian." And while his career .236 average speaks well to how bad of a player he was, Lasorda's response spoke better. http://youtu.be/fzjWQF1oP2M

[shovel]

Interesting article and list. I was kinda surprised to see Jose Lima on the list, though I cant argue his inclusion. "Lima Time" was still fun. While not a fan of Casey Candaele, I'd take hime over Jim Pankovits. If you dont remember, Pankovits was a Astro utility player too, backing up Bill Doran at 2B. He was used as a pinch hitter and had about the same BA as Candaele. I mostly remember him for striking out, ground outs and pop flys to end the inning.