Who were/are baseball's WORST fielders?

[Dodgerfan1]

There have been many major leaguers who have something in common with Michael Jackson. They wore a glove on one hand for no apparent reason. These guys couldn't catch a cold if they were soul-kissed by someone with tuberculosis in the middle of the flu season! One of my favorite all-time baseball quotes came from Pirates pitcher Joe Trimble in 1952 who, upon watching a wind-blown candy wrapper settle in the glove of the Yankees' Nick Etten, who had laid his glove in foul ground near the first base bag, quipped, ""Nick Etten's glove fields better with Nick Etten out of it."

Now, I wouldn't put Etten anywhere near the top of my list of all-time bad fielders. There have been much worse.

Who was the worst fielder you ever saw? I can't honestly say I think Dick Stuart is the worst fielding first baseman ever because I never saw him play, but from everything I've read, this guy was to fielding what Etch-a-Sketch is to art! I mean, can nicknames like 'Dr. Strangeglove', 'Stonefingers' (inspired by a James Bond movie of almost the same name) and 'Clank' (the nickname his teammates preferred) possibly be wrong?

I also never got a chance to experience the heinous 'skills' of Babe Herman, Pete Browning or Hector Lopez, but I've heard tell.....

Among those I have seen, I think I can honestly say that Bobby Bonilla is almost in a class by himself. Oh, there were probably worse. He's just the one I fondly remember as consistently throwing to the wrong base and playing every ground ball like it was a charging bull. It either gored him or... OLE! I recall one game (when he was a Dodger - GASP!) when he misplayed a popup into a double, threw the ball away at third on the very next play trying to nail the runner at third and failed to act as a cutoff man on the very NEXT play, allowing the runner he allowed on third to score. And that was just ONE INNING! Dude was born with DH tattooed on his forehead!

Yes, yes, I know... Butch Hobson was worse. No... Pete Incaviglia was worse. No, no... Jose Offerman was worse.

I saw them all and, trust me, they were ALL worse!

Who are some of your favorite butter fingers in the field? Guys who weren't really fielders but just played one on TV?

This is not a poll. Just askin'.....

[PopTop]

You already mentioned one on my list, Incaviglia. One of the funniest things I've seen at a ballpark was a group of Rangers fans out in the left field bleachers at the old stadium there in Arlington took one of those big foam rubber #1 hands, cut the index finger down and drew/painted on it to make it look like a big mitt. And when Inky would trot out to left field, they'd hold this thing up and yell for Pete to come get it and use it Incaviglia was real classy and laughed at it, even talked to the fans a little bit.

[Old Sweater]

Pedro Guerrero, even by his own admittance.

[Dodgerfan1]

Originally Posted by Old Sweater

Pedro Guerrero, even by his own admittance.

I once saw a mock interview in which Tom Lasorda was 'interviewing' Pedro Guerrero. I don't have transcripts, but it went almost exactly like this...

Lasorda: "With me now is Pedro Guerrero. I've got him playing third base this season, and so far he doesn't like it. Pedro, tell me, what are you thinking about out there at third base?"

Guerrero: "I am thinking don't hit the ball to me."

Lasorda: "Is that all??"

Guerrero: (after a moment of thought) "I am also thinking don't hit the ball to Steve Sax, too!"

[VIBaseball]

Joel Youngblood was a good outfielder with a strong arm. But when the Giants stuck him at third base for the 1984 season, he fielded .887 with 36 errors.

Lonnie Smith's nickname "Skates" appears to have been earned when he was suffering his substance-abuse problems.

The experiment with Todd Hundley in left field was one of the worst fish-out-of-water things I've ever seen.

[Dodgerfan1]

Originally Posted by VIBaseball

Joel Youngblood was a good outfielder with a strong arm. But when the Giants stuck him at third base for the 1984 season, he fielded .887 with 36 errors.

Lonnie Smith's nickname "Skates" appears to have been earned when he was suffering his substance-abuse problems.

The experiment with Todd Hundley in left field was one of the worst fish-out-of-water things I've ever seen.

Speaking of Giant third basemen, I also saw Darrell Evans at third for SF. A bull in a china shop. When he'd trot off the field, the groundskeepers had to drag the infield two or three times again just to remove the divets and cover the blood. There were more craters around third base than there were on Evans' face. I remember fans jokingly referring to him as Darrell E-5ans.

[RuthMayBond]

Originally Posted by Dodgerfan1

Speaking of Giant third basemen, I also saw Darrell Evans at third for SF. A bull in a china shop. When he'd trot off the field, the groundskeepers had to drag the infield two or three times again just to remove the divets and cover the blood. There were more craters around third base than there were on Evans' face. I remember fans jokingly referring to him as Darrell E-5ans.

I would have given him the Gold Glove in at least 1974 AND 1978

[KCGHOST]

Let's not forget Jose Canseco.

[Dodgerfan1]

Originally Posted by KCGHOST

Let's not forget Jose Canseco.

(Quick: Someone needs to insert the pic of a ball bouncing off ole Jose's noggin' here....)

[Westlake]

I'd say Manny Ramirez is the worst fielder in today's game.

[SoxSon]

Originally Posted by Westlake

I'd say Manny Ramirez is the worst fielder in today's game.

While I understand the inclination to name him such, I'd have to disagree. He has a strong arm, and I'd count that in his favor.

Speaking of debacles in Fenway's left field, though, how's Lastings Milledge doing these days?

[Westlake]

Originally Posted by SoxSon

While I understand the inclination to name him such, I'd have to disagree. He has a strong arm, and I'd count that in his favor.

Speaking of debacles in Fenway's left field, though, how's Lastings Milledge doing these days?

A couple things...

Is a player's arm included in rating whether he is a good or bad 'fielder'? When you think of a 5-tool player, fielding and arm are seperate, aren't they?

And I don't really think Manny has a strong arm. I think his assist totals are inflated because SO many people run on him. I have seen him make many good throws to nail runners at home, but I wouldn't call his arm any better than average. But I understand others see it differently.

[SoxSon]

Originally Posted by Westlake

A couple things...

Is a player's arm included in rating whether he is a good or bad 'fielder'? When you think of a 5-tool player, fielding and arm are seperate, aren't they?

And I don't really think Manny has a strong arm. I think his assist totals are inflated because SO many people run on him. I have seen him make many good throws to nail runners at home, but I wouldn't call his arm any better than average. But I understand others see it differently.

You make a good point, Westlake. Defense and arm quality are often looked at separately (in regards to 5-tool), though in the real world, that doesn't make much sense. If the arm isn't counted, then you have a real argument about Manny.

You're also right about Manny's assist totals, but I'm not basing my feeling on his arm on that. Manny has a nice, quick release when he's throwing, and I think he has above average strength, too. I'd actually like to see him do some throwing from right field, just to evaluate it better.

[Dodgerfan1]

Originally Posted by SoxSon

You make a good point, Westlake. Defense and arm quality are often looked at separately (in regards to 5-tool), though in the real world, that doesn't make much sense. If the arm isn't counted, then you have a real argument about Manny.

You're also right about Manny's assist totals, but I'm not basing my feeling on his arm on that. Manny has a nice, quick release when he's throwing, and I think he has above average strength, too. I'd actually like to see him do some throwing from right field, just to evaluate it better.

Jose Canseco had a cannon for an arm, but I don't see anyone disputing his inclusion on this list of worst fielders.... Just my two cents. To be honest, I've never really seen him make that many bad plays in the OF, just that famous ball-off-the-noggin clip that was played to death.

[Elvis]

Doink!

[Dodgerfan1]

Originally Posted by Elvis

Doink!

THANK YOU, ELVIS!!!!!! ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS!!

[Westlake]

Now if I could only find a picture of Manny cutting Damon's throw off in left center...

[BoSox Rule]

Jeter is probably the worst defensive SS with significant time.

[hellborn]

Originally Posted by Dodgerfan1

Jose Canseco had a cannon for an arm, but I don't see anyone disputing his inclusion on this list of worst fielders.... Just my two cents. To be honest, I've never really seen him make that many bad plays in the OF, just that famous ball-off-the-noggin clip that was played to death.

I saw Canseco play a game in Old Comiskey in one of his first two seasons. We were in the RF bleachers and had a pretty good view. Grass was a little wet from earlier rain. Early in the game, Greg Walker hit a liner to Jose on a couple of bounces, it skimmed right past him without so much as nipping the glove. Canseco jogged nonchalantly out to the wall and heaved the ball in the vague direction of the IF, Walker (who was godawful slow) ends up on 3rd. Later, in the game, Walker hit a long fly out by the wall in RF...we couldn't see the play at the wall due to our position, but we saw the ball and Jose headed towards the wall, heard a huge crash, and then saw the ball trickling back off the wall and no Jose. The A's CF retrieved it, Walker gets 3rd again. Both scored as 3B, I think, but both horrible plays (I saw the replay of the 2nd one on TV and Jose misplayed the ball AND had no idea of where the wall was).
I think that Jose had the tools to be an outstanding OF, but just didn't give a damn. Incaviglia had the same attitude and no tools. Luzinski was pitiful in the OF all around. Brian Dayett was atrocious. Giambi may be the worst 1B I've seen. I have memories of Sixto Lezcano looking really bad at 3B.

[Solair Wright]

George Bell, Toronto Blue Jays alumni, was a terrible outfielder, and that is no opinion. He'd make about 9 or 11 errors, with as high as 15 errors in 1988. He was an OF/DH, but I think he'd be better off as a DH. He had a .964 fielding percentage, which is not very good.

He's a good hitter though, but fielding is his Achilles' Heel.

[Elvis]

Towards the end of his career Reggie Jackson was almost exclusively a DH, but every now and then I remember the Angels used him in the outfield. He was awful.

[Paul McCartney]

Jason Giambi comes to my mind. Especially as of late, he looks very uncomfortable at first base and is a liability on even the most routine plays.

[Dodgerfan1]

I think Mike Piazza may just be the worst catcher ever. Offerman really was 'awful, man' at short, and any of you elder Pirate fans ever get a chance to see Rennie Stennett play second base? He made Chuck Knoblauch and Steve Sax look like Maz.

[Paul McCartney]

Originally Posted by BoSox Rule

Jeter is probably the worst defensive SS with significant time.

Advanced fielding statistics do make him look pretty bad, although I read that he has really improved in the past couple seasons. Many fans think of him as a god at shortstop because of his famed "Web Gems" and Gold Gloves.

[mojorisin71]

I'd have to say Jose Awfulman. I cringed every time he went for the ball.