Worst Yankees of the Dynasty?

by nyyrocks29 on Nov 12, 2009 4:24 PM EST Comment 46 comments

There has been some talk on here recently about the best Yankees, and the "All Decade team". So I was wondering, what are the worst Yankees of, not the decade, but the dynasty? I'm speaking about 1996-2009. The start of the Joe Torre era until now. Who are the worst players to put on pinstripes in that time? It's all opinion, and there are a lot of different things that could go into it. They could have just been a god awful player. Or they could have had a crappy attitude. Or maybe you just don't like the guy. There have been some great teams since then, but every team has some awful players, and some of those teams (2004-2008) had some players with awful attitudes, and people that just couldn't be liked. So, I was interested in knowing, who is the worst, or your least favorite, Yankee since 1996?

0 recs | Comment 46 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Robinson Cano

I didn’t really have an opinion either way about him until the playoffs this year. For me, he used to be the guy that couldn’t hit with men on base, but the box said he hit over .300, so I figured he might have been getting hits when I wasn’t looking. But the playoffs really showed an annoying side of him. It’s one thing to struggle, but it’s another to look dispassionate and almost bored while doing it. I mean Nick Swisher struggled, but at least you can tell that he was trying. Robinson Cano just looked like he could care less about what happens at his at-bat, like he knows he’s getting paid regardless. And after he strikes out after swinging at anything, he gets this smug look on him like he just hit a homer or something.

Anyway, there are worse Yankees that annoy me, but he’s the most recent so he’s still at the tip of my brain. And of course, there are worse Yankees in terms of actual performance, not personal bias.

by Peppered on Nov 12, 2009 5:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ever notice that when he gets hits he has the same countenance.

Expecting people to blow up and bitch and cry when they make outs is ridiculous. Not everybody can be Paul O’Neill. Jeter has the same expression when he grounds out or strikes out as when he knocks a hit to rf. People’s hatred of Cano for stupid reasons is mystifying and shortsighted.

Strikeouts are boring- Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.

by CasanovaWong on Nov 12, 2009 6:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

+1

"We're only going to score 17 points?"

by Edgware on Nov 12, 2009 6:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You're totally right...

a second baseman with a career BA of .306 is so awful. Easily the worst player in the past 13 years on this team.

by Wraithpk on Nov 12, 2009 6:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sigh

Ugh, I can’t win.

by Peppered on Nov 12, 2009 7:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

When you make poorly thought out comments, you won’t.

by Wraithpk on Nov 12, 2009 8:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

last attempt

The guy who started the topic said to put guys that you thought sucked as a yankee or just yankees that you didn’t like. The players listed below are the former: guys, like Farnsworth, who sucked as a yankee and whose numbers can be objectically judged. Cano, for me, falls under the latter part. He’s just not my type of player. It’s not meant to be a statistical argument but a subjective choice, a personal bias at its worst.

Do I think he sucks? No. I wouldn’t trade him and he could be very good in the future. Do I like him? No. Not personally, I’m sure he’s a nice person, but I wouldn’t want him up with RISP.

There, that’s my piece. I don’t really want to have to defend my argument for disliking Cano all night, I don’t dislike him that much.

Let’s just pile on Farnsworth, it’s way more fun.

by Peppered on Nov 12, 2009 8:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

+1

I think the whole thread deserves a -1.

If were doing an All decade Worst team…why put who you ‘hate’ in there? Leaves it open to this.

"It ain't over till its over"---

by FreeBradshaw on Nov 12, 2009 8:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Thank you!

Geez, I was dying in here. The topic had multiple criteria and I followed it and suddenly, I’m getting skewered.

by Peppered on Nov 12, 2009 8:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

mmm... shishkabobs...

by Wraithpk on Nov 12, 2009 11:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'll give you some support

and say I dislike Cano’s baserunning. He seems to be the only Yankee that doesn’t know how to hustle down the first base line like his ass was on fire. Even Molina tries harder to get to first, from what I’ve seen.

by phonty on Nov 13, 2009 9:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Carl Pavano, Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson

Never particularly liked Sheffield but at least he produced . . .

Farnsworth

Ransom

by holycowboy on Nov 12, 2009 5:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Johnson at least won a lot of games

Didn’t he win like 17 games one year and 18 another? He produced too, although I never liked him.

Farnsworthless and Ransom……… Oh my god they are awful. Where is Farnsworthless now?

by nyyrocks29 on Nov 12, 2009 5:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Royals

Where he gave Juan Miranda and the Yankees their 15th walk off win a week before the playoffs.

Thanks for the pie, Kyle!

by Peppered on Nov 12, 2009 5:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Wang

He’s obviously not the worst or even one of them, but he has a habit of winning a ton of games in the season, making me think of the world of him, then inexplicably blowing up at the playoffs. Wow, did I want to throw something at him during the Indians series.

by Peppered on Nov 12, 2009 5:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Love a guy because he's great during the season then hate him

because he has a bad couple games later in the season. Makes sense.

Strikeouts are boring- Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.

by CasanovaWong on Nov 12, 2009 6:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

WOW!

Cano and CM Wang…as the worst of the decade.

Just wow man….

Unless your left your /sarcasm button off…I just gotta say your 100% wrong.

If you only count playoff performance…you could’ve just thrown everyone but Jeter under the bus and said their the worst of the decade, cuz most of them haven’t done all that good.

"It ain't over till its over"---

by FreeBradshaw on Nov 12, 2009 6:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Let me qualify that

Read above – “Or they could have had a crappy attitude. Or maybe you just don’t like the guy.”

I didn’t say it was rational. They’re obviously not the worst of the decade, but the criteria above qualified subjective choices and it can’t get anymore subjective than I hate Cano cause he looks smug.

And lastly, I’m not the type to give up on my teams. I’ll cheer on Wang and Cano at every at bat at every game no matter what. I mean I’m a Nets fan, even this season, for goodness sake. Anyway, its a personal annoyance, which I’m allowed.

by Peppered on Nov 12, 2009 6:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I didn't really read dude's thread...

so I guess your right in what you said.

I just read the thread title and a few sentences after that…so I didn’t know this was going to be a (least)popularity contest or whatever.

I mean if your gonna do an opposite of the “all decade team”…then I don’t know how whether you like a player matters.

"It ain't over till its over"---

by FreeBradshaw on Nov 12, 2009 7:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You must've been one of the CC can't start in the playoffs guys

"We're only going to score 17 points?"

by Edgware on Nov 12, 2009 6:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

No, I'm really not

holy crap, I’m sounding more and more like an asswipe with every post.

I’m a CC fan by the way, liked him as an indian, liked the signing, liked the season, liked the playoffs, liked the 3 days rest.

The Wang dislike is just painful bitterness at the Indians series and the Cano dislike, I don’t know, it’s his face or something. Irrational? Very. But the guy said to post who I disliked, so there you go.

by Peppered on Nov 12, 2009 6:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

There's the "A-Rod is a playoffs choker" mentality

and Wang’s sample size is even smaller.

by Scooby Snacks on Nov 12, 2009 7:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Carl Pavano takes the cake

Need I say more?

by ROCNation on Nov 12, 2009 5:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

nope

thats what I would have said. I HATE Carl Pavano!!!!

Enrique Wilson was pretty bad too, but at least he could hit Pedro Martinez. That has to count for something.

by nyyrocks29 on Nov 12, 2009 6:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Kei Igawa

Winningest pitcher in SWB Yankees history!

by bluecheese999 on Nov 12, 2009 6:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Only because you must not remember Kei Igawa clearly.

"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."

by jscape2000 on Nov 12, 2009 6:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oops! That’s supposed to be in reply to Pavano above.

"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."

by jscape2000 on Nov 12, 2009 8:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Blame the scouts for overvaluing Igawa

Pavano took an exorbitantly-paid four-year vacation after signing with the Yankees. Look what he did with CLE/MIN this past season. I still hate him but he’s shown he can be an effective pitcher when he wants to.

by Scooby Snacks on Nov 12, 2009 8:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Is he really?

do they have a plaque for him down there? lol

I also hear he blew the playoffs for Scranton this year too. Like, wasted a great performance by IPK in the final round and lost the series.

by nyyrocks29 on Nov 12, 2009 6:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Here we go...

Carl Pavano
Kenny Rogers
Felix Heredia
Juan Acevedo
Jay Witasick
Gabe White
Travis Lee
Esteban Loaiza
Kevin Brown
Farnsworth

I could do this all day, but that’s a good start. If I could, I would punch Heredia and Acevedo in the face every single day for the rest of my life.

by New York Sports Jerk on Nov 12, 2009 6:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

who was Juan Acevedo again?

don’t remember him all that well.

Agree with the rest of your list though. Those “lefty specialists” that Joe Torre was obsessed with, that failed EVERY TIME!!!!! I think Heredia was worse than White, but they were both just awful

by nyyrocks29 on Nov 12, 2009 6:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Honestly

I don’t even remember half those guys. All I recognize are Pavano, Rogers, Brown, and Farnsworth. I agree they were all busts in NY, and then went on to pitch well (Pavano and Rogers, at least) for other teams. I guess I’d rather forget the mediocre disappointments and remember the major ones.

by phonty on Nov 13, 2009 9:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

add Hideki Irabu to that list...Wade Boggs sucked too

by aliasalias on Nov 13, 2009 4:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

my picks...

Pavano, Farnsworth, Irabu, Loaiza, Weaver (the sucky one)

by Wraithpk on Nov 12, 2009 6:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Miguel Cairo

I know he wasn’t that bad. But I had the (mis)fortune to go to an ALCS game in THAT year. And he screwed up a rally. Which made me hate him. Permanently.

"Son, Nobody is half as good as Mickey Mantle"

by ntrokel on Nov 12, 2009 7:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Carl Pavano and it's not even close

There were lot of other former- “hated” Yankees that have come and gone but at least they tried to compete. This guy didn’t even try.

by Scooby Snacks on Nov 12, 2009 7:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

My 2 Cents

This thread is just…wrong, for lack of a word. The original poster should have left out the “you just randomly hate people because you can’t think of a good reason” bit because from what I’m reading from a few these posters, half of these people were/are actually pretty good. (like Wang…and Cano) However, as much as I want to, I’m not going to comment on the stupidity of the original post’s “criteria” or those really head-scratching replies…

As for me, Kei Igawa really stands out. I saw one flash of brillance when he was pitching against the Giants once…then he just imploded. Carl Pavano, I don’t think I ever actually saw him pitch in pinstripes, so I can’t really judge (go figure).

I liked Farny…until he decided to give up home run after home run. I couldn’t even defend his ass anymore after that. I was probably his only fan up ’til that point.

Probably the worst ones are the ones we don’t even bother remember.

by jigglytuffy on Nov 12, 2009 11:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Maybe I didn't word it right

I’m not a writer. I’m sorry if I used a stupid criteria. The point was to see what people thought were the worst Yankees of the the last bunch of years. The definition of “worst” is up to you. I said that a bunch of different reasons could go into it. I didn’t really try to set any criteria. Sorry if I confused people.

by nyyrocks29 on Nov 13, 2009 2:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think we’ve had a lot of “bad” players come through, but we have had plenty of those that have turned out to be major disappointments. Kei Igawa and X Nady are probably the best recent examples of that. Jose Canseco? Why haven’t I seen his name one here? The guy is a jackass and probably brought roids into the clubhouse (yeah a bold claim but hey). Mondesi and Rondell White, while good players, were absolutely subpar for what we were paying them. Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens… Top pitchers of the 90’s who were arguably complete duds in pinstripes. Those are just people I can think of off the top of my head.

by ekwfan6 on Nov 13, 2009 1:55 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Wow....

Just wow at some of the names being thrown under the bus. I’m almost speechless.

Here’s my list:
Pavano (hey, I still had hope for him when he made a couple starts in 2008 and didn’t look too bad. I’m not surprised he pitched well for the Twins, although I am glad he got beaten in the playoffs by the Yanks)

Like someone said before, a lot of relief pitchers, most notably Farnsworth. I’d throw Proctor in there as well, cause I remember him blowing way too many games/situations. Maybe the numbers don’t support it but I was always nervous with Proctor/Farnsworth pitching.

I’m standing by Randy Johnson, though I admit he didn’t live up to the Cy Young expectations we had for him. He gave us more quality starts than AJ has, and we all love AJ, right?

Clemens was great for us with the exception of the year he came out of retirement and announced during a game that he was returning. Won a Cy Young with us, didn’t he? I felt bad for him, a little, that he got left out of the Yankee Stadium tribute thing at the end of the 2008 season. He helped us win some championships, not cool to leave him out like that.

I’ll put Kevin Brown on my list, as well as Kei Igawa (overhyped, I agree).

I don’t hate any players. I’ve been disappointed in them, but can’t think of any others that I would say were the “worst” statistically in the last 14 years.

One last note: Besides removing the qualifier of “hated or you just don’t like” also define dynasty. If we’re going by WS Rings, one dynasty ended after 2000 and we’re just working on a separate one now. This might be more aptly named: The All Decade Worst Yankee list.

by phonty on Nov 13, 2009 9:31 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

How about

worst regular players/pitchers, as opposed to worst signings. I agree with Pavano, Igawa, etc, as bad signings. But how about the worst ones that made the team, and continued to underperform for at least one season, with bonus points for disapointing for 2+?. Plus seperate list for those that did well but stunk in October?

Thoughts are regular season:
Position players: Mondesi , Rondell White, Farnsworth, Knoblauch, Tony Womack
Pitchers: Weaver, Farnsworth, Irabu, Vazquez, Contreras, Quantrill, Heredia, Neagle, Kenny Rogers

Thoughts are post season: Soriano, R. Johnson, Brown, Cano, Kenny Rogers (both for stinking w/ the Yankees and looing like Cy Young with Detroit), Sheffield

Matsui would have made the post season list before the 2009 post season, but that’s not happening now.

by coops2001 on Nov 13, 2009 1:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I thought Matsui had been great

in the postseason for the Yanks. I’m not completely sure. I don’t know the numbers. But he was one of the only people hitting in games 4-7 of the ‘04 ALCS. Hasn’t he done a good job before this year too?

by nyyrocks29 on Nov 13, 2009 2:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Matsui

Has always been fairly reliable, regardless of it being post-season or regular season. I would have thought A-Rod would have been on that list more so than Mat before the 2009 post-season for “obvious” reasons…

Besides two key hits, my man Tex was just as bad as Cano. But I wouldn’t go as far as to call either one of them the “worst”.

by jigglytuffy on Nov 13, 2009 3:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

JAVIER

VAZQUEZ

Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/KingHenrikBB
OR ELSE

by KingHenrik on Nov 13, 2009 3:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Anybody remember

Paul Quantrell,he threw so slow.Got lucky the first half of the two seasons he played and Torre road him as the set up guy every night after.Yanks would play a good game and he would come in and give away the lead.Man those bullpens were bad until Mo got in.

by cashman bashman on Nov 13, 2009 5:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

No one

that’s passed through the Yankee Universe between 1996 and 2009 deserves the undying enmity of the Yankee masses more than Kevin Brown. Nothing speaks more to the utter disdain that most everyone had for him than the fact that when he was removed from Game 7 of the ALCS in 2004 neither Joe Torre nor anyone said one word to him or patted him on the back. It was so appropriate. I don’t think his teamates ever viewed him as one of them. It was like they did not know him at all and therefore had no reason to offer any comforting or encouraging words. This championship helps erase some of the bad memories from that historic meltdown. I never was one of those Yankee fans that never wanted to see Boston win a WS. I hate them but not that much. But to lose to Boston in that way was so tough. In many ways Boston was a better team so if they had won in a manner that’s common to most playoff series, which is win one, lose one, win one, lose one etc..I’d have accepted it albeit not easily. To lose in that way is without a doubt the worst memory I’ve ever had as a New York Sports fan. Only one thing would’ve eclipsed it and I thank God that it did not happen. If the Rangers had lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 1994 I’m not sure I’d have ever gotten over it. That’s the only time in my life I’ve ever equated winning with my being able to survive as a human being and not jump off a bridge. If anyone believes God does not exist they need only refer to that Game as proof that God exists and is merciful.

by chambliss76 on Nov 17, 2009 6:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs