THE WORST PLAYER IN BASEBALL

Using a top secret offensive stat that I will divulge later, I've compared all 165 players who qualified for the batting title this year. If your team has one of the guys listed below, he may be the reason the team isn't going anywhere.

10. Aubrey Huff (1b/dh-Detroit) .241/.310/.384
Huff had a massive collapse after hitting .304 with 32 homers and 108 RBI in Baltimore last season. Acquired by Detroit for the stretch drive, he batted .189 in 28 games as Detroit's starting DH. Detroit lost to Minnesota in a one-game playoff for the AL Central title. Here's one of your reasons why.

9. Melvin Mora (3b-Baltimore) .260/.321/.358
Well, he's 38 years old, that's his excuse. Mora managed only 28 extra base hits in 496 PA's, and looks about done.

8. Jhonny Peralta (3b/ss- Cleveland) .254/.316/.375
Peralta has no speed, middling power, and middling plate discipline. As a shortstop hitting 20 homers, he has value. As a third baseman hitting 11 homers in a full season, he helped Cleveland lose 97 games. He may be destined for a bench role.

7. Cristian Guzman (ss- Washington) .284/.306/.390
Another brilliant signing by the Nats, from back in the Jim Bowden days. The .284 average looks nice, but he drew 16 walks, was 4-for-9 stealing bases, and he only had 37 XBH's. That's as empty a .284 average as you're going to find.

6. Kaz Matsui (2b- Houston) .250/.302/.357
The Barry Larkin of Japan, or that's what the Mets thought they were getting in 2004. Kaz helped the Astros to 88 losses. He's become a decent base stealer, going 19-for-22 this season, and has an 86% success rate for his career, but that makes you a pinch runner, not a starting infielder.

5. Jason Kendall (c- Milwaukee) .241/.331/.305
Kendall is 35, and hasn't hit since he was a Pittsburgh Pirate. The brightest spot in his line is that he managed 17 HBP's. The Royals decided this was worth a 2-year contract, but that's why they're the Royals, innit?

4. David Eckstein (2b- San Diego) .260/.323/.334
Sometimes when an infielder can't hit, you can at least say his fielding makes up for it. That's not the case here. Eckstein can't play short anymore, and pretty soon he won't be able to play second. He's had a hell of a career for someone blessed with only a little more than Joe McEwing in the skills department.

3. Emilio Bonifacio (3b- Florida) .252/.303/.308
Florida decided to negate the advantage that Hanley Ramirez gives them, by playing a third baseman who hits like a triple-A shortstop. Bonifacio is basically a pinch running prospect who managed only 18 XBH's in a full season, and doesn't field particularly well either.

2. Edgar Renteria (ss- San Francisco) .250/.307/.328
Renteria left his glove in St. Louis and his bat in Atlanta. He's supposedly only 34, though one wonders when a Latino player craters in his early 30's. The Giants missed the wild card by 4 games; perhaps Renteria's 25 XBH's had something to do with that.

1. Yuniesky Betancourt (ss- Kansas City) .245/.274/.351
The Royals might have been better off playing Billy Butler at shortstop. Or George Brett. Even though he's 56 years old. Betancourt batted .245 and drew 21 walks. That's pretty damn awful. He does have a little bit of gap power... and you'd think he fields like Ozzie Smith to earn a starting job with that bat... but no. In the Yankees' organization he'd be a bench player at Scranton Wilkes-Barre.