Question: most disappointing player ever

[E.Banks#14]

How about Benny Kauff? He was suppossed to be the "Ty Cobb" of the Federal League, but when he entered the majors not much materialzed for him. I think he also had some other troubles out side of baseball that got hiim kicked out, but my memory isn't clear on the details now.

Funny, just before reading this post, I read Bill James's commentary on him (he's ranked 94 on James's all-time center fielders list).

John McGraw said,

Benny Kauff is an excellent type of the man who comes into baseball without mental training and who could never grasp the idea of trying to find his faults instead of trying to hide them.

In 1914, after signing with the New York Giants, National League President John Tener said he didn't approve the signing and that Kauff wouldn't be allowed to play. He didn't want to raid the Federal League Teams. So he played the next season in the Federal League again. The league then broke up and McGraw again signed Kauff. In 1918, he spent half the season fighting WWI, and in 1920, Kenesaw Landis kicked him out of baseball after he was allegedly involved in a fraud and automobile theft ring led by his brother. He was acquitted of the charges but Landis never let him back in.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I guess he had a decent career, but nothing compared to what he could have had, same with Gooden. Both were easy Hall of Famers if they werent all doped up.

Gooden's main problem was not drugs but blatant overuse at an early age. He threw a tremendous amount of innings for a young pitcher.

Age 19-218.0 IP
Age 20-276.7 IP
Age 21-250.0 IP
Age 22-179.7 IP
Age 23-248.3 IP
age 24-118.3 IP
Age 25-232.7 IP

The Mets destroyed his arm.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

How about fomer Cal League pitcher Steve Dalkowski. Legend was he could throw 120 mph but he drank like a horse and had numerous women involved in his life. A very interesting story. He was voted one of the greatest 100 baseball players ever without playing in a major league game

Dalkowski was never destined to be a major league pitcher. He had a recorded IQ of about 60. In Bill James' Manager's book he talks about Dalkowski in the Earl Weaver section. Weaver gave him an IQ test and he immediately knew the problem. All the constant "coaching" by managers ans coaches just confused Dalkowski. So Weaver simplified his approach and told Dalkowski to just throw his fastball and curveball and nothing else. And he told him to THROW STRIKES over and over and over. His improvement was remarkable. He had some great seasons under Weaver.

I doubt he could actually throw 120 MPH, but for sure over a 100 MPH.

[Jermz]

Tally up some votes from this poster for...

-Ben Grieve
-Shawn Estes
-Bob Hamelin
-Marty Cordova

[Solair Wright]

I'm surprised nobody said Greg Briley yet. He had one standout season in 1989 with the Mariners, then everything else fell apart. He was with the Marlins in 1993, then he was released afterwards, and never played major league baseball again.

[ballparks]

Sparky Anderson said that Torey Lovallo was the best prospect that he'd ever seen.

[leecemark]

--Sparky said that about somebody every spring. It was kind of a tradition with him. The other half of the tradition was he was always wildly exagerrating.

[wamby]

When thinking of the Indians these names jump out

Alex Cole
Jaret Wright
Russell Branyan
Kenny Lofton (after he returned from Atlanta)
Jack McDowell

[johnny]

Jeff Cirillo-M's killer

Well, to be fair he wasn't the only reason the M's fell off but damn he wasn't helping things.
First off, when he came over to play third base (very decent glove) he had like a career .300 plus Batting Average. Okay, I know that he hit in more hitting friendly parks than Safeco Field, but no one was asking him to be a power hitter or even match those great numbers in 2000 in which he hit in 115 RBIs and hit .326. Would it have been too much to expect something in the high .280's or so? Instead, he promptly starts hitting like .250 and then .205 or so. :grouchy His fielding drops and before you know it he is down in Tacoma playing minor league ball on assignment. I am sure injury must have had something to do with it but he fell off the table so quick. Once the hitting h went it seemed his fielding suffered.

Now he is back with the Brewers and making a comeback of sorts. Hope it works out for him.

[futurehalloffamer]

Josh Hamilton

Crazy to consider how much he's accomplished in the almost 8 years since this was posted!

[bluesky5]

Joe Pepitone immediately springs to mind.
Why isn't this in the history forum?

[Herr28]

Joe Pepitone immediately springs to mind.
Why isn't this in the history forum?

Maybe we should just start a new one and post a list of these previous names here with a link so our fellow posters can check out the old thread? I can think of a BUNCH of (censored) disappointing players over my many moons watching the Cardinals! Oh man, it is making me mad thinking of them!

[ol' aches and pains]

Ron Kittle and Joe Crede for me. Both forced out of the game by injuries.

[StanTheMan]

Bill James created the "Clint Hartung Award" for the most promising/prominent young player of the decade who didn't pan out or flamed out badly... Just as Hartung did. Brilliant as a pitcher AND hitter early in his career, later not good at either one.

[rsuriyop]

Matt Bush, the Padres' former #1 draft pick (1st overall) from 2004. Couldn't even make the majors. Instead landed in jail.