Off the top of your head, can you name...?

Question

...Some players who have absolutely just lost it?

Clay Buchholz and his atrocious pitching this season just had me thinking...going into the season, people were calling him "Better than Joba Chamberlain", "The next big thing", etc. And look how that turned out.

I know there's tons more guys like Clay Buchholz (whether they're pitchers, hitters or fielders) but can you name some players who have absolutely just "lost it"?

And they have to have had something TO lose...so don't pick guys who were awful from the very get-go. They can be pitchers, fielders, hitters, whoever you want. And they can be current or retired players.

Answer 1

Andruw Jones

Travis Haffner

Dontrelle Willis

Phil Hughes

Ian Kennedy (one may question whether Hughes and Kennedy had anything to lose)

Richie Sexson

Melky Carbrera

Erik Bedard

Barry Zito (although he is pitching better lately)

Answer 2

Andruw Jones

Dontrelle Willis

a name from the past,,anyone remember Jerome Walton???

Answer 3

I say Andruw Jones. I remember him as a Brave being the superstar, the next big outfielder. He signed this big contract with the Dodgers and he has done nothing!  It's pathetic really.  I hope he comes back next year with a bang.

Answer 4

Cleveland Indians

Answer 5

Dontrelle Willis and Barry Zito

but i barely follow any team besides the red sox, and the yankees but only cuz their the sox rivals. but i agree with u, Clay Buchholz is just terrible right now. 2.1 innings and like 6 runs allowed? i mean come on i cudprobablyy do better then that and I'm 15!

Answer 6

Travis Hafner

Answer 7

Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy bombed for the yankees.

Bucholz is pitching terribly because the coaches down at pawtucket told him to switch his arm slot and gain better command at his fastball. Well its not exactly working out.

Answer 8

Richie Sexton

Robinson Cano

  

The Yankees as a team!!

Answer 9

Barry Zito and Andruw Jones

Answer 10

Andruw Jones, Mike Sweeney, Nomar Garciaparra, Mike Lamb, Shannon Stewart, Boof Bonser, Dontrelle Willis, Jacque Jones, Barry Bonds, Eric Gagne, Mark Mulder, Mike Hampton, Mark Prior...

Answer 11

johney damon and livan hernandez

Answer 12

Andruw Jones & Richie Sexson come to mind.

Gary Sheffield and Paul Konerko too, but that might be attributed more to injury.

Answer 13

Adrian Beltre, Richie Sexson and Barry Zito

All these guys were great players and they lost it.

Answer 14

First one that comes to mind is Rick Ankiel

Then there' Dontrelle Willis, Juan Guzman, Wilson Alvarez

Edit: How 'bout Chuck Knoblach?  No I didn't look it up, it just came to me.

Answer 15

So, because Buchholz had 4 good games to start his career, that means he, "had something TO lose"?  Many young pitchers struggle with adjusting to the Big Leagues.  How is Phil Hughes doing?  Does the fact that they both have had poor seasons mean they won't succeed in the future?  Tom Glavine lead the NL in loses his first full season as a starter.  John Smoltz had very similar numbers to Buchholz in his first full season.  Mike Pelfrey and Gavin Floyd both had very similar seasons to Buchholz last year.  How are they both faring this season?  I wouldn't say that Buchholz has, "lost it" as you say.  I would say he is a 24 year old pitcher that needs time to mature both physically and mentally before he is ready to contribute on the major league level.  

How you get 9 stars for such an inane comment shows the utter ignorance of most of those who answered this question.

Answer 16

Travis Hafner. He hit 42 homeruns two years ago and since then he hasn't hit very much at all.

Answer 17

Edwin Encarcion third baseman of the Reds with 18 errors.  Ugh

!!

Answer 18

Andrew Jones and Gary Matthews JR.

I mean what happen they go to Southern California and just lost it

Answer 19

Carl Pavano definately even tho he is coming back soon.  

Answer 20

Dontrelle Willis and Barry Zito

Answer 21

The number one poster child on this is Ken Griffey Jr.  Recall that he was a part of the ALL TIME team AS AN ACTIVE PLAYER (along with Ted Williams, Ernie Banks, etc) and now you'd have trouble putting him on an all star roster in any of the years since that happened?  If you asked anyone to line up players in MLB from best to worst you'd go a long way before uttering Jr's name.  Granted, he's had some milestones and he's also had injuries .... but "All Time" team????  Unless your name is Tiger Woods, don't put anyone's name on an "All time" roster until he's through playing.  Tiger has already wrapped up his credentials.... Junior was just a projected "All Timer"  

Answer 22

Rick Ankiel lost it as a pitcher and never gained it back - except as an outfielder. The Cards bullpen can't throw strikes and have blown 27 saves. There's 2 right there.

Answer 23

Andruw Jones and

ERIC GANGE (Brewers)

Gange has pissed away a lot of games

Answer 24

Buchholz seems to have turned out to be a one-hit wonder.  Or, rather, a no-hit wonder.  One of these guys who pitches a no-hitter and then never does anything else worth talking about.

In my baseball-watching experience, this would include Charlie Lea, Len Barker (perfect game), Mike Warren, Joe Cowley, Juan Nieves, Kevin Gross, Francisco Cordova, Bud Smith and Anibal Sanchez.  Not to mention a much earlier example from Red Sox history, 1965 no-hitter pitcher Dave Morehead.

A pitcher who simply loses his effectiveness, with no apparent cause (i.e. injury, substance abuse, psychological issues or anything else) is said to have "Steve Blass Disease," after the Pittsburgh pitcher who helped the Pirates win the World Series in 1971, including a complete game in Game 7.  Blass went from 19-8, a 2.49 ERA and another Division Title in 1972 to 3-9 and a 9.81 in 1973, and the Pirates ended up losing the Division by 2 1/2 games.  Had he merely gone .500, 6-6, they would have won the Division.  He pitched one more bad year, then retired.  He's now a Pirates broadcaster.

Answer 25

Clay Buchholz - had a no hitter to a hundred hitter uggh -.-"

and Beckett is starting to suck

Answer 26

Eric Bedard or however his name is spelled, Sheffield, Hoffman, Rowand, Sexson, Melky Cabrera, D-Train, Zito, Crisp, Andruw Jones, Pena is only hitting .235 or so but still has like 25 hrs, Rios, Beckett hasn't been great this year, Konerko, Crawford is kinda off this year, Johan Santana last I saw had a record hovering around .500, Vlad Guerrero is having a down year, Apparently Reyes is off too, Brad Penny, Manny before being traded, Oh and most importantly Steinbrenner

Answer 27

CJ Wilson. Lights out last year. This year his pitching was also atrocious (I later found out he tore something in his pitching arm). None the less, he pitched a very forget able season and I hope next year is better.

Answer 28

I would say Kei Igawa but i don't think he ever had it. I will say Melky Cabrera. Talk about a disspointment.

Answer 29

Ughh Julio Lugo. You know what I'm talking about. Horrible fielding and mediocre hitting. Jed Lowrie has played less games and he's done better.

Answer 30

Well Ian Kennedy his first couple starts were good, i was happy but this year it all went down