The Cleveland Guardians proved last season what can happen when a team upgrades its biggest weakness even to an average level. In 2023, Cleveland DHs finished last in MLB in adjusted OPS at DH (76, with 100 being average). Thanks to the emergence of David Fry and Kyle Manzardo, Cleveland improved last season to 18th (92, still not great, but close enough to average), improved in runs per game from 27th to 14th and improved by 16 wins.
Whether through player development, free agency or trades, teams had all winter to attack their biggest weaknesses. How did they do? Here is a look at the worst positions in baseball last year, as ranked by OPS+, and how those issues have been addressed.
Catcher: White Sox (39)
This was the worst position in baseball last year. Korey Lee, Martín Maldonado and Chuckie Robinson hit .173/.217/.291. That .217 OBP is the worst for catchers in the live ball era other than the 2015 Mariners (.205) with Mike Zunino mostly behind the plate.
Upgrade: None, really—at least to start. Lee is back and former Angel Matt Thaiss, a career .208 hitter, was added. They are most likely placeholders until the White Sox call on prospects Kyle Teel, acquired from Boston in the Garrett Crochet trade, and Edgar Quero, who slashed .295/.382/.463 in a month at AAA last year at age 21.
Grade: B, on the strength of prospect help on the way.
First Base: Yankees (69)
Anthony Rizzo, Ben Rice and crew combined to hit .216/.284/.335. Their .619 OPS is the worst by Yankees first basemen in the past 110 years except for the 1982 Yankees, with John Mayberry, Dave Collins and others at the position. One of the oddest stats from last year: New York first basemen did not hit a home run after July 31.
Upgrade: The Yankees are banking that Paul Goldschmidt at age 37 bounces back from his worst season. The good news: Goldschmidt’s exit velocity and hard-hit numbers indicate there is still some pop in that bat. The bad news: last season Goldschmidt had career highs in chase percentage, swing percentage and pull percentage, indicating a lack of trust in his approach. The right field porch at Yankee Stadium should encourage a return to driving the ball other way.
Grade: B
Second Base: Red Sox (56)
Eleven second basemen (11!) combined to hit .200/.250/.283. Enmanuel Valdez for some reason got most of the run while hitting .192 with no stolen bases.
Upgrade: Alex Bregman might still wind up here, but as long as Boston keeps playing its mystery position game with Bregman and Rafael Devers, let’s say it’s a competition among Vaughn Grissom, Kristian Campbell and David Hamilton. Campbell is going to force his way into the lineup (with some at bats in left field). Boston’s best team on paper will have Campbell at second, Bregman at third and Devers at DH. Grissom also would be a major upgrade from what Boston received out of second base last year.
Grade: A
Shortstop: Tigers (51)
Yes, it’s mostly about Javier Báez, but he played just 78 games at short. Combined, five Detroit shortstops hit .190/.238/.315. Anybody remember Ray Oyler?
Upgrade: Báez is healthy this spring but also seeing time at third base. He is not going to hit. Báez has the second lowest OBP in Tigers history among all position players with at least 1,000 plate appearances (.262). The worst? Oyler (.259). Trey Sweeney took the job last season while Báez was out, but he hit .218/.269/.373 with a 27% strikeout rate and has a low ceiling. Zach McKinstry is a valuable utility player. Detroit does not have a full-time shortstop.
Grade: C
Third Base: White Sox (58)
Chicago, again. The injury to Yoán Moncada gave most of the playing time to Lenyn Sosa and Miguel Vargas. Not good. Sox third basemen hit .187 and slugged .240. Ouch.
Upgrade: None. The Sox appear to be sticking with Vargas, who has had a good spring but spring training stats are virtually meaningless. In 171 career games, Vargas is a .175/.273/.312 hitter. He is a career .126 hitter against four-seam fastballs, making him the worst fastball hitter since 2008 with the exception of Zack Short and Tim Lincecum.
Grade: C
Left Field: Athletics (73)
Miguel Andújar got most of the run here with very little power, and Seth Brown oddly contributed little (.195/.224/.299). I’ve always thought Brown should be a better hitter than his track record, but he has yet to conquer his troubles against spin.
Upgrade: The Athletics are going to run it back in left field, for the time being. Andújar is 30 and since his breakout rookie season has an OPS+ of 81. Sooner rather than later, outfield prospects Colby Thomas and Denzel Clarke, both 24, should get into the mix.
Grade: C
Center Field: Cardinals (66)
With Michael Siani and Victor Scott II getting most of the run, Cardinals center fielders hit .224 with four home runs.
Upgrade: Siani, 25, and Scott, 24, both speedy left-handed hitters, are competing for the job. Siani struggled last year with an extended trial (.228/.285/.285) while hitting .186 against non-fastballs. Scott hit .179 in 55 games with the Cardinals and .210 in AAA.
Grade: C
Right Field: White Sox (61)
Gavin Sheets, Dominic Fletcher and Tommy Pham took the most plate appearances for Chicago in right field. Sox right fielders posted an OPS of .590, the worst in any full season since 1961 other than the '78 and '79 A’s and … the 2019 White Sox.
Upgrade: Veterans Mike Tauchman, 34, and Austin Slater, 32, should get the bulk of the run here. Neither has had 350 at bats in a season, often because of injuries.
Grade: B
DH: Rangers (58)
Texas rotated 18 players through the DH spot, with the most plate appearances going to Wyatt Langford (105) and Adolis García (101). Rangers DHs hit .204/.263/.322.
Upgrade: The Rangers signed left-handed-hitting Joc Pederson and traded for right-handed-hitting Jake Burger. The two veterans combined for 52 home runs last year.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Position Grades: How Teams Addressed the Biggest Weaknesses in Baseball.
