This article appeared on the Red Sox mailing list on March 18, 1997
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From: Keith Woolner (keith@woolner.com)
To: bosox@lists.best.com
Date: March 18, 1997

[...]  I offer the following frivolous distraction
-- a proposed list of the *worst* team of Sox players throughout
history (min 3 years with the Sox).  As you might expect,
I'm using their career VORP totals to determine their level
of "badness" (VORP, or Value Over Replacement Player, is
described in detail on my web page).

Pos Name              Played    PA   AVG  OBP  SLG   VORP

C:  Roxy Walters     1919-23   819  .204/.258/.240  -29.3
1B: Phil Todt        1924-30  3417  .259/.302/.394  -73.4
2B: Ski Melillo      1935-37   854  .245/.308/.299  -21.3
3B: Ossie Vitt       1919-21  1129  .224/.314/.274   -9.4
SS: Rabbit Warstler  1930-33   956  .209/.278/.271  -28.5
OF: Shano Collins    1921-25  1653  .271/.295/.366  -63.1
OF: Tom Oliver       1930-33  2036  .277/.314/.340  -49.4
OF: Denny Williams   1924-28   349  .265/.324/.296  -21.3

(Denny Williams wasn't a regular player obviously, but
anyone who can manage a sub .300 SLG on a .265 batting
average during the mid 20's has to be considered noteworthy) :-)

Phil Todt, in particular, was a terrible player.  He never
hit a league average PRO (park/league adjusted OPS) in any
season, despite being a first baseman.  In fact, he was
the *worst* regular first baseman in the AL every year
he played for Boston except for 1925 (when his career year of
.278/.343/.439 beat Athletics' Jim Poole .298/.338/.423 when
the entire AL, including pitchers, hit .292/.357/.407), and
1930 (his 2nd best year @ .269/.312/.439 beat the Brown's
Lu Blue who hit .235/.363/.351 -- the AL hit .288/.348/.421)

He couldn't run, didn't walk, and had little power during
one of the best offensive eras ever. On the plus side,
he was durable :-), putting in 5 straight years with 140+ games
played (in the days of the 154 game schedule).  :-)

His career negative VORP total would place him as the 3rd
worst position player of all time, behind Jimmy McAleer and
the incomparable Bill Bergen.

Does anyone know what kind of rep Todt had at the time?  Was
he a noted glove man (TB does credit him with decent fielding
runs, FWIW)?  A team leader?  Friends of the owner?

While I doubt any of the list had seen any these guys play,
I'd be curious to know if anyone has read any amusing anecdotes
about any of these "best of the worst."

---
Keith Woolner
keith@woolner.com
http://www.best.com/~kwoolner