As a lifelong Major League Baseball fan and more importantly, a depressed writer obsessed with words, finding sports the best outlet to bloodlet those words, I think I’m allowed to call out some 2026 MLB players who, by mid-August, no-called, no-showed the season, disappointing me, the worst thing anyone can do.
So here are the 15 MLB players I’m most disappointed with this season. Let’s start with some honorable mentions. Some guys who aren’t crushing 2026 but I understand.
Honorable Mention: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Injury’s stripped Vladdy of his World Series vengeance. The $500 million man hasn’t carried World Series momentum into 2026. Only 7 homers, his lowest since the 2020 COVID season, his 91 OPS+ a career low too.
Thing is, Toronto sneaks into the postseason—super possible with their revamped pitching rotation—Vladdy will most likely bat .400 with homers daily, as he does. I have no concerns.
Honorable Mention: Cal Raleigh
I cannot describe myself disappointed by the lack of production from a player I expected to lack production. Cal Raleigh just had the best season of his life and it wasn’t good enough. No MVP. No championship. Potential realized and maybe he’s a Jeopardy answer someday. He’s playing like he has every year of his life outside of 2025.
Honorable Mention: Manny Machado
This is the worst season of Manny Machado’s career. I’m not disappointed, just sad.
Okay, here are the real disappointing players…
Austin Wells
Despite the shoulder recovery storyline, I’ve seen all these Anthony Volpe at-bats. The Yankees make one mistake in the game and it’s Volpe, swallowed alive by a routine grounder. That’s his bag, yo. Consistent with it. Back-to-back seasons of ass, just like I deserve.
But Austin Wells had 21 homers and 71 RBIs last season. Had a higher slugging percentage than CJ Abrams, Randy Arozerena and Matt Chapman.
Now he’s the worst hitter in baseball.
All smiles in the World Baseball Classic, on his day off. Came to work to charge his phone and vape.
Pathetic.
Jazz Chisholm
Ground outs, pop-ups, strike outs, swag looking corny when every single pitcher sends him back to the dugout like
Aaron Judge said guys aren’t focused this season. On an expiring contract, what should be a defiant demonstration of talent to be converted to hundreds of millions, a “40-40 season” promised, Jazz is going through the motions.
All the all-stars in hoodies, Jazz could’ve formed a two-man crew with Ben rice, got a BAG this offseason.
Nope.
Playing like Kash Patel’s about to kick his door down with FanDuel screenshots printed on cartoonishly large posters.
Rafael Devers
Devers isn’t struggling, necessarily. His 2026 numbers would be many Major Leaugers dream year. 24 homers, 66 RBIs, 120 OPS+, balling.
From 2021-2024, Devers received MVP votes each year.
He didn’t even make the All-Star team this season. The San Francisco Giants have the 5th worst record in baseball. The Giants traded for Devers, expected an MVP at the top of their lineup and he’s basically having the same season as Kyle Stowers in Miami.
He’s on-base percentage plummeted—the strike zone beating his ass, Devers is an above-average hitter. Cool.
He was the best player on the Boston Red Sox. He’s not even a superstar anymore. He’s in Xander Bogaertzville.
Jackson Merrill
In 2024, Jackson’s rookie campaign, All-Star, Silver Slugger, 9th in MVP voting. 2 seasons later, his on-base percentage is below .300, 97 OPS+, batting a career-low .244, Jackson Merrill was projecting to be the best center fielder in the sport and he’s just a center fielder in the sport.
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s leveled up to bona fide MVP superstar and Jackson Merrill looks like a victim at the plate.
Marcus Semien
I told Mets friends in my life they acquired a professional major league infielder and Marcus Semien’s on bullshit. 2023, led the league in hits—he and Corey Seager carry the Texas Rangers to a miraculous championship.
3 years later, batting .209, -0.5WAR, struck out 90 times (93 times all last season), career-low 73 OPS+. Also, he sucks defensively too.
The 35-year-old’s entered the washed stage of his career. He and Salvador Perez trapped in the shadows of their previous successes—Semien’s at-bats are elder abuse.
Brett Baty
This wasn’t supposed to be so stone’s throw, but I’m here and the ringing is loud. I can’t sleep at night. Brett Baty had a 3 WAR last season. 100 hits, 110 OPS+. Decent glove too.
The former top prospect showed up to 2026 without a plan,
Jarren Duren
Jarren Duren sucks.
Geraldo Perdomo
Perdomo led the Majors with a 7.1 WAR last season. He won’t even touch 100 RBIs this year (he has 43 and slowly counting). The 26-year old shortstop on the path to superstardom last season—currently having a slightly worse hitting season than the 35-year-old third baseman he shares the corner of the infield with. Nolan Arenado’s 110 OPS+ > Geraldo Pedomo’s 105 OPS+.
Perdomo’s season is really good. Arizona battles for the Wild Card. Imagine how much easier their battle would be if Perdomo was as great as he’s shown he can be.
Spencer Torkelson
The former No. 1 overall pick, as Spencer’s teammates catcher Dillon Dingler and rookie shortstop Kevin McGonigle put together MVP campaigns, leading the Tigers to the playoffs with or without Tarik Skubal, Torkelson’s struck out the 4th most times in baseball.
Nick Kurtz and Ben Rice and smashing baseball into popcorn buckets. Torkelson has 20. The “slugging” first baseman may get hit and end the season with, like, 29 of them.
Spencer Torkelson should be 2025 Cal Raleigh-ing, 50 bombs, annually.
The dynasty may begin once he leaves.
Lawrence Butler
MLB’s black renaissance and Lawrence Butler wants to be ass. Jordan Walker hulked the home run derby. CJ Abrams and James Wood leading the top offense in DC, right under Stephen Miller’s horns. Byron Buxton, almost made it through healthy, still on pace for the best season of his career.
25-year old A’s right fielder Lawrence Butler, took the year off. -0.7 WAR, batting .205/.295/.343 with a 75 OPS+, mattering not, disappointing us.
In 2024, Butler had a 3 WAR with 22 homers, 108 hits and a 131 OPS+. Proof of concept exists.
Black actors, we gotta stick together. Lock in. Lord knows I gotta. They’re trying to get rid of us highkey.
Paul Skenes
I don’t love following the popular narrative. You can get “what’s up with Skenes’s velocity drop”? slop elsewhere. But Paul Skenes is scratched from his next start for non-injury rest.
Pittsburgh’s dead last in the NL Central. They’ve lost 7 of their last 10. 6.5 out of the Wild Card, 4 teams ahead of them. The Pirates season will tail off, dust in the wind.
Paul Skenes surrendered 58 earned runs this season. Already a career-high. It’s still August. 14 home runs. Career-high. Hit 9 batters with a pitch. Career-high.
In his 3rd MLB campaign, I figured Skenes wouldn’t be the standalone best pitcher forever, but I didn’t consider he’d allow more runs than Ryan Weathers, the 5th starter in the Yankees rotation.
Velocity normalized, Skenes superpowers deactivated, a sicko mode offseason with either up his MPH or challenge his inner Maddux, I promise he’ll be back next season but I would have loved if he were competing for the Cy Young with Jacob Misiorowski and Cristopher Sanchez and Chase Burns. His peers.
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