Fan Forum--The Worst Team

Just how awful are the Washington Nationals? Not only are the Nats a major league worst 1-7 heading into Wednesday action, but they have held a lead for exactly one inning this season (out of a possible 72). With 10 errors, they have committed the most miscues of any team. They can’t score runs either, managing to better the three-run mark only once in eight games.

None of this should come as a major surprise; most experts considered the Nationals to be the worst team in the NL East and potentially the worst team in either league. Their bad start has stirred inevitable comparisons to other dismal teams of recent vintage, such as the 2003 Tigers and the 1962 New York Mets. The Nationals’ truly atrocious play has motivated the season’s first Fan Forum question, which we’ll feature most Wednesdays throughout 2007. Which is the worst team in major league history that you’ve ever had the displeasure of watching? Assuming that few of our readers are old enough to remember the Cleveland Spiders, we present five hideous teams from 1950 to the current day. Of these five, which was the worst? Make a comment and register your vote.

*1952 Pittsburgh Pirates (42-112): Only two players, Ralph Kiner and Gus Bell, reached double figures in home runs.

*1962 New York Mets (40-120): Featuring the pride of Marv Throneberry and Choo Choo Coleman, who made life intriguing for a sleeping Casey Stengel.

*1988 Baltimore Orioles (54-107): When two of your starting outfielders are Ken Gerhart and Joe Orsulak, you won’t be printing many playoff tickets!

*2003 Detroit Tigers (43-119): The memorable Nate Cornejo led all starters with a 4.67 ERA, and no one else was even close.

*2005 Kansas City Royals (56-106): This team gave 455 at-bats to Terrence Long.

I’ll place my vote for the ’03 Tigers. Their record was slighly bettter than that of the ’62 Mets, but they did it in an expanded 30-team major league set-up, with talent and pitching thinned out far more so than it was in the early 1960s. I can’t think of a worse starting rotation in major league history, not with Nate Cornejo assuming the role of staff "ace."