Media by Associated Press – San Francisco Giants’ LaMonte Wade Jr., right, celebrates with Joc Pederson after hitting a home run during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
With more than 100 games played in the MLB season, time is running out for the teams under .500 to make a playoff run. A handful of those teams had high expectations in 2022, including a pair of division winners.
Let’s take a look at the four MLB teams that can be considered the biggest busts of 2022.
San Francisco Giants
At the top of the list, we find the San Francisco Giants. Last year, the Giants were the Cinderella story of the National League, winning 107 games and upsetting the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the West. The Giants lost to the Dodgers in the playoffs, 3-2 in the NLDS, and the hangover has continued into the 2022 season.
The Giants’ over/under to start the season was 86.5 wins, as they were expected to be a playoff team again this season. Last season they were 54-27 at home on the season.
So far, in 2022, they already have 27 home losses, part of the reason they are 23 games behind the Dodgers in the West and seven games back of the final Wild Card spot.
Newcomer Joc Pederson has 17 home runs, but only one other player has more than 11 through 111 games. No Giants player is hitting over .270, and they’ve lost Brandon Crawford, Evan Longoria, and Brandon Belt to injuries during the season.
The pitching has slumped as well from a 3.24 ERA in 2021 to a 4.01 ERA this season, ninth in the NL, and they have allowed a league-worst 93 home runs.
Chicago White Sox
The season has been a complete disaster for last year’s AL Central champs. The good news is they are still in the Central, where even a .500 record could win the division. After winning 93 games last year and losing to Houston in the playoffs, Chicago is 56-56 after 112 games this season.
Injuries have been a big issue for Tony LaRussa’s squad, with Eloy Jimenez and Yoan Moncada missing a large chunk of the season. Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, Andrew Vaughn, and Lance Lynn have also missed quality time.
The power is also gone for the White Sox as no player has more than 14 home runs or 56 RBI, leaving Chicago 11th in the AL in homers and ninth in runs scored.
Outside of Dylan Cease and Johnny Cueto, the starting pitching has been borderline abysmal with a 21-31 record, and four starters have ERAs over 4.90.
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox were two wins away from the World Series last year, and now they sit in last place in the AL East. Last year they beat the Yankees in the Wild Card round and upset AL East champs Tampa Bay in the ALDS before losing to Houston in six games. But now they enter mid-August four games under .500 and trailing even the Baltimore Orioles in the standings.
The Red Sox are 54-58 overall and 26-29 at home. They’ve received just five innings from starting pitcher Chris Sale on the season while also losing Michael Wacha and Tanner Houck to injury.
Veteran Rich Hill has disappointed in the rotation, and Nick Pivetta is 8-9 in 23 starts, part of the reason Boston ranks 14th in the AL with a 4.44 ERA.
The offense is third in runs scored and batting average, but Trevor Story and Kiki Hernandez have been hurt, and Jackie Bradley Jr. was released. Only Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are hitting over .300, and J.D. Martinez has only nine home runs.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels’ over/under to start the season was 84.5 games, and with two of the best players in the world, expectations were high in Los Angeles.
But Joe Maddon was fired early in the season after a lengthy losing streak, and the Angels are more than 20 games back in the AL West. At 49-63 through 112 games, they are also more than ten games back in the Wild Card race.
Mike Trout has played in just 79 games this season, while Anthony Rendon was limited to 45 games. Even with Shohei Ohtani blasting 25 homers and driving in 66 runs, the offense ranks 13th in the AL in runs, hits, and average, and they have the most strikeouts in the league.
Ohtani has ten wins on the mound in 19 starts and a 2.68 ERA. No other pitcher has more than six wins, and only Reid Detmers at 4-3 has a winning record among the starters not named Ohtani.
The Angels traded closer Raisel Iglesias, starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard and outfielder Brandon Marsh as they packed it in at the trade deadline.
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