2. Chase Headley
Outlier season: 2012 – 161 GP, .285 BA, 95 R, 31 HR, 115 RBI, 17 SB, 6.4 oWAR
Best otherwise: 2013 – 141 GP, .250-59-13-50-8, 2.9 oWAR
Career averages excluding outlier season: 137 GP, .260-58-9-53-7, 1.95 oWAR
New York Yankees third baseman Chase Headley has made nearly $39MM in career earnings. Only about one week ago, the former Padre turned 32 and afterwards hit his first home run of 2016. Ever since his stunning 2012 season, Headley’s skills and production have been a mystery wrapped in a riddle.
Headley’s outlier season didn’t come in a contract year, but 2013 would mark his first season where he would be arbitration eligible. 2012’s output saw his salary jump from $3.475MM that season to over double the following year at $8.575MM.
His $14MM salary in 2016 makes him the fourth highest paid third baseman in MLB. When you look around at the pool of talented players at his position in recent seasons, there are a number of players more deserving of Headley’s earnings. It’s fitting though that if anyone was going to overpay for a mediocre position player at third base, it would be the New York Yankees.
Headley is presently hitting .192/.282/.253 and reallybhas no business being an everyday starter in a Major League lineup.
Next: Jacoby Ellsbury 's 2011