MLB: Interesting Statistical Accomplishments in 2016

Caleb Joseph plays entire season, gets zero RBI

There have been some truly awful players in MLB history when it comes to swinging a bat. Bill Bergen was notorious for his woeful offense, but he was considered a great defensive catcher. Rafael Belliard was a stellar gloveman, but couldn’t hit his way out of a wet paper bag. Then there is Mario Mendoza, who the .200 batting line, or the demarcation of futility, is named after.

However, each of those players managed to drive in a run during a season. Baltimore Orioles backup catcher, Caleb Joseph, meanwhile, cannot make that claim. Despite 141 plate appearances, Joseph failed to drive in a single run.

As one would expect, his 2016 season was particularly putrid. Joseph ‘produced’ a .174/.216/.179 batting line, with three doubles accounting for all of his extra base hits. His OPS+ of 11, which is not a misprint, ranks amongst the worst in MLB history, bringing him into Bergen’s level of futility.

This comes on the heels of a solid year for Joseph in 2015. That season, he produced a .234/.299/.394 batting line with 11 home runs and 16 doubles. Those numbers were certainly respectable for a catcher, and with Matt Wieters coming off injury, there was some debate about letting Joseph handle the role full time. Ultimately, Wieters signed his qualifying offer, and Joseph went back to a backup role.

Caleb Joseph had a terrible year for the Baltimore Orioles, but he has proven to be a much better player than he was this season. Now we will see if he can get redemption in the postseason.