Albert Pujols is on track to have fifth-worst 100 RBI season ever
1990 Joe Carter, San Diego Padres (115 RBI, .232/.290/.391, -2.0 WAR)
Joe Carter isn’t at the top of this list, but he’s a frequent flier on the 100-RBI but still below-average list. He had three seasons with 100 or more RBI that were below replacement-level and three more that were league average or worse.
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In 1990, he drove in 115 runs despite a .232 batting average and a .391 slugging percentage. He split most of his time between the fourth and fifth spots in the batting order and most often batted with Bip Roberts, Roberto Alomar and Tony Gwynn getting on base in front of him. He was also much better with runners in scoring position, hitting .268/.364/.432. In other situations, he hit .212/.247/.343.
Carter was a below average hitter (80 wRC+), but the bigger issue was his defense. The Padres started the 30-year-old outfielder in center field in 106 games and he turned in the worst defensive performance of his career. He also played left field and first base. By Total Zone, he was the second-worst fielder in baseball among those who qualified for the batting title, only topping Atlanta Braves third baseman Jim Presley, who made 25 errors in 133 games.
1997 Joe Carter, Toronto Blue Jays (102 RBI, .234/.284/.399, -1.4 WAR)
Carter’s second-worst 100-RBI season came in 1997 with the Blue Jays. He had a similar overall triple-slash line as his 1990 season, but the level of offense was higher so his 72 wRC+ was even worse than the 80 he put up in 1990. He also elevated his game with runners in scoring position, hitting .263/.338/.468. Once again, defense was a problem. Carter was 37 years old and started 42 games at first base, 41 games in left field and 10 games in right field. When he wasn’t in the field, he was a DH.
Next: Pujols becomes foreign-born HR king
As bad as Pujols has been on offense this season, he has been able to hit better with runners in scoring position, with a .269/.329/.485 batting line. That hasn’t made up for how bad he’s been as a hitter overall or his lack of defensive or base running value. Pujols is a great guy who in his prime was one of the best right-handed hitters in baseball over the last 50 years, but that time is long gone.