John McDonald was a surprise quasi-star for the Blue Jays last year, maintaining his spot at shortstop some truly impressive glovework. Unfortunately, McDonald's offensive numbers were horrendous. He posted a .279 OBP and a .333 slugging percentage, which is just ... ick. McDonald's saving grace might have been his .250 batting average, which is just a bit below league average, but his other split stats tell the real tale: McDonald was an awful offensive player. Instead of denying those bad numbers, or claiming he does things at the plate that can't be quantified (cough Juan Pierre cough), McDonald is refreshingly honest (via BBTF):
"I hit .250," he said. "I mean, this is the big leagues. Things don't get handed to you. People look and say, 'He played pretty well, he played good defensively, I like him, he's a nice guy. But he hit .250.' I think I took so much pride in my defence that I allowed my offence to not matter as much, which is the wrong approach," he said. "I know I've carved out my own niche defensively, and I'm going to make sure that doesn't go anywhere, but I also need to raise up my offence."How nice is that? McDonald's defensive game is a pleasure to watch -- as his Baseball Reference sponsor says, McDonald is as slick as they come-- but for as good as his defense is, his offense is even worse. And hey knows it! Professional baseball players, take note: This is how you suck, but endearingly so.
Cough, Juan Pierre, cough.
