MLB All-Star Game: Each team’s worst All-Star selections ever
San Diego Padres – Ozzie Smith (1981)
This is likely another sacrilegious piece among baseball fans, but in truth, Ozzie Smith was just not a great baseball player in 1981 and was far from the Hall of Famer who would one day become. Yet, this was the season when everything began for Smith, accepting the first of his 15 All-Star Game appearances.
Smith was always a smooth fielder, but in 1981 even that couldn’t rescue his dreadful hitting. Smith put together a .222/.294/.256 batting line and drove in just 22 runs. That left him with a wRC+ of just 65, which typically earns even shortstops a one-way ticket back to the minor leagues. Instead, it earned Smith a spot on the big stage, serving as back-up to Reds shortstop Dave Concepcion at the Mid-Summer Classic.
The problems here were numerous. Gary Templeton, who ranked second in WAR and would be traded by the Cardinals to San Diego for Smith after the season, was hurt at the time of the game. The same could be said for Craig Reynolds of the Astros. However, the National League shortstop picture was quite dim in 1981, with only Concepcion have a positive offensive efficiency rating for the season.
With that all said, it’d hard to truly blame the Padres for selling on Smith. After four seasons in the league, most teams have a general idea if a prospect is going to pan out or not. San Diego just bet wrong on theirs.
Next: San Francisco Giants - Rod Beck (1994)