Ranking the Top-5 Negative WAR Careers in Twins History: Hitters

On a recent episode of Gleeman and the Geek, a listener wrote in for their mailbag segment about Luis Rivas having a negative WAR for his career with the Twins. This topic brought up the idea of which Twins players have provided the most negative value for the club. Sometimes, the team can realize their mistake and cut bait after a poor performance. For other players, it takes longer for the club to realize their error. Rivas posted a -0.9 WAR for his career, the 38th-worst total in club history. So, who ranked lower than Rivas?

Honorable Mentions: Chris Latham (-1.7 WAR, 1997-99), Rondell White (-1.5 WAR, 2006-07), Drew Butera (-1.5 WAR, 2010-13), Matt Walbeck (-1.5 WAR, 1994-96)

5. Alex Ochoa
WAR: -1.8
Seasons: 1998
Ochoa accumulated 6.4 WAR for his career and won the 2002 World Series with the Angels. His lone season in a Twins uniform saw him post the worst offensive numbers of his career while also being a below-average defender. In 94 games, he hit .257/.288/.353 (.642) with 18 extra-base hits and a 66 OPS+. Minnesota used him at all three outfield positions, and FanGraphs gave him a -17.1 Defensive rating. The Twins traded Ochoa to the Brewers following the season for Darrell Nicholas, who never made a big-league appearance. 

4. Charlie Manuel
WAR: -2.1
Seasons: 1969-1972
Manuel had a terrific career as a manager, including two NL pennants and a World Series title. He broke into the big leagues with the Twins in 1969 and played parts of four seasons with the club without appearing in more than 83 games. Manuel hit .199/.276/.265 (.541) with a 53 OPS+. According to Baseball Reference, he posted a negative WAR in every season with the Twins. In October 1973, the Twins traded him with Glenn Ezell to the Dodgers for Mike Floyd and Jim Fairey. 

3. Tsuyoshi Nishioka
WAR: -2.3
Seasons: 2011-2012
Nishioka came to the Twins from Japan with plenty of hype, especially after the club traded J.J. Hardy to make room at shortstop. He struggled with the transition to the big leagues and suffered a broken leg during his first season while trying to turn a double play. In two seasons, he played in 71 games and hit .215/.267/.236 (.503) with five doubles and a 44-to-16 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Minnesota released him after two seasons so he could return to Japan, where he’d play six more seasons before retiring.  

2. Carmelo Castillo
WAR: -2.7
Seasons: 1989-1991
Castillo was a part-time player throughout his 10-year big-league career and was already over 30 when he joined the Twins. In 1989, he played 94 games and posted a 106 OPS+ with 24 extra-base hits. Based on that performance, the Twins kept him for the next two seasons, and he was one of baseball’s worst hitters. Castillo combined for a .494 OPS and a 35 OPS+ in 73 games, but he still got a World Series ring for his contributions to the ‘91 squad. Minnesota released him following that season, and he played one year in the Brewers organization before retiring. 

1. Dave McCarty
WAR: -3.2
Seasons: 1993-1995
The Twins selected McCarty with the third overall pick in the 1991 MLB Draft from Stanford University. High expectations are attached to any player taken that high in the draft, and the Twins put him on the fast track to the big-league level. Baseball America ranked him as baseball’s 16th-best prospect entering the 1993 season. McCarty debuted for the Twins that season and hit .214/.257/.286 (.542) with 19 extra-base hits and a 46 OPS+ in 98 games. He played three seasons with the Twins and had a 55 OPS+ while also providing negative defensive value. During the 1995 season, the Twins traded him to the Reds organization for John Courtright. McCarty had an 11-year big-league career while playing for seven different organizations.

Do you agree with the rankings? Who else should make the list? What pitchers will make the top five? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.