Top Ten LA Dodger Bums Honorable Mentions

With only three all time LA Dodger Bums left on the list, I decided I would put out a post with a few “honorable mentions.” These are the Bums that were awful, don’t get me wrong, they were still useless. I can’t stress the useless part enough. However with these Bums, they couldn’t quite crack the top ten. If there was a top 20 though, they would be a shoe in.

Here are a few Honorable mentions on the all time Dodger Bum list.

Bill Bergen (William Aloysius “Bill” Bergen)

I know I said I wouldn’t add a Brooklyn Dodger into this list, but  Im going to make an exception for Bill Bergen. I don’t know if you have ever heard of Bergen, but he is by far one of the worst hitters to ever play the game of Baseball. How did he stay employed then? He was also one of the finest defensive catchers of his era. Talk about a one dimensional player right?

Bill Bergen actually began his career with the Reds from 1901-1903. Bergen played with the Dodgers from 1904-1911. Bergen was born in North Brookefield Massachusetts, and batted and threw right handed. Bergen’s hitting was so bad, it’s not even funny. I won’t crack jokes, because any player that finishes with averages below the auto out territory of a .180 average, you have to almost feel sorry for.

Bergen was a career .170 hitter. This is the lowest for any player with over 2500 plate appearances. (Bergen had 3228) Pitchers would often out hit him easily. As an example, hall of famer Cy Young had a career average of .210. Bergen’s career OBP was .194, the all-time lowest for any player with 500 or more at bats. Bergen who hit only two career home runs, had one of the worst offensive seasons in MLB history in 1909 for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Bergen hit a nightmarish .139, which is still the lowest for any player that qualified for a batting title.

Bergen during that time played in an era where pitching dominated, and Bergen was one of the best defensive catchers ever.  He ranks 9^th all time in catcher assists with 1444. Bergen also had a great arm, throwing out base runners at a 47.3% career clip. On August 23, 1909, he threw out six Cardinals base runners in one game, which is still an MLB record.

In 1909 Bergen made out in 45 consecutive plate appearances. That mark stood until last year when Eugenio Velez went 0 for 37 in 2011, and 0 for 46 dating back the season prior, tying the hit less streak set by Bergen. The Dodgers pitchers outhit Bergen from 1904-1911. Dodger pitchers over that time batted .169, while Bergen hit .162. Bill Bergen played until 1914. He was a coach and manager until 1920 when he retired. Bergen passed away on December 19, 1943 of heart disease.

Eugenio Velez (The Hit less Wonder)

Bergen leads us right into our next honorable mention Bum, the hitless wonder himself Eugenio Velez. Since Velez didn’t play a full season I can’t justify him making the top ten, but there is no way I can just leave him completely out of this.

How could I? He tied the record for offensive futility in 2011 by going 0 for 37, and 0 for 46 dating back to the previous season. Velez  was born in the Dominican Republic, and was signed by the Blue Jays in 2001. Apparently his mom wanted him to become an engineer, and urged him to reconsider playing Baseball. Oh Eugenio…you should have listened to your mommy. But hey Momma Velez has got to be proud of her boy, hes setting MLB records! Remember mom is always right. (Hi Mom!)

Eugenio Velez was a switch hitter, and could play anywhere in the outfield and the infield. He played left field, second base, and shortstop for the Dodgers.

After a few of years in the minors, the Giants selected him in the 2005 rule 5 draft. Velez made his MLB debut in September of 2006 with the Giants. Velez would spend time going up and down between the Giants and there AAA team in Fresno.

Velez was involved in a couple of weird incidents in 2010. He was one of only a few players to accidentally wear a jersey that had misspelled San Francisco accross the front. During a Giants/Dbacks game, Velez was struck in the head by a foul ball while he was sitting in the dugout. He had to be taken to the hospital and spent some time on the Disabled list but was fine.

On December 13, of 2010 Velez signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers that included an invite to the major league spring training camp. Velez started the year for the Dodgers with the Isotopes, and was called up to the Dodgers on July 4, of 2011. Velez would go 0 for 37 for the season. On October 4, 2011 Velez was released by the Dodgers. There is not much else I can write about Velez, other than he was one of the worst Dodgers of all time. This will be the last time I write about Eugenio Velez. I promise guys!

 F.P. Santangelo

I bet you didn’t think I would get this obscure, but I have. Anyone remember this guy? No…. you sure? Would it be because he was so terrible he was instantly forgotten from memory? Possibly. I do know this, Santangelo was one of the most useless players the Dodgers have ever had. Period.  His punch-less 2000 season for the Dodgers was one of the worst offensive performances like everrrrrr. I will present the stats, and while Santangelo played only one season in Blue, I think it was one season too long.

Santangelo went to high school in El Dorado hills CA. IN 1989 he was drafted by the Montreal Expos, and made his MLB debut in 1995. Somehow in 1996 he finished fourth in NL rookie of the year voting. He batted .277 that  year, with 7 home runs and 56 RBI. Santangelo was a switch hitter, and primarily an outfielder. His claim to fame was being hit by pitches at least 10 times ranking in the NL top ten for four years in a row. Santangelo played for four teams from 1995-2001. He signed with the Dodgers in 2000.

He played in 81 games for the Dodgers in 2000 going 28 for 142. Posting a line of .197/.322/.246 he hit one home run, drove in only nine runs, and whiffed 33 times.  Truly a putrid performance. Santangelo went on to hit 21 home runs, and batted .245. he went on to become a broadcaster, and is currently a color analyst for the Nationals. Let’s just be happy we never have to watch him hit again. Santangelo was so forgettable that the only pic I could find of him in a Dodger uniform was this mugshot.

There you have it Dodger fans. Three all time Bums that just missed the list. If you can think of any more Bums I’ve forgotten please leave us a comment and let us know. Join us soon as we reveal the top three LA Dodger Bums of all time.