Player Rankings: Aybar, Gordon among those who need to step it up

Updated May 22

It's late May, and pennant races are beginning to take on some heft. Sure, there's time for pretenders to resume pretending and for contenders to climb over their fallen bodies. Some of those contenders, however, are failing to live up to expectations or are thriving despite some miserable performances from certain core contributors. So if these teams are to achieve or maintain relevance, these strugglers are likely going to need to "step it up."

The usual "step it up" suspect for 2012 is, of course, Albert Pujols, and (spoiler alert!) he'll be on this list. Others, though, are less obvious. Who's hurting the Dodgers and their best record in baseball? Which "step it up" pitcher seems best poised to, you know, step it up? Who's just about the only Brave not doing his job this season? Which South Sider may not be long for his job?

The questions, they beckon. So let us, ahem, "step it up" and answer them.

Batters 1. Dee Gordon, SS - Los Angeles Dodgers Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 27 Gordon plays a style of ball that appeals to some -- lots of steals, bunts and other small-ball flourishes. But he's a bad hitter even by the standards of his position: Gordon has a miserable OPS of .499 this season, while the average major-league shortstop checks in at .697. That's simply an unacceptable level of production. And for a bonus, he also leads the majors in times caught stealing. If the Dodgers are challenged at any point this season, then Gordon's numbers should receive a healthy dose of the blame. Key Stats: 145 AB, 1 HR, .200 AVG, 9 RBI, 16 R, 12 SB 2. Albert Pujols, 1B - Los Angeles Angels Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 17 Of course, Pujols is on here. The Angels were supposed to fight for the pennant, but Pujols's utter lack of production -- he's on pace for 11 homers and is lugging around an OBP of .256 -- is helping make them baseball's most disappointing team. Key Stats: 170 AB, 3 HR, .212 AVG, 18 RBI, 14 R, 1 SB 3. Ike Davis, 1B - New York Mets Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 24 Davis has been obliquely threatened with demotion recently, and that's with good reason: he's "hitting" .161/.218/.299 on the season. Key Stats: 137 AB, 5 HR, .161 AVG, 15 RBI, 12 R, 0 SB 4. Brennan Boesch, RF - Detroit Tigers Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 19 If not for the Angels, then we'd be talking non-stop about the disappointing Tigers. Boesch is perhaps the main offender. A .239/.271/.358 batting line from a defensively challenged corner outfielder? Not passable. Key Stats: 159 AB, 5 HR, .239 AVG, 16 RBI, 20 R, 2 SB 5. Rickie Weeks, 2B - Milwaukee Brewers Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 26 Health has always been Weeks's problem. It's never been hitting the ball. In 2012, however, Weeks is batting just .155, and he has just 10 extra-base hits to his credit. Key Stats: 148 AB, 4 HR, .155 AVG, 7 RBI, 14 R, 2 SB 6. Delmon Young, DH - Detroit Tigers Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 10 We know Young plays the field as though he has one foot nailed to the ground. We know he's had his off-field problems. And this season, we know he's not hitting. Ergo, he's not helping the Tigers overcome their slow start to the season. Key Stats: 126 AB, 2 HR, .246 AVG, 14 RBI, 11 R, 0 SB 7. Gordon Beckham, 2B - Chicago White Sox Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 19 By all appearances, Beckham is never going to reach the heights predicted for him. In fact, he's well on his way to his worst season yet. The recent addition of Orlando Hudson suggests the White Sox aren't sure whether Gordon is even an adequate regular. Key Stats: 135 AB, 4 HR, .207 AVG, 13 RBI, 17 R, 1 SB 8. Erick Aybar, SS - Los Angeles Angels Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 26 Pujols isn't the only Halo who's scuffling in 2012. Aybar, fresh off signing a four-year, $35-million extension, is thus far burdening his team with sub-.300 OBP and a sub-.300 SLG. If it's any consolation, he's having the best season of any shortstop in the L.A. Key Stats: 145 AB, 0 HR, .228 AVG, 10 RBI, 9 R, 4 SB 9. Brandon Crawford, SS - San Francisco Giants Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 28 The Giants struggle to score runs even with Pablo Sandoval, their best hitter. Without him, the problems are even more pronounced. Crawford in particular isn't performing adequately. The .285 OBP says it all. Key Stats: 129 AB, 1 HR, .225 AVG, 11 RBI, 10 R, 0 SB 10. Drew Stubbs, CF - Cincinnati Reds Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 11 Stubbs enjoyed a two-homer game on Monday night, but he's still hitting a meager .244/.297/.375 on the season. Stubbs simply doesn't have enough power or defensive value to make up for a sub-.300 OBP. Key Stats: 160 AB, 5 HR, .244 AVG, 13 RBI, 26 R, 7 SB

Pitchers 1. Clay Buchholz, SP - Boston Red Sox Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 263 It's difficult to impart just how bad Buchholz has been this season. But I'll try. He's got an ERA of 7.84. His run/strikeout ratio, which I made up just for Buchholz, is significantly higher than his strikeout/walk ratio. Opponents are hitting .330/.417/.537 off of him. In his best start of the season, he gave up four runs in 6.1 innings. I could go on, but it seems cruel at this point. No player has done more to undermine Boston's success this season. Key Stats: 49.1 IP, 4-2 W-L, 0 SV, 7.84 ERA, 27 Ks, 27 BB 2. Randy Wolf, SP - Milwaukee Brewers Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 255 The Brewers are burying themselves in the standings, and Wolf and his 6.02 ERA have much to do with that. He's on pace to give up 243 hits this season! Key Stats: 49.1 IP, 2-4 W-L, 0 SV, 6.02 ERA, 29 Ks, 21 BB 3. Mike Minor, SP - Atlanta Braves Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 259 Almost everything is going right for the Braves this year, so maybe Minor is there just to keep them grounded. A 6.96 ERA will certainly keep a team grounded. Key Stats: 53.0 IP, 2-4 W-L, 0 SV, 6.96 ERA, 48 Ks, 19 BB 4. Tim Lincecum, SP - San Francisco Giants Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 252 Lincecum's K rate has rebounded a bit this season, but his control has continued to worsen. In fact, his walk rate is well on the way to increasing for the third consecutive season. Most troubling is the drop in velocity: Lincecum's fastball is averaging 89.9 mph this season. He should be entering his prime, but instead he's showing unmistakable signs of decline. Key Stats: 47.2 IP, 2-4 W-L, 0 SV, 6.04 ERA, 53 Ks, 25 BB 5. Ivan Nova, SP - New York Yankees Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 102 Nova has an ERA of 5.69 despite ranking third in the AL in strikeout rate. His problem? He's given up 35 extra-base hits in 49.0 innings pitched. Additional bad news for the Yankees: Phil Hughes almost made this list. Key Stats: 49.0 IP, 4-2 W-L, 0 SV, 5.69 ERA, 52 Ks, 16 BB 6. Ubaldo Jimenez, SP - Cleveland Indians Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 91 The Tribe thought they were getting an ace when they gave up a pile of young arms to pry Jimenez from the Rockies. They have, to put it lightly, not gotten an ace. The Indians are contending, but if they're to have staying power, then Jimenez needs to stop doing things like logging more walks than strikeouts. Key Stats: 46.0 IP, 4-3 W-L, 0 SV, 5.09 ERA, 28 Ks, 32 BB 7. Matt Moore, SP - Tampa Bay Rays Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 247 Better days are surely ahead for this thoroughly gifted rookie. He's missing bats thus far (8.4 strikeouts per nine), but a lack of control has contributed to a 5.20 ERA. He's 22, and he'll be fine. Right now, however, he's enduring the fits and starts common to almost any young pitcher. Key Stats: 45.0 IP, 1-4 W-L, 0 SV, 5.2 ERA, 42 Ks, 23 BB 8. Jonathon Niese, SP - New York Mets Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 119 When the Mets inked Niese to a five-year pact last month, they were hoping he'd develop into a solid number-two or so. Instead, he's having the worst season of his career. If the Mets are going to stick around in the brutal NL East, then Niese needs to figure things out. Key Stats: 42.2 IP, 2-2 W-L, 0 SV, 4.85 ERA, 39 Ks, 18 BB 9. Adam Wainwright, SP - St. Louis Cardinals Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 244 Obviously, Wainwright is entitled to some slack. After all, he underwent Tommy John surgery in March of last year. Command is typically the last thing to return to a pitcher who's had his elbow rebuilt, and indeed Wainwright this season has struggled with his control and given up more homers than usual. He'll get better as time goes by, but the fact remains that he's given up 31 runs in 43.2 innings. Key Stats: 43.2 IP, 2-5 W-L, 0 SV, 5.77 ERA, 40 Ks, 16 BB 10. Max Scherzer, SP - Detroit Tigers Previous Rank: NR | By Position: 127 There's a lot of bad luck baked into Scherzer's 5.73 ERA. He's on pace to strike out 249 batters, and he's coming off a start in which he whiffed 15, all on swinging strikes. As well, if his current K rate of 11.65 holds up, then it'll be the highest such qualifying mark since Randy Johnson's 13.41 in 2001. So, yes, Scherzer is going to get better. So maybe it's the fates and the defense behind Scherzer that need to "step it up." Key Stats: 48.2 IP, 3-3 W-L, 0 SV, 5.73 ERA, 63 Ks, 19 BB