Life is full of lessons in which we learn how to progress as human beings. The same is true of baseball teams. A bad season can often spur a transition into an elongated period of success. Fans have borne firsthand witness as rebuild after rebuild has resulted in championship runs for multiple teams in recent years. However, to find such success, one first has to fail, and in this new series, we will be looking at the worst MLB seasons. Yes, these are cringeworthy, and yes, you might want to look away at times. But all the same, we learn from history. Hopefully, we can do just that. Our first team to have one of the worst MLB seasons is the 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks.<\/p>\n
The story of the 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks (51-111), and their inclusion on the worst MLB seasons list, begins with the 2001 Diamondbacks. These underdogs upset the New York Yankees in the World Series. In 2002, they returned to the playoffs but lost in the first round to the St. Louis Cardinals. 2003 came calling, and they fell to third place in the division. At this point, they began trading away some fairly notable names. Curt Schilling<\/a>, Craig Counsell<\/a>, Lyle Overbay<\/a>, and Junior Spivey<\/a> all left. The biggest name that came to Arizona was slugger Richie Sexson<\/a>. Thus, the rebuild began\u2026and the 2004 season spoke to that.<\/p>\n One would think that, even in spite of the various departures, the 2004 Diamondbacks would have had a somewhat competitive offense. After all, their outfield consisted of such notable veterans as Steve Finley<\/a> and Luis Gonzalez<\/a>. They also had the typically solid bats of Danny Bautista<\/a> and Chad Tracy<\/a>. They even brought on 36-year-old Roberto Alomar<\/a> in what would turn out to be his final season. Put Sexson in that lineup and one would think that Arizona might have had one of the better offenses in the league. However, the opposite was true, as the team finished near the bottom of the league in most major offensive categories.<\/p>\n Out of all of the rather brutal disappointments, the injury-plagued season of Richie Sexson has to be the most notable. He came to the Diamondbacks in a deal that sent names such as Counsell, Overbay, Spivey, and Chris Capuano<\/a> to the Milwaukee Brewers. Arizona had reason to make such a deal. In 2003, the team had finished 12th<\/sup> in homers and Sexson had slugged 45 for Milwaukee while making his second consecutive All-Star appearance. Having him seemed like it would be a shot in the arm for Arizona\u2019s offense. Unfortunately, Sexson twice injured his shoulder and only homered nine times in 23 games.<\/p>\n Today In 2004: Arizona Diamondbacks legend Randy Johnson hurls a perfect game vs. the Atlanta Braves. At 40-years-old, he becomes the oldest player to pitch a perfecto! #MLB<\/a> #Baseball<\/a> #History<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/EpkI6FTcAb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) May 18, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nA Bad Offense<\/h3>\n
Sexson\u2019s Struggles<\/h3>\n
\u00a0A Half-Effective Rotation<\/h3>\n
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