The other day over at Wezen-Ball, I attempted to look at the best non-All-Stars of all time. Which I sort of did, but not the way I intended to, thanks to a big, wrong assumption. (On the bright side, there's now an explanatory phrase over at BBREF for which I'd like to think I'm partly responsible.)

Anyway, today I'm going to do the natural converse: the very worst players ever to make an All-Star team. Because I can't do it the way I wanted to do the other one -- filter according to individual seasons in which the player actually made the All-Star team -- this one is going to be quite a bit more subjective. I think it would have to be pretty subjective anyway; I don't want to include, say, the aging superstar who keeps getting elected when he can't play anymore (Pete Rose, for instance, was almost a win below replacement in 1982 but made the team). I want players who were truly bad MLB players, having truly bad seasons -- and bad first halves, too, wherever possible. The real head-scratchers. If you're interested in something purely quantitative, here's the list of lowest-career-WAR players to be named All-Stars.

First, a few honorable mentions whose career WAR or other factors put them out of consideration for the list below: Greg Olson (put up a decent hitting line in 57 first-half games as a 29 year-old rookie catcher in 1990; out of baseball three years later); Mariano Duncan (mediocre utility infielder hitting .265 with a .310 OBP at the '94 break, but actually started the game at 2B--apparently the fans had fond memories of his .345-BA World Series the year before); Tony Womack (led the NL in steals in '97, but had a .318 OBP at the break as a leadoff hitter and put up -26 fielding runs at 2B  and -1.2 WAR for the season); and Dante Bichette (actually a four-time All-Star because of his Coors-inflated numbers, the guy had 2.0 career WAR and only once -- in a non-All-Star season -- put up a season WAR greater than 1.0).

So here are my picks for the worst of all-time: ten guys who, no kidding, make Charlie Manuel's Omar Infante selection -- and, for that matter, the guy pictured to the right -- look downright inspired. The stats below are for the full season in question:

10.  Ron Coomer, Twins 1B/3B, 1999 (.263/.307/.424, 82 OPS+, 0.8 WAR)
Coomer was the only Twin chosen in '99, and the only first baseman to back up Thome (Joe Torre and/or the players put three backup DHes on the team that year, which makes perfect sense). His first half was better than his overall line -- .282/.312/.458 -- but it was a year in which the average AL 1B hit .279/.362/.481. Coomer's WAR ended up on the plus side that year (0.8, equal to his career WAR) only because of a freakish +7 runs at third base...a position he wasn't selected to the All-Star team to play. Coomer struck out in his only plate appearance, but will forever be introduced on Fox Sports North as "Twins All-Star Ron Coomer."
The Twins were terrible in 1999, but Coomer was, at best, the sixth-best player on the team; Brad Radke (6-7, 3.66 at the break, 5.8 WAR on the year) would've been in infinitely better choice.

9.  Ken Reitz, Cards 3B, 1980 (.270/.300/.379, 86 OPS+, -0.7 WAR)
Believe it or not, Reitz was actually picked to start the game, rather than fellow All-Stars Ray Knight and league-MVP-to-be Mike Schmidt; I can't find confirmation of it anywhere, but Schmidt didn't play at all, so I'm sure he must've been elected to start and begged off with an injury. Reitz had a -4.2 career WAR and is one of those guys who kept somehow convincing people he was a good player. He won a Gold Glove in 1975, with -16 fielding runs. You know, that sort of thing.
Reitz was better in the first half as well -- .282/.311/.381 -- but that was well below average for an NL 3B. Reitz was one of three Cardinal All-Stars, but Dodger 3B Ron "The Penguin" Cey (.260/.344/.432, six-time reigning All-Star) somehow missed the cut. Reitz went 0-for-2.

8.  Tyler Green, Phillies SP, 1995 (8-9, 5.31 ERA, 141 IP, -0.2 WAR)
This one is both understandable and terrible. Green was a 25 year old former first-rounder who had blown his prospect status with a 7-16, 5.56 season in AAA in 1994. He broke camp with the Phillies in '95, surprised everybody by putting up a 9-4, 2.81 in 14 starts and 96 first-half innings, and got the call to the game. Acquitted himself well enough there, giving up two hits but striking out one in a shutout inning. His peripherals were OK; didn't support a 2.81 ERA, but probably a 3.81, which isn't bad at all for '95.
Immediately after the break, Green came unhinged. 6 runs in 4 innings in his first start, 5 in 6 in his second. He had one decent start in the entire second half, putting up a 10.68 ERA in 12 games (11 starts) and just 45 innings. He sat out all of 1996 with an injury, and had just two more partial, ineffective seasons, ending with -1.1 WAR. Green was simply cursed and really doesn't belong on this list (put Ken Harvey here in your mind if you'd like). I just think he's an interesting story.

7.  Joe DeMaestri, Athletics SS, 1957 (.245/.280/.360, 73 OPS+, 0.3 WAR)
The 1957 Kansas City A's lost 94 games, and DeMaestri was their only All-Star...but as bad as they were, there were 13 players on the team with a WAR equal to or greater than his 0.3, including 40 year old two-time former All-Star Virgil Trucks (2.3 WAR).
DeMaestri put up -4.9 WAR for his career -- worst all-time by an All-Star -- and 1957 was actually the only year in which he was better than a replacement-level player. DeMaestri appears this low on the list only because he was doing quite a bit better in the first half -- .288/.329/.376 -- but still an awfully perplexing choice. Could you really justify taking him over, say, three-time All-Star SS Chico Carrasquel? Anyway, DeMaestri didn't see action in the game.

6.  Jeff Newman, Athletics C, 1979 (.231/.267/.399, 82 OPS+, 0.8 WAR)
Newman makes the list not so much because of his year as a whole, but because of his career (-0.2 WAR) and because he somehow made the team with a .228 BA and a .252 OBP in the first half. He did have a .410 SLG and 16 homers (then hit just six homers in the second half), but, I mean, a .252 OBP!!! For a third catcher, young Butch Wynegar (.285/.385/.378) should really have made his third All-Star team in his first four seasons. Darrell Porter and Brian Downing, easily the two best catchers in the AL that year, got all the actual playing time.

5.  Lance Carter, Rays RP, 2003 (7-5, 4.33 ERA, 79 IP, 26 Sv, 0.9 WAR)
By WAR, this doesn't look like one of the worst picks ever, but I'm tempted to put him even closer to #1.  BBREF's WAR gives all kinds of extra credit to closers for pitching in high-leverage situations and all that (as I understand it). By FanGraphs WAR, Carter was a run better than replacement (0.1 WAR, and -0.2 career), with his 4.69 FIP and 4.86 xFIP. At the '03 break, he had a 4.05 ERA in 47 innings, and 15 saves...with six blown saves (71%). I'd guess without checking that there were 30 or so relief pitchers in the AL at the 2003 All-Star break who were better and had been more valuable pitchers than Carter. He was the hapless Rays' only representative, but literally, most of the team would have been a better choice for AL manager Mike Scioscia, including star rookie Rocco Baldelli (hitting .304/.329/.446 at the break).

4.  Jim Coates, Yankees SP, 1960 (13-2, 4.28 ERA, 149 IP, 83 ERA+, -1.0 WAR)
Coates had a couple decent partial seasons, but had a career -1.8 WAR, and this was his worst season. He got the call because he got to pitch for the 97-win Yankees, and thus had a 9-1 record at the break...and a 4.26 ERA. They even gave him two innings in the game, and he gave up two hits and no runs. He was one of seven Yankee All-Stars that year, including both of the team's catchers, Berra and Howard (who was having a terrible year, but-unlike Coates-was usually a pretty good player, and was more of a legacy pick).

3.  Steve Swisher, Cubs C, 1976 (.236/.275/.326, 65 OPS+, -0.1 WAR)
Nick Swisher may not have deserved to win this year's Final Vote over Kevin Youkilis, but Swish's daddy can do him one better as one of the worst and least understandable All-Star selections of all time. He did better in the first half, as he'd almost have to (.268/.304/.346, 88 OPS+), but still poorly, and having already logged two seasons as a backup (613 PA) with a .213 BA and 66 OPS+, not to mention a .213 career minor league batting average, there was certainly nothing to suggest that he'd suddenly become an All-Star. Thankfully, Johnny Bench and Bob Boone got all the playing time in the game. Swisher played just 37 more games that year (hitting .167 with a .211 OBP), and never more than 74 in his remaining six years in the MLB. Still found time to put up -2.6 career WAR. There weren't a ton of great catchers in the 1976 NL, but it's a bit stunning that Swisher made it over Ted Simmons (.281/.356/.377 at the break, already a three-time All-Star at the age of 26).

2.  Billy Hunter, Browns SS, 1953 (.219/.253/.259, 37 OPS+, -2.1 WAR)
As a 25 year old rookie in '53, Hunter was hitting .245/.283/.281 (55 OPS+), with 9 doubles, 0 homers and 2 steals in 3 tries when he got the call as, for some reason, the team's fourth shortstop. He wasn't even the Browns' only All-Star; 46 year old Satchel Paige got the honor that year as well. Hunter got into the game as a pinch-runner for Mickey Mantle, and that's all, and when the season restarted he got even worse, "hitting" .189/.218/.234 (24 OPS+) the rest of the way. Hunter was a decent fielder, but one of the worst hitters the game has ever seen. He lasted in the league only six more years -- none of them as a full-time starter, thankfully -- and ended up with -4.7 career WAR.
Hunter resurfaced as manager of the Rangers in 1977 and '78. His Wikipedia page misspells the name Ripken and was very likely written by a big Hunter fan or family member.

1.  Alfredo Griffin, Blue Jays SS, 1984 (.241/.248/.298, 48 OPS+, -2.3 WAR)
Griffin isn't the worst player on this list (Hunter is), but he earns the top spot by managing to be named an All-Star in what was easily the worst season of his remarkably unremarkable career, managing to earn -2.3 WAR in just 449 PA. His first half was only moderately better, with a .241/.250/.317 line (60 OPS+). Total Zone thinks he also had his worst year in the field, with -10 runs. And, no, the .241/.248 above isn't a typo -- never a walk machine, Griffin hit rock-bottom in that area in '84, walking just four times (plus 1 HBP) in his 140 games. At least in '84, the Jays had the good sense to bat him ninth; in his 18-year, 7330 PA, .285 OBP, -2.4 WAR career, Griffin got over 3,000 PA in the leadoff and #2 spots in the batting order.
Yikes. It's also worth noting that his All-Star appearance and his 1979 (shared) Rookie of the Year Award make him arguably the most decorated sub-replacement player of all time.

So, yeah, Infante (whose 1.2 WAR this year and 7.5 career crush anybody on this list) was an almost unbelievably terrible choice. But it could always be, and has been, much worse...