MLB's Early Struggling Stars Poised for Loud Turnarounds
From Davis Ortiz to Robinson Cano, a constellation of MLB's brightest stars have been among the game's biggest duds in 2015.
While the five underachievers who crack this unfortunate list have all been major disappointments so far, it's not time to write them off just yet. The most compelling reason for why they're all poised for loud turnarounds is that they all boast impressive big league resumes.
Plus, after digging through the numbers, there's no way to avoid the reality that a few of these stars have been downright unlucky in the opening months of 2015.
Robinson Cano, 2B, Seattle Mariners
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Robinson Cano has not been earning his hefty $24 million salary.
The Seattle Mariners second baseman owns a .627 OPS, which is 223 points lower than his career average (.850). The most troubling aspect of his season has been that the vet's power has vanished. In the M's first 48 games, Cano has gone yard just once and is sporting a .322 OPS.
Despite his sputtering start, Cano retains the confidence of his manager, Lloyd McClendon.
"I'm sure he's frustrated," the skipper said, via Greg Johns of MLB.com. "He's probably a little embarrassed. That's only natural. But the fact is, he's going to hit."
History agrees with McClendon. One of the most remarkable aspects of Cano's big league tenure is that he's also swung at a high clip. Entering the 2015 season, he had hit .297 or better in nine of his 10 campaigns.
Carlos Gonzalez, RF, Colorado Rockies
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The numbers have been ugly for Carlos Gonzalez in 2015.
The right fielder for the Colorado Rockies hasn't been helping his trade value, as he's reeled off a .212 average and a .612 OPS while driving in just 13 runs. Those aren't the kinds of numbers that the Rockies were hoping for from the two-time All-Star.
But after combing through the stats, it's worth noting that CarGo has been awfully unlucky this season.
Per FanGraphs, the lefty masher has a .243 batting average on balls in play, which is 96 points lower than his career mark (.339). What's more, he actually has a lower strikeout rate (19.8 percent) than he's posted over the course of his time in the bigs (22.2 percent).
As long as Gonzalez continues to put the ball in play, it's only a matter of time before the hits start falling and that average begins to rise.
Anibal Sanchez, SP, Detroit Tigers
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Anibal Sanchez hasn't been his usual dominant self in 2015.
The righty's ERA (5.75) is more than two runs higher than his career mark (3.65). He's also been serving up an absurd number of home runs, getting tagged for at least two shots in four of his 11 outings. On the year, Sanchez has given up 12 homers. For context, he only allowed 13 in the last two seasons combined.
The most encouraging sign for the starter and for the Detroit Tigers that better days are ahead is the fact that he's still producing plenty of swings-and-misses. In his last 12.2 innings of work, Sanchez has racked up 20 strikeouts.
The advanced numbers also provide reason for optimism. While his ERA sits at 5.75, per FanGraphs, Sanchez's FIP (4.30) and xFIP (3.65) both are significantly lower. The Tigers will be thrilled when that first stat begins to correspond more closely to the latter two.
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Ryan Zimmerman, 1B, Washington Nationals
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While Ryan Zimmerman has made a flawless transition to first base, his start at the plate has been bumpy. The Washington Nationals stalwart has posted a .227 average and a .670 OBS.
Like Gonzalez, Zimmerman's underwhelming run in the batter's box is at least in part a product of bad fortune. Simply put, the hits just aren't falling in for the 30-year-old. According to FanGraphs, his BABIP, which stands at .245, is 50 points lower than his career average (.295).
Soon enough, the Nats, who are already sitting atop the standings in the National League East, can count on getting much better production out of Zimmerman.
David Ortiz, DH, Boston Red Sox
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The owner of a .213 average, David Ortiz has been a microcosm of the Boston Red Sox's underwhelming offense.
That early-season funk prompted skipper John Farrell to give Ortiz a couple of days off, and the slugger made excellent use of his downtime.
“I’ve been in the Ortiz laboratory,” the 39-year-old explained, via Ricky Doyle of NESN.
Now that he's emerged from the lab, Ortiz is ready to get back on track. "I'm just going to put in play the Plan B," he said, via Doyle. "Come back and rake."
With a .284 average and a .921 OPS in 19 seasons in the bigs, Ortiz knows all about raking.
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, FanGraphs and MLB.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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