10 Disappointing 2014 MLB Stars Who Are Peaking at the Perfect Time
An entire season of struggles can be easily forgotten if a player steps his game up down the stretch and helps his club reach the postseason.
With so much riding on the final month of the MLB season this year, and with so many teams still in contention both for their respective division titles and one of the four wild-card spots, finishing strong is all that matters for a number of teams.
What follows is a look at 10 star-caliber players who fell well short of expectations early on this season but have turned things around of late and are playing a big part in helping their teams contend for a postseason spot as a result.
LF Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
1 of 10
Started
53 G, 184 AB, .250/.337/.359, 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 22 R
Since
30 G, 112 AB, .295/.344/.518, 1 2B, 0 3B, 8 HR, 15 RBI, 14 R
Overview
Bryce Harper suffered a torn UCL in his thumb in late April, leading to a 57-game stint on the disabled list, and he struggled to find a rhythm offensively from there.
After hitting just .228/.330/.342 with two home runs and three RBI in July, there was even some talk of demoting him in early August, but manager Matt Williams was quick to put an end to that rumor.
"It's not fair to the kid, it's not fair to the rest of the guys in that clubhouse to even think about sending Bryce Harper to the minor leagues, or to cause a stir," Williams told reporters, via USA Today. "It's unacceptable. It won't happen."
Harper hit a game-winning home run on Aug. 7, and he has steadily righted the ship since, hitting his stride down the stretch for the first-place Washington Nationals.
RF Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves
2 of 10
Started
117 G, 451 AB, .264/.349, 379, 19 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 45 RBI, 59 R
Since
19 G, 77 AB, .325/.384/.468, 5 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R
Overview
After an impressive debut as a 20-year-old rookie in 2010, Jason Heyward has never quite turned into the superstar player everyone expected him to be.
He's probably the best defensive right fielder in baseball, and he has plus on-base skills even when he's not swinging a hot bat, but he has never taken that next step forward offensively to reach legitimate star status in Atlanta.
With a .313/.380/.429 line since the All-Star break and particularly good numbers over the past month or so, it would appear that something may have finally clicked for the 25-year-old.
He's helped shoulder the offensive load alongside Justin Upton and Freddie Freeman, as the Braves look to finish the season strong and claim one of the NL wild-card spots.
LF Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals
3 of 10
Started
119 G, 435 AB, .260/.362/.407, 28 2B, 12 HR, 59 RBI, 63 R
Second-Half Stats
20 G, 78 AB, .308/.393/.526, 5 2B, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 10 R
Overview
Matt Holliday has been one of the most consistent offensive producers in all of baseball since signing a seven-year, $120 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals prior to the 2010 season.
Over the past four years, he's averaged a line of .301/.386/.511 with 37 doubles, 25 home runs and 94 RBI, hitting primarily in the No. 3 spot in the team's lineup since Albert Pujols left for Los Angeles.
Like many of the Cardinals hitters, he put up below-average numbers during the first half of the season, but he has started to heat up recently, and he's certainly played a role in the team moving into first place in the NL Central.
He won NL Player of the Week honors for the final week of August, as he went 10-for-27 with two doubles, four home runs and 13 RBI.
.png?w=256)
RF Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers
4 of 10
Started
92 G, 325 AB, .268/.333/.422, 22 2B, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 38 R
Since
41 G, 149 AB, .315/.382/.624, 11 2B, 11 HR, 31 RBI, 24 R
Overview
He may never be the same dynamic player who made a run at a 40/40 season and finished second in NL MVP voting back in 2011, but at least the Los Angeles Dodgers are getting some sort of production out of Matt Kemp this season.
Manager Don Mattingly told Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times:
"Matt is swinging the bat good. He’s been driving the ball, driving in runs. He looks comfortable in right field. As much as anything, he’s doing the job now. So trying to go back three years with guys is not fair. Three years of age and injuries is a lot to overcome.
"
Those injuries limited him to just 179 total games the past two seasons, but he's finally managed to stay healthy this year, and his offensive game has really rounded into form here in the second half.
With Yasiel Puig slumping since the All-Star break and Hanley Ramirez battling injury for much of the season, he's carried the Dodgers offense in the second half along with first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
SP Francisco Liriano, Pittsburgh Pirates
5 of 10
Started
16 GS, 1-7, 4.43 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, .240 BAA, 81.1 IP
Since
9 GS, 3-3, 2.73 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, .202 BAA, 56.0 IP
Overview
Francisco Liriano was the steal of the 2013 free-agent market, as he went 16-8 with a 3.02 ERA to finish ninth in NL Cy Young voting while earning a base salary of just $1 million last year.
The Pirates made the no-brainer decision to exercise an $8 million option on the left-hander for this season, but he stumbled out of the gates, and a strained oblique landed him on the DL for 30 games in the middle of June.
He's been a different pitcher since returning, or at least more like the pitcher he was a year ago when the team leaned on him as its ace.
With A.J. Burnett gone, the team has relied on the likes of Vance Worley, Edinson Volquez and Jeff Locke to step up this season. While all three of those guys have been great, a team can still only get so far without a legitimate ace, and Liriano has to be that guy in Pittsburgh.
SP Mike Minor, Atlanta Braves
6 of 10
Started
17 GS, 4-7, 5.42 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, .312 BAA, 98.0 IP
Since
6 GS, 2-3, 2.59 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, .200 BAA, 41.2 IP
Overview
The Atlanta Braves took Mike Minor with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 draft, and he made his major league debut a little over a year later.
After showing flashes of a bright future ahead in his first three seasons in the majors, he finally broke out in 2013, going 13-9 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.090 WHIP as one of the top left-handed starters in the game.
Like seemingly every starter projected to be part of the team's Opening Day rotation, Minor dealt with an arm injury this spring, and he wound up missing all of April with shoulder inflammation.
The 26-year-old had a 5.90 ERA in June and a 7.00 ERA in July, but the team stuck with him through those struggles, and it's paying off now. He is again pitching at a high level here down the stretch.
SP Jake Peavy, San Francisco Giants
7 of 10
Started
23 GS, 1-12, 4.73 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, .273 BAA, 142.2 IP
Since
5 GS, 4-1, 1.04 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, .225 BAA, 34.2 IP
Overview
A sure thing to be dealt from the sinking ship that was the Boston Red Sox, Jake Peavy was shipped to the San Francisco Giants for pitching prospects Edwin Escobar and Heath Hembree.
That seemed like a steep price to pay for a pitcher with a 4.72 ERA and 4.79 FIP through his first 20 starts, but a return to the NL West to be reunited with manager Bruce Bochy has done wonders for the former NL Cy Young winner.
With Matt Cain lost for the season to a right elbow surgery to remove bone chips, someone needed to step up for the Giants to turn things around, and Peavy has been that guy.
Alongside Madison Bumgarner, Tim Hudson and Ryan Vogelsong, the rotation has again been a strength for the Giants over the past month or so as they try to chase down the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West or at least secure a wild-card berth.
RF Josh Reddick, Oakland Athletics
8 of 10
Started
55 G, 181 AB, .227/.293/.354, 3 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 21 R
Since
39 G, 132 AB, .288/.340/.538, 10 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 20 RBI, 26 R
Overview
The Oakland Athletics were averaging an impressive 5.00 runs per game at the trade deadline, but that number has plummeted to just 3.58 runs per game since the beginning of August.
Many have been quick to blame the decision to trade Yoenis Cespedes for the team's offensive struggles, and while that has certainly played a part in the fall-off, the absence of one guy is not the sole reason for that significant of a drop in overall team production.
All things considered, it's hard to imagine how much worse off the team would be if Josh Reddick had not turned things on at the plate in the second half.
He leads the team with a .286 batting average, a .865 OPS and seven home runs in the second half, and he is putting together his most productive stretch since 2012, when he had a .768 OPS and 32 home runs in a breakout season.
SP Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians
9 of 10
Started
8 GS, 1-4, 5.53 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, .301 BAA, 40.2 IP
Since
9 GS, 5-3, 3.14 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, .247 BAA, 51.2 IP
Overview
Danny Salazar was nothing short of dominant as a rookie last season, posting a 3.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 65 strikeouts in 52 innings of work over 10 starts.
That made him a popular pick to break out this season, and his emergence was at least part of the reason the Indians were comfortable letting both Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir walk in free agency this past winter.
The 24-year-old struggled mightily to open the year, though, going 1-4 with a 5.53 ERA in his first eight starts before being demoted to the minors on May 15.
He was called back up on July 22, and he's pitched to a 3.14 ERA in nine starts since rejoining the rotation.
His last two starts have been at opposite ends of the spectrum, as he followed up a complete-game shutout of the Detroit Tigers by allowing eight hits and six runs in 4.2 innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.
That being said, he's still played a significant role in helping the Indians climb back into contention, and he has looked a lot more like the pitcher he was expected to be since his demotion.
SP Chris Tillman, Baltimore Orioles
10 of 10
Started
23 GS, 7-5, 3.97 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, .248 BAA, 136.0 IP
Since
7 GS, 4-0, 1.74 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, .183 BAA, 46.2 IP
Overview
One of the biggest knocks on the Baltimore Orioles, even during a strong first half of the 2014 season, was their lack of a bona fide ace atop their staff.
Chris Tillman was the staff ace for lack of a better option to open the season, but he was far from ace-caliber in the first half when he went 7-5 with a 4.11 ERA in 20 starts.
Things have turned around since the break, though, and over the last month or so, he's been one of the best pitchers in the American League.
Orioles fans will recall his strong finish to the 2012 season, when he went 4-1 with a 2.16 ERA in his last seven starts to help the team sneak into the playoffs, and he's providing a similar impact for the stretch run this year.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and cover games through Monday, Sept. 8. All injury information comes via MLB Depth Charts team pages, per Baseball Prospectus.
.png?w=480)
