Struggling MLB Sluggers Who Are Due for a Big Power Surge
Struggles are always magnified at the beginning of the season and there are a handful of MLB sluggers who have been slow to get out of the gates in 2015.
But not to fear—plenty of those players should return to their usual levels of production as the season progresses.
Some of those stars, like Brian McCann, have a history of slow starts. Others like Ryan Braun and Robinson Cano have impressive batted ball data that proves their numbers will ultimately come around.
Over the next few slides, we'll give you plenty of reasons to hold off on pushing that panic button just yet.
Brian McCann
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After a mediocre start to his New York Yankees career in 2014, Brian McCann has struggled to begin this season.
McCann signed a five-year, $85 million contract before the 2014 season, but he hit just .232 in his first year in pinstripes. That average has dipped to a .227 mark this year.
But McCann could always be counted on for 20 or more homers a season throughout his career. In fact, the 31-year-old has gone deep 20 or more times in eight of the last nine seasons.
McCann has also endured plenty of slow starts in his career. In 2012 and 2014, the backstop recorded averages under .230 and wRC+ under 100 in April. McCann has a career average of close to .300 in May with a career wRC+ of 136.
His batted ball data does show a significant drop in his line-drive rate, but McCann is still hitting the ball in the air at a career-high percentage. One would think as the weather warms up that some of those fly balls will wind up in the right field bleachers at Yankee Stadium.
All good things come to an end, but McCann's consistency over the years suggests a run of good fortune is on the way.
Adrian Beltre
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Adrian Beltre is one of the most decorated hitters in the modern era, but the 36-year-old has yet to take off in 2015. Beltre is slashing .235/.279/.374 with two homers and five RBI though the season's opening days.
Beltre has been making less impressive contact this season. Twenty-five percent of his contact is considered soft by FanGraphs, which is up from a 13.8 percent mark last year and a 14.4 percent career average.
The good news? Beltre hasn't suffered too much in the hard contact department. His numbers are down, but his 28.2 percent total this season is only 4 percent lower than his career mark.
Beltre has also flashed signs he's coming around in recent games. He has four extra-base hits in his last four games, which is significant considering he only has 10 on the season.
It's unfair to expect Beltre to hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs as he approaches the end of his career. But despite his impending regression, he remains a premier third baseman.
He's also the biggest trade chip Texas has to offer, according to Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News.
"Winning is important to Beltre. Think he has been a bit let down by the early performance of the club," Fraley said.
That uncertainty in Texas could also be weighing on Beltre and affecting his play. Regardless, his .248 average on balls in play is likely to increase, which should see Beltre return to his customary levels of production.
Robinson Cano
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When Robinson Cano decided to move from the hitter-friendly dimensions of Yankee Stadium to the spacious Safeco Field, his home run totals were always going to decrease. That has proven to be the case, as Cano only went deep 14 times last season.
Despite that lack of pop, the 32-year-old was still able to maintain a similar level of production last year. Cano slashed .314/.382/.454 and drove in over 80 runs. 2015 has been a different story however, as Cano has faltered out of the starting gates.
Cano has swung the bat better as of late, leading his manager to believe a hot stretch is right around the corner.
“Robby has a tremendous track record,” manager Lloyd McClendon said to Bob Dutton of the News Tribune. “When it’s all said and done, his numbers are going to be right where they’re supposed to be.
“He went through this (early) last year," McClendon continued. "We had the same conversations. He’s going to hit. Robby is going to be Robby.”
Cano's batted ball data also indicates he's making solid contact. His 37.5 percent mark in hard contact is up nearly 10 percent from last year, and he's hitting the ball to the center of the field almost half the time.
Of all the players on this list, Cano is most likely to break out. The days of elite home run totals left when he parted ways with the Yankees, but Cano is poised to return to his normal numbers in the other aspects of his game.
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Ryan Braun
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When talking about Ryan Braun's recent struggles, the huge elephant in the room needs to be addressed.
With his well-documented history involving performance-enhancing drugs, it's easy to point to the fact that he's no longer using as the reason for his downfall. Whether that's true or not is up for debate, but what can't be questioned are Braun's struggles over the last year.
Braun has homered five times this season, but he's only slashing .229/.288/.385 and has a wRC+ of 83. When you consider his career slash line is .305/.366/.546, it may seem like Braun is light-years away from a return to his once-elite form.
But the 31-year-old could be closer to his old self than it seems.
Braun's fly-ball rate of 40.5 percent is his highest mark since 2008 and his fly ball to home run ratio is up three percent from last season. Even more encouraging is the 10 percent increase in hard contact from last season.
Considering over 80 percent of Braun's contact is considered medium or hard contact, his .246 average on balls in play is clearly going to improve as the season continues. With the home run production already there, Braun is headed for a breakout stretch at the dish.
Andrew McCutchen
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What's wrong with Andrew McCutchen?
That's been the question on the minds of Pittsburgh Pirates fans to begin 2015. McCutchen is slashing .210/.302/.320 through the first part of the season.
Those disappointing numbers can be attributed to a bum left knee that's bothered him since spring training. But the former National League MVP refuses to use his injury as an excuse.
“I can’t sit here and say my knee is the reason or something like that,” McCutchen said, according to Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I don’t believe so. I just believe that I’m just a little off, and that’s all that it is. Just getting myself back there because I’m sick and tired of going oh for freaking four.”
McCutchen's hard contact is way down this season, as is his line-drive rate. He's not chasing bad pitches, though. McCutchen is only swinging at offerings outside the zone 22 percent of the time, which is down from a 27.7 percent mark last season.
The 28-year-old did enjoy a breakout game this past Thursday, going 3-for-5 with a double, two runs and an RBI. A player in the middle of his prime who has recorded a wRC+ of 120 or higher in each of the last six seasons didn't just suddenly forget how to hit.
While McCutchen was battling through his ailing knee, the mechanics of his swing likely suffered as he overcompensated to protect his injury. His knee remains a concern, but McCutchen will snap out of this funk as long as he returns to full health.
All stats accurate as of May 7. Advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs.
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