The Biggest Early-Season Flaw Every MLB Team Needs to Address
The 2018 MLB season is scarcely off the ground. It's far too early to draw sweeping conclusions.
That said, let's take a glance at all 30 clubs and assess the flaws that have cropped up during the first several days of meaningful action.
The severity of these flaws will vary, depending upon the depth and expectations of the squad in question. All represent red flags, however—and they may get redder as spring cedes to summer.
American League West
1 of 6
Houston Astros: Left-handed relief pitching
The Houston Astros are the defending MLB champions and one of baseball's most complete teams. Their only weakness coming out of spring was a lack of reliable left-handed bullpen arms, and so far the results haven't been stellar.
Tony Sipp, the main southpaw in the Astros 'pen, has coughed up two walks and a run in 1.2 innings. It's too early to start thinking trade, but the 'Stros could go shopping at or before the July 31 non-waiver deadline, possibly targeting a top-shelf lefty such as the San Diego Padres' Brad Hand.
Los Angeles Angels: RHP Garrett Richards' performance
The good news for the Los Angeles Angels? After battling injuries last season, right-hander Garrett Richards emerged healthy from his Opening Day start against the Oakland Athletics. The bad news? The Halos' ostensible ace looked shaky.
In five innings, Richards yielded seven hits, including two homers, and four earned runs with four strikeouts and three walks. Shohei Ohtani showed flashes in his first start for Los Angeles on Sunday, striking out six in six innings, but the two-way Japanese import remains an enigma. The onus is on Richards to front the staff.
Fortunately, despite the mixed results, Richards' velocity sat at an average of 97.1 mph against Oakland, a tick above his career average of 96.2 mph. If he improves his command, Richards can be the pitcher the Angels need him to be.
Oakland Athletics: On-base versus strikeout tendencies
After defeating the Angels on Opening Day, the A's dropped three straight. That was largely due to an offense that whiffed too much and didn't get on base enough.
Collectively, Athletics hitters have struck out 43 times, fifth-most in the majors, while drawing 19 walks and tallying 41 hits. Needless to say, the first number needs to trend downward and the latter two upward if Oakland is going to sniff contention.
Seattle Mariners: LHP James Paxton's performance
Felix Hernandez showed flashes of his old, kingly self on Opening Day in 5.1 shutout innings. James Paxton was closer to a pauper.
Paxton, who was expected to be the Seattle Mariners ace in Hernandez's stead, yielded six earned runs and two home runs with four walks and four strikeouts in 4.2 uninspiring innings.
"I wasn't locating my fastball very well, and when I did, it was over the plate," Paxton said, per John McGrath of the News Tribune. "The off-speed pitches weren't there. The curveball wasn't consistent, the cutter wasn't consistent. Not a good day at all."
There are plenty of starts for Paxton to sort it out—but the M's need him to do so posthaste.
Texas Rangers: On-base versus strikeout tendencies
The Texas Rangers have suffered the same flaw as the A's, only more so. Texas hitters have struck out 51 times while drawing only 15 walks with 32 hits, "good" for a .271 collective on-base percentage.
Offense was supposed to be the Rangers' strong suit, and it still could be behind a cast of veterans (Adrian Beltre, Shin-Soo Choo) and youngsters (Joey Gallo, Nomar Mazara).
So far, so bad for the Lone Star State's other team.
American League Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: James Shields
The Chicago White Sox, one of the game's most exciting young teams, are off to an excellent start. They're hitting. And, for the most part, they're pitching well.
That "for the most part" remark applies to veteran right-hander James Shields, who gave up four earned runs with no strikeouts in six innings in his season debut. Not terrible, but not commensurate with the $21 million he'll earn this year ($11 million of it paid by the San Diego Padres).
At some point, if Shields' mediocrity continues, the ChiSox will be pressured to call up a young stud such as flame-throwing righty Michael Kopech. At that point, they'll have to figure out what to do with their expensive, underperforming albatross.
Cleveland Indians: Offensive depth
Through four games, the Cleveland Indians are hitting .191 with a .665 OPS. Edwin Encarnacion has three home runs. Despite a slow start, star shortstop Francisco Lindor will surely do his thing. The team also had a nice outing with six runs Monday.
Still, it's worth wondering if the Indians have the offensive depth to remain one of the Junior Circuit's elite clubs.
After Cleveland fell flat on Opening Day, Merritt Rohlfing of Let's Go Tribe spelled it out: "Look, I love Lonnie Chisenhall and Yan Gomes, have irrationally high hopes for Tyler Naquin, and less irrationally so for Bradley Zimmer. But they're just so...is mediocre the right word? That might be a bit generous. Of the four, only Chisenhall boasted a wRC+ over 100 last year..."
The Indians have the pitching to win a soft American League Central, but they may need more bats to make a run at the AL crown.
Detroit Tigers: Starting pitching (non-Michael Fulmer division)
Michael Fulmer took a tough-luck loss in his 2018 debut for the Detroit Tigers as he tossed eight innings of one-run, four-hit ball.
Otherwise, Detroit's rotation has appeared questionable.
Jordan Zimmermann fanned eight in six innings but also gave up six hits and four earned runs. Ryan Carpenter lasted only three innings and yielded five hits, three earned runs and two homers.
Francisco Liriano offered hope in his start Monday as he limited the Kansas City Royals to one run in 6.2 frames. Overall, though, this looks like an area of grief for the rebuilding Tigers, especially if they're tempted to trade Fulmer by the deadline.
Kansas City Royals: The bullpen
The Royals bullpen posted a 13.50 ERA through its first eight innings. Say what you want about small samples; that's disturbing.
Kansas City eschewed a rebuild this winter in favor of a lukewarm retool. If it has any hope of returning to contention, it needs the 'pen to play a key role behind a starting rotation that lacks a top-shelf ace.
Otherwise, look for closer Kelvin Herrera to be on the market this summer.
Minnesota Twins: Closer Fernando Rodney
The Minnesota Twins acquired right-hander Fernando Rodney this winter with the intention of making him their closer. Rodney hasn't inspired confidence.
The 41-year-old recorded two outs on Opening Day but also gave up a walk-off home run to the Baltimore Orioles' Adam Jones.
The Twinkies won't give up on Rodney after one rough outing, but considering he posted a 4.23 ERA last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, it may not be too long until another offseason pickup, right-hander Addison Reed, gets a ninth-inning audition.
American League East
3 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: An appalling lack of offense
The Baltimore Orioles' biggest weakness this season was supposed to be pitching, and it might be. So far, it's been their utter lack of offense.
Through four games, the O's managed just six runs on 17 hits. As Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun opined, "Apparently, the O's didn't learn a whole lot from last year's September slump, during which they averaged 2.96 runs per game from the first day of that month until they packed up their ice-cold bats Oct. 1."
The Orioles' hitters, led by impending free agent Manny Machado, are better than this. They'll need to show it soon, or Baltimore will be buried by May.
Boston Red Sox: Making outs on the bases
Last season, as Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald noted, the Boston Red Sox made an MLB-leading 81 outs on the bases.
It was inauspicious, then, when shortstop Xander Bogaerts ran into a double play on a line drive by third baseman Rafael Devers and right fielder Mookie Betts was picked off first base on Opening Day.
For a Red Sox team hoping to outpace the archrival New York Yankees and repeat as AL East champs, this is an area to tighten.
New York Yankees: Aaron Judge's strikeout tendencies
Aaron Judge will probably always strike out a lot. He's a large man with a large swing. As long as the 6'7", 282-pounder clears the fences with regularity, the Yanks will take it.
Still, there's a difference between the Judge who led the majors with 208 strikeouts but also hit 52 homers last season, and the Judge who struck out 42 times in 95 plate appearances in 2016 and seemed frequently lost against breaking balls and off-speed offerings.
In 15 at-bats in 2018, Judge has whiffed six times with no home runs. It's much, much too early to panic, but it's clear the reigning AL Rookie of the Year is still vulnerable to the K.
Toronto Blue Jays: Josh Donaldson's "dead arm"
If the Toronto Blue Jays hope to return to contention in 2018, they need a full-force Josh Donaldson.
In the early going, the Jays' stud third baseman—who was limited by injuries in 2017—has missed time with a "dead arm."
"We don't think it's a big deal, it's just dead," manager John Gibbons said, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca.
Depending on your level of pessimism/optimism, you can choose to find those words heartening or ominous. He's hit .176 in 17 at-bats and has one home run.
Tampa Bay Rays: An appalling lack of offense
Like the Orioles, the Tampa Bay Rays have not hit in the early going.
The Rays have managed nine runs and hit a collective .190. This team wasn't expected to be a juggernaut and initiated a selloff over the winter, jettisoning right-hander Jake Odorizzi, third baseman Evan Longoria and outfielder Corey Dickerson.
If their lackluster offensive production continues, the Rays will be far from the postseason scramble and shopping pieces such as ace Chris Archer come summer.
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National League West
4 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: LHP Robbie Ray's performance
Concerns this spring in Arizona Diamondbacks camp centered on Zack Greinke and his wonky velocity. Greinke was solid in his regular-season debut (5.1 IP, 1 ER, 9 K, 0 BB), but another D-backs starter struggled.
In five innings against the Colorado Rockies, Robbie Ray gave up seven runs and seven hits. More troublingly, his average fastball was clocked at 93.0 mph, compared to a career average of 94.5.
The Diamondbacks are the NL's leading wild-card contender and could even give the defending NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers a run for their money. If that's going to happen, they need Ray to repeat his 2017 All-Star output and join Greinke atop the rotation.
Colorado Rockies: Starting pitching
Last season, the Colorado Rockies snagged the NL's second wild-card spot partly on the strength of a resurgent pitching staff that threw through its Coors Field handicap. Tip your cap to manager and former pitcher/pitching coach Bud Black.
So far in 2018, the Rockies' arms have taken a step back. That's especially true for the starting rotation, which owns a 5.56 ERA through four games (28th in the majors). Jon Gray and Tyler Anderson, expected to headline the starting corps, gave up 10 earned runs in 6.1 innings between them.
It's a trend the Rocks need to reverse if they hope to build on last year's October cameo.
Los Angeles Dodgers: A lack of power
After enduring back-to-back 1-0 shutouts at the hands of the San Francisco Giants to open the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers battled back with a pair of victories against their old rivals.
But the Dodgers displayed a concerning lack of power in the four-game series, tallying only five extra-base hits and one home run. The eventual return of third baseman Justin Turner, who is out with a fractured wrist, should help. The Dodgers also got a pair of homers in Monday's extra-inning loss to the Diamondbacks.
Still, L.A.'s offense needs an overall jolt.
San Diego Padres: CF Manuel Margot's development
To be clear: We're not writing off Manuel Margot. The San Diego Padres center fielder teased big things last season and is one of the game's most exciting up-and-coming talents.
After hitting just .250 this spring, however, Margot has opened the 2018 regular season with a .125/.263/.125 slash line in four games.
The Friars will keep trotting him out, and he's one hot week away from making this a moot point. That said, the Pads will feel better when they see the 23-year-old perform up to his sky-high potential.
San Francisco Giants: A one-man offense
Solo home runs by second baseman Joe Panik provided all the offense the Giants needed in the season's first two games. They beat the Dodgers 1-0 on consecutive nights. Life was good.
Then San Francisco endured back-to-back shutouts in the series. Add it up and you get a respectable 2-2 record, but also a collective .192/.239/.277 slash line.
After losing ace Madison Bumgarner (pinkie) and innings-eater Jeff Samardzija (pectoral muscle) to injury this spring, the Giants have to score. And by "score," we mean more than 0.5 runs per game.
National League Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: The performance of the front-line starting pitchers
Like Houston, the Chicago Cubs are one of baseball's deepest, most complete teams. In the early going, their flaw has been their rotation-topping starting pitchers.
Jon Lester (8.10 ERA), Jose Quintana (9.00 ERA) and offseason addition Yu Darvish (10.38 ERA) were all roughed up in their 2018 debuts.
All three could rebound in their next outings. They've got long enough track records to suggest that's likely. It'll be a comfort to the North Side faithful if and when they do.
Cincinnati Reds: RHP Luis Castillo's performance
Luis Castillo showed ace potential for the Cincinnati Reds in 2017. Entering the season, he was arguably the most exciting player on their roster.
That excitement wasn't erased after one start, but it was tempered. Facing the Washington Nationals at Great American Ball Park, Castillo surrendered two homers and six earned runs in five uneven innings.
He also struck out six and was facing a tough lineup. That said, Cincinnati is surely hoping for more the next time the 25-year-old takes the ball Friday.
Milwaukee Brewers: RHP Jhoulys Chacin's performance
Until Jimmy Nelson returns from a shoulder injury sometime around the July All-Star break, right-hander Jhoulys Chacin will be a key piece of the Milwaukee Brewers' starting rotation behind Chase Anderson. Chacin's first start didn't bode well for the Brew Crew.
Pitching at Petco Park, where he played his home games last season for the Padres, Chacin allowed seven hits and four earned runs in 3.1 innings with two walks and only one strikeout.
No one expects the 30-year-old to be an ace, but he needs to be better than that for a Brewers team that revamped its outfield and is hoping to compete with the Cubs.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Surprisingly little?
The Pittsburgh Pirates shifted into sell mode this winter, trading ace Gerrit Cole to the Astros and outfielder Andrew McCutchen to the Giants. It appeared a former contender could morph into a 100-loss wreck.
Instead, the Bucs have opened the season 4-0. The bullpen and closer Felipe Rivero wobbled at first but have rebounded. The offense is mostly clicking. The starting pitching has held its own.
That could all change in a matter of weeks or even days. Pittsburgh still doesn't look like a strong contender on paper. That said, we can't begrudge it a robust start.
St. Louis Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez's performance
The St. Louis Cardinals need Carlos Martinez to be their ace in 2018. He didn't pitch or act like one on Opening Day.
In 4.1 innings against the New York Mets, Martinez gave up four hits, six walks and four earned runs. Then, he used his glove as an implement of destruction in the dugout.
The 26-year-old two-time All-Star deserves the benefit of the doubt. His results and reaction, however, raise a red flag for the Cards.
National League East
6 of 6
Atlanta Braves: RHP Julio Teheran's performance
The burgeoning Atlanta Braves have given their fans cause for optimism. It hasn't come from right-hander Julio Teheran, who gave up four earned runs with three walks and three strikeouts in his first start against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Worryingly, Teheran's average fastball velocity was 89.9 mph, compared to a career mark of 92.3. The Braves wound up winning the game, 8-5, but Teheran's lack of zip and results should raise eyebrows in Atlanta.
Miami Marlins: A lack of power
The Miami Marlins aren't built to win in 2018. Quite the opposite. The new ownership group appears intent on tearing down the roster, adding cost-controlled pieces and engaging in a long-term rebuild.
To their credit, the Marlins won two of their first four games against the superior Cubs. There's talent in Miami.
Is there power after the club sent Giancarlo Stanton and his 59 homers to the Yankees? That's doubtful. Marlins hitters mustered only one home run through those four games along with a middling .304 slugging percentage.
Add the fact that Marlins Park was the fifth-least homer-friendly yard in baseball last season, per ESPN's Park Factors, and this team may combine for only a few more dingers than Stanton alone.
New York Mets: LHP Steven Matz's performance
Right-hander Noah Syndergaard gave up four earned runs and two homers in his 2018 season debut with the New York Mets. He also struck out 10 and showed signs of being the ace New York needs him to be after he missed most of 2017 with a lat muscle injury.
Lefty Steven Matz, who also wrestled with injuries last season, put forth a less promising first start.
Matz battled command issues from the word "go" and walked three in four innings while allowing four hits, two home runs and three earned runs in a 5-1 loss to the Cardinals.
The Mets will rise or fall on the strength of their starters. Matz is a big part of that. In his first chance of 2018, he fell.
Philadelphia Phillies: The starting rotation
The Philadelphia Phillies added veteran pieces in first baseman Carlos Santana and right-hander Jake Arrieta this winter. They're hoping to accelerate their rebuild and contend soon.
Arrieta has yet to make his Philly debut after dangling on the market far longer than expected. In the meantime, the Phils have gotten muddled results from their starting corps.
Aaron Nola was solid in 5.1 innings in his first outing, but Nick Pivetta (6.75 ERA) and Vincent Velasquez (13.50 ERA) did not fare as well.
That places extra weight on Arrieta, whose ERA has climbed as his velocity has dipped since his 2015 NL Cy Young Award-winning campaign.
Washington Nationals: The catching situation
The Washington Nationals are unbeaten in the early going. They seem ready to make a run in what could be Bryce Harper's D.C. swan song.
One possible area of consternation exists behind the dish. Catcher Matt Wieters was coming off a disappointing 2017 season and hitting only .143 in the early going when he landed on the DL Monday with a left oblique strain, per Chelsea Janes and Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post.
Washington called up Pedro Severino to pair with veteran Miguel Montero, but neither is an offensive force. The Nats will play wait-and-see and hope for a healthy, productive return from Wieters. In a must-win season, however, they should also keep their eyes on the trade market.
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