It’s sometimes hard to assess how a player is doing so early into the season; however, it doesn’t take an expert to notice when a player who has dominated offensively in years passed is having a rough go of things. One month of the season just came to a close and fans, fantasy owners and even real owners are all ready getting the sense that the press of panic button is not too far away. Ten players are clearly having a hard time at the plate this season. Some are on news teams. Some are returning players who came off a hit breakout season in 2012. And a few have been on the decline for a few years now. Either way, these guys are clearly in need of a fresh start in May.
Josh Hamilton Los Angeles Angels
Hamilton signed a five-year $125 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels in the offseason under the hopes that his numbers with the Texas Rangers would translate over to their American League Western rival. In his five years with the Rangers Hamilton batted a solid .305 and crushed 142 home runs with 506 RBI to boot. So far with the Angels Hamilton has been lucky to stay above the Mendoza line, batting .214 with two home runs and nine RBI. One thing you can’t forget to take into consideration is the 0-8 night at the plate he had against the Oakland Athletics in their 19-inning loss on Monday. Hamilton needs help, and fast.
Victor Martinez Detroit Tigers
Victor Martinez is back in the lineup after missing all of 2012 due to an ACL tear; however, the almost always reliable 11-years veteran is off to the worst start of his career. While some could argue that he’s trying to get his groove back, it’s hard to look past the fact that he has only hit below .300 for a season once since the 2004 season; .285 in 2009.
Martinez is currently sitting on a .212 average with zero home runs and nine RBI while batting fifth in the lineup behind Prince Fielder. Hitting the long ball has never really been a big part of Martinez’s game, but amassing over 150 base knocks per season has been. Martinez needs help fast.
Adrian Beltre Texas Rangers
Remember last season when Adrian Beltre was pretty much the only consistent offense the Rangers had down the stretch in 2012? He was so potent that he hit for the cycle near the end of August and even finished third in the American League MVP vote. Those days seem so long ago when you look at Beltre’s .214 average. Beltre has somehow reverted back to his playing habits from his days with the Seattle Mariners, which is really not a compliment. He still packs a lot of power, five home runs on the season thus far, but Beltre really needs to work on actually making contact and putting more balls in play. It can’t all be about power.
Giancarlo Stanton Miami Marlins
It’s kind of funny to think that Justin Ruggiano has just as many home runs (3) as Giancarlo Stanton, but sadly it’s true. Stanton has seen a bit of time on the bench nursing some injuries, but for the time that he has been in the lineup he’s been less than adequate. He hit .290 last season and is currently batting .227 in 2013. There’s no denying that the kid can hit a ball a country mile, but what good is it if he can’t get on base in any other matter including walks and sacrifice flies. Stanton and the Miami Marlins should really look to fix this issue fast, especially if either plans on getting him moved to another buyer.
Jason Heyward Atlanta Braves
Believe it or not, Atlanta Braves outfielder Heyward was the number one ranked prospect in the Majors in 2010. Now look at his stats. Shocking, right? Heyward did have a solid year in 2010, finishing the season with a .277 average, 18 home runs and 72 RBI which were good enough for second place on the National League Rookie of the Year vote. However, his sophomore season consisted of dismal plate appearances and a .227 average. In 2012 he got back to form with a .269 average and a career-high 27 home runs, but this season he has found himself in a dark hole with a .121 average attached to his name. Based on the showing trend it seems like the rest of his career is going to be an alternating pattern of good year, bad year, good year, bad year, etc. Who knows what the cause is. Perhaps a short stint in the minors might do a bit of good for him.
B.J. Upton Atlanta Braves
Apparently Upton and Heyward need to stop hanging out with one another because they’re clearly a bad influence on each other. Upton is really more of an interesting case than Heyward. Upton has never been a great hitter, but he has been a good hitter throughout his nine year career. The peak came in his first full season with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (not Rays) when he hit .300 in 129 games. Little by little; however, Upton’s average took a serious dip to the point where .237-.246 was a normal day at the ball park. Upton is currently hitting .138 which is less than half of what his brother Justin Upton has been able to accomplish this season. It’s almost like the second coming of Hank and Tommie Aaron.
Adam Dunn Chicago White Sox
There’s no doubt that Dunn can hit the guts out of a baseball, he just can’t do much else with it. Since joining the White Sox in 2011 Dunn’s batting average has suffered terribly to the tune of a .181 between then and now. The one interesting thing to look at is Dunn’s combined average of .251 during the first 10 years of his career which were all played in the National League between the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks. The reality of Dunn’s problem could possibly be fixed if he gets out of the American League. Kind of wild to think about, especially when you look at the fact that he hit .220 with seven home runs in 18 interleague games in 2012.
David Freese St. Louis Cardinals
The 2011 World Series hero is off to the worst start of his career. Freese did serve some time on the DL at the start of the season, but his bat is much needed in the Cardinals lineup. Since getting called up to the Majors in 2009 Freese has maintained a solid average above .290; however, the 2013 campaign has not faired as well. Freese is currently hitting .163, two of which have been for extra bases. Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday have done their best to provide all of the offense for the Cardinals this season. It’s time for Freese to step up and help his teammates out.
Rickie Weeks Milwaukee Brewers
The last few years have certainly been tough on Weeks' batting average. Since his career best .269/28/83 campaign in 2010 Weeks has been on a sharp decline, hitting .230 in 2012 and .186 so far this season. Weeks is a rare power hitting second basemen, but consistency is not exactly in his resume. It’s not a real surprise that he’s hitting this poorly one month into the season, but that doesn’t exactly give him a pass. Carlos Gomez and Ryan Braun can’t carry the load by the themselves, especially while Aramis Ramirez is still on the DL.
Adam LaRoche Washington Nationals
The Nationals are off to a rough start this season, and the one player who has really not been carrying his weight is Adam LaRoche. With as stacked as the Nationals lineup is LaRoche was the offensive catalyst in 2012. He was the only player on the team to crack 30 home runs (33) and triple figures in RBI (100), yet this season he’s off to a horrendous start with only three home runs and a .129 average. LaRoche is a career .265 hitter, but with as rough as the Nationals have had it this season they really need LaRoche to step it up and lead the team.