During a six-month chase for supremacy, there are always going those who get out of the gates quickly. On the other hand, there are the usual front-runners who unexpectedly start slow. For these eight, there’s no reason to push the panic button…yet.
Chris Archer
The good news: he entered Monday among the league leaders in strikeouts with 29. Unfortunately, he was also among the highest in home runs allowed (six), hits allowed (30) and has the most losses (four) – all while sporting an unimpressive 7.32 ERA. This is a far cry from April 2015, in which his ERA was an outstanding 0.84. If his latest outing is any indication, this 27-year-old — wiser than most others his age — this rough beginning won’t have any effect on him.
Adam Wainwright
Archer’s 7.32 is an awfully high ERA for an elite hurler. Just as staggering is Wainwright’s current figure. Even after Friday’s outing in San Diego of six innings and three runs allowed, he remains at a hefty 7.25. It’s entirely possible he’s lost his old form following the Achilles injury that ended his 2015 campaign early. Having overcome injuries and slumps before, there’s no reason to think this 10-year veteran can’t do it again. His next appointment comes Tuesday evening against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix — a good test to see if his season really is on the rebound.
Joey Votto
Considering the shortage of talent on the Reds roster, the need for veterans such as Votto to step up and carry the load is magnified. Up to this point, his contributions have been modest up to this point. Coming off a year of 29 homers and 80 RBIs, he’s got only two long balls and has driven in just 10. For a career .301 hitter in April, his average is .208. Even at age 32, it’s hard to expect a decline – especially one this rapid. The law of averages say he’ll improve, but his club’s prospects won’t.
Andrew McCutchen
Pittsburgh’s unquestioned leader is no stranger to early season slumps. Take last year, for instance. By the end of April, he was a .195 hitter with just two doubles and 13 RBIs. Naturally, the Pirates were below .500 during that time. By year’s end, his numbers were more McCutchen-like: a .292 average, 23 homers, as well as a club-high 96 RBIs and 36 doubles. Of course, the Bucs were back in the postseason. So, when you now see a reprise in 2016, should we really be worried?
Justin Upton
At six years and $132.75 million, the Tigers have yet to get their money’s worth. Not only has Upton been failing to get on base (a .247 percentage), he’s rarely making contact — tagged with a league-high 30 Ks. And when he does connect, his one home run and three RBIs show there isn’t much production to show for it. But any criticism at this point should be tempered. Once the career-long National Leaguer gets fully acclimated to his new team and a new league, he’ll be off and running.
Michael Pineda
There are some (we’ve yet to find them) who claimed Pineda to be the best pitcher in New York. That’s a silly argument, even if you don’t consider the 2016 performance. He’s been solid twice — against the Blue Jays on April 13 and six days later versus Oakland. Both were quality six-inning starts. But it’s the first and latest outings that have drawn the ire from Yankee fans. The combined totals are 13 earned runs, 18 hits, and seven home runs over 10 innings. He still has the stuff to provide more good days than bad ones.
Jason Heyward
Last Monday’s reunion in St. Louis notwithstanding, Heyward has been far from the center of attention. The struggles that developed over the opening three weeks of 2016 (which included a batting around .200 and without a home run) largely went unnoticed — thanks mainly to the hot start of of his new club (Jake Arrieta and Anthony Rizzo, especially). With such great support in front and behind him in the batting order, he’ll have plenty of chances to make up for a forgettable opening act in Chicago.
David Price
In yet another reason why wins are a meaningless statistic, Price’s gaudy ERA of 7.06 has somehow left him with a record of 3-0. However, one thing Price can’t hide is that his command is far from what it was in Toronto, Detroit or Tampa. Against his former Rays at Fenway on Thursday, he matched a career-high with eight earned runs and was done after 3.2 innings. Yet, as is the case with Wainwright, the consistent career numbers prove Price’s worth (even if is in the range of $217 million). And as we’ve already noticed so far, he’s got plenty of run support in Boston.
Matt Harvey
He’s foremost in the spotlight in New York, which can sometimes have its negative effects. Trying to put aside the medical scare at the end of spring training, the “Dark Knight” is still a mere mortal — especially when throwing out of the stretch. Such a young and deep rotation can feed off its internal competition. Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz have each put together at least one impressive showing. Harvey has yet to match, and he has too much self-pride and talent to become the one bringing the rest of the staff down.
Jose Abreu
Even in a brief MLB career, Abreu’s reputation is consistency. So when his initial 16 games of 2016 leads to a batting average of .190 and an OPS of .646, there should be cause for concern. He’s rarely endured prolonged slumps, but did deal with a rough go of it last May. He put it past him, though, to slug 30 home runs. Whatever is troubling his swing now hasn’t dampened his stubbornness, as he overcame a dreadful 0-for-5 day to drive in the winning run Saturday against Texas. And despite his overall struggles, the White Sox maintain the best record in the AL.