Slow Starts For These Sluggers
A look at some of the surprising slow starts around baseball…
Aramis Ramirez
Ramirez is all kinds of messed up right now. Not only is hitting a meager .139, but he has already whiffed 23 times in just 72 at-bats. A-Ram usually strikes out only about 60-65 times per season, so something is definitely wrong with his swing right now.
Mark Teixeira
Teixeira has just 8 hits so far and is hitting just .119. He’s still drawing his walks so he’s looking at enough pitches, but Teixeira is having one of the worst April’s of any slugger out there.
A.J. Pierzynski
While Pierzynski may not qualify as a “slugger”, he is a good hitter. But not so much in 2010. He’s hitting .140/.197/.158 with an OPS of a robust .355. Pierzynski hit .300 last year, so this is shocking, especially considering the anemic White Sox offense really needs him.
Nick Johnson
Johnson may have been injury-prone throughout his career, but if he’s playing he’s usually raking. But this year Johnson’s start is similar to Ramirez’ — low average and an uncharacteristic amount of Ks. Johnson is hitting just .135 and has struck out 18 times in just 52 ABs.
Carlos Lee
Lee is the MLB version of the automatic man. He’s going to hit 25-30 homers, hit .300 and drive in 100 or more. But this year Lee’s bat looks slow as he is hitting just .162/.186/.221. Although Lee never draws a lot of walks, his 2 in just 68 at-bats is cause for concern.
Adam Jones
Another hacker on the list, Jones has 1 walk against 20 strikeouts and is hitting .218 this year.
Alexi Ramirez
White Sox fans keep waiting for Ramirez to bust out, but maybe he’s just a bust. He’s a big time hacker in the Soriano mold that hasn’t progressed as a hitter since his fine rookie season. He’s hitting .210 this year and has yet to draw a walk.
J.D. Drew
It’s hard to believe that Drew is already 34 years old. Seems like yesterday he was a top prospect. Drew has had consecutive seasons of .900+ OPS in Boston but he’ll have to break this slump to reach those totals again. He’s whiffed 20 times in only 57 at-bats and is hitting just .180.
Grady Sizemore
Sizemore is hitting just .220 and has yet to hit a homerun. He always strikes out a lot but his 16 Ks in 59 ABs is higher than his usual ratio.
Hunter Pence
Pence is hunting for some hits here in 2010. He’s in the bottom 10 for OBP and is hitting .209 with just 2 walks in 67 at-bats.
