Slumping Sluggers

The new baseball season is now almost three weeks old and when we look around the majors, some players are really not having the kind of numbers they usually have. Now that's not an uncommon thing at the start of a season but we'll take a look at the struggling big boys and evaluate if their teams have to be worried or not. It should also be noted that there are different standards set for each player. You don't expect the same numbers from Carlos Delgado as you expect from Ryan Howard at this point in their careers. But overall, both haven't been hitting well lately and that's the whole point of the article.

David Ortiz (Red Sox) .141, 1 HR, 10 RBI
After he had knee surgery in the offseason, Big Papi is not looking like the same feared hitter he was the years before. He doesn't feel comfortable with his knee yet and was even benched in a series against the Yankees last week. At 32 years of age Ortiz should be in the prime of his career.
Chance of Recovery: Good. Maybe he will struggle throughout the season but everything is pointing to a return to form for him. HIs buddy Manny Ramirez, batting behind him, is tearing the cover off the baseball and Ortiz will see more and more good pitches with Manny continuing to dominate. The last six games have proven just that as Ortiz had 7 hits and 7 RBI without taking a single walk.

Gary Sheffield (Tigers) .192, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Sheff is clearly on the downside of his career at the age of 39. But of course you wouldn't expect him to struggle as much and bat below .200. Just like his team he is off to a terrible start, even though his OBP has been rather solid at .364. With the addition of Miguel Cabrera, the Tigers don't have as big of a role for Sheffield as he is used to.
Chance of recovery: Not great. Sheffield is old and even though he is still a feared hitter, there is no comparison to the past. Last year he finished with 25 homers and 75 RBI and it will be hard to match these numbers. He still isn't fully confortable with the role of the designated hitter and should never be the same hitter he once was.

Frank Thomas (Blue Jays) .167, 3 HR, 11 RBI
"The Big Hurt" was expected to be a key part of the Toronto offense but he hasn't lived up to it. After a MVP-caliber year 2006 in Oakland, the career .300-hitter is clearly looking worse and worse at the plate. It also seems like he has problems inside the clubhouse and he was livid about his recent benching against Detroit. But hey, you can't expect to play everyday with this batting average.
Chance of recovery: Slim. Thomas will turn 40 soon and his body has taken a lot of blows over the years. He doesn't have his nickname for nothing. After hitting his 500th homerun last year he might also not have the same motivation anymore as he had before reaching the milestone.
BREAKING NEWS: Two hours after this article was finished, Thomas was released by the Blue Jays.

Jason Giambi (Yankees) .116, 2 HR, 6 RBI
If you think the Yankees offense as a whole has struggled, then you haven't been watching Jason Giambi. He has been terrible at the plate and is more and more looking like a sure goner in New York next year. He is currently splitting a lot of time at DH with catcher Jorge Posada and the banged up catcher is also digging into Giambi's first base starts.
Chance of recovery: Bad. Giambi isn't in great shape physically (We could wonder why if we are mean...) and he doesn't seem to have a great standing with Joe Girardi either. He won't face Mike Timlin every game and since 2005 his averages has been going down consistently. He doesn't seem to be in the Yankees' long term plans and that isn't a good sign for the rest of the season.

Carlos Delgado (Mets) .213, 1 HR, 8 RBI
If you watch the big run producer in the dugout, you wouldn't imagine he is going through a slump. He is always joking and enjoying the time with his teammates. But his numbers tell a different story. One problem for Delgado has been his decreasing bat speed. He has been taken out of the cleanup spot multiple times recently (also due to the fact the Mets faced tons of lefties).
Chance of recovery: Average. Delgado is clearly on the downside and being 35 years old, you can't expect him to make any great leaps in his form. His averages has been going down for three years now and he isn't the big run producer on the Mets anymore. But if he finds his swing, he could be valuable behind the likes of David Wright and Carlos Beltran which ultimatively is all the Mets need from him. His presence in the clubhouse is clearly positive.

Ryan Howard (Phillies) .182, 4 HR, 9 RBI
He is the youngest among our slumping sluggers and due to that fact alone, Philly fans shouldn't be too worried about his slow start. He had a bad start last year too and still finsihed with terrific numbers for the season. His strikeout numers are astronomically high though and that's something he should definitely work on in the future.
Chance of recovery: Great. As bad he looks at the plate right now, and we are talking awful here, his track record gives no reason to worry at all. Last year he slumped in April and still finished with 47 homers and 136 RBI. The year before he was the National League MVP with an incredible 58 homers and 149 RBI. He bats in a small ballpark and once he recovers mentally, he will be fine. Watch out, Philly bleachers!

Alfonso Soriano (Cubs) .175, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Just like last year, Soriano is struggling early on and April. And just like last year, too, the left fielder is injured early on with a strained right calf. He was almost non existant in the first couple of games but looked better as in the second week of the season. Unfortunately for him, he went down with the injury.
Chance of recovery: Great. Soriano is only 32 years old and he isn't your prototypical power hitter. Not only does he lead off and is blessed with good speed on the bases, he is also in outstanding physical condition and arguably one of the most gifted athletes of our generation. His lone year in Washington proved that where he finished with 46 homers and 41 stolen bases. He will be back soon and he will find his swing just like he always does. His free swinging mentality won't change, yet that doesn't mean he still isn't a great player to watch and have on your team.

Ok, that's it with our report of the slumping sluggers. Many of you will disagree with some predictions and mabye you will also miss a few names (Andruw Jones anyone?). Feel free to comment on the list and get into a discussion.