Which Players Have Been the Surprise Strugglers This Year in MLB?

Posted on by Jim Smarts

Major League Baseball (MLB), like every other league, is a game of great uncertainty. One wrong shot or one bad pitch can turn the fortune of a team and a player around and lead to complete disappointment. Same with the underperforming players, who have not been able to play at their best this season so far. This has happened due to a number of reasons. They have not been able to play consistently due to the COVID crisis, which has been a huge downside of the 2020 and 2021 seasons in Major League Baseball. Apart from that, lack of form or injuries has also led a number of players to suffer from underperformance, which has affected the results of a number of crucial matches so far this season.

Despite all the aforementioned problems, there are a number of players who have done well for their team and performed consistently when the opportunity was provided to them. However, it has not been as favorable for the other players and some of them, surprisingly, have had to go through a lot of hardship during the 2021 season in Major League Baseball. Here is a look at a few of these players who have been the surprise disappointments this season so far in MLB.

Marcus Semien

The player had a breakout year in 2019 that earned him a third-place finish on the AL MVP ballot. Another similar season would earn him a big payday as he approaches free agency but his stock is dropping based on his disappointing performance. The A’s shortstop is hitting .223 with a .671 OPS and 86 wRC+ this season.

Christian Yelich

He was the runner-up to Bellinger last year and captured the MVP award for himself the previous year. Now he’s battling to climb over the Mendoza Line with a .199 average. He led the league in OPS the last two seasons but currently owns a career-low .762 OPS. At least he’s above league-average, barely, with a 103 wRC+ but his 0.4 fWAR is a tick behind Bellinger’s. The two most recent NL MVPs are well outside the race this year.

Javier Baez

The player was the runner-up for the NL MVP in 2018 and made his second consecutive All-Star appearance last year. He’s currently hitting .203/.239/.362 with a 56 wRC+ that ranks as the third-lowest in the majors. Baez is a free-swinger who can be prone to slumps but his league-leading 62 strikeouts are extreme even by his standards.

Jose Altuve

He isn’t the same player he was during his MVP campaign a few years ago but the six-time All-Star was still a very solid hitter when healthy last year. Now the three-time batting champion is hitting .224 with a .606 OPS. His 70 wRC+ is tied with Martinez for 10th-worst in the MLB majors.

Cody Bellinger

He won the NL MVP last year but he’s in the running for the least valuable player this year. He’s still showing decent pop in his bat with 10 home runs but he’s hitting a pitiful .218 with a .715 OPS. His 91 wRC+ is tied for the 14th-lowest in the NL and his 0.5 fWAR barely keeps him out of the bottom-20.