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8 MLB teams not living up to the hype

While the beginning of each MLB season brings new hope, the first few weeks bring disappointment to different fan bases across the league. The 2016 season is no exception.

Teams like the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves are bad. But that was expected, which limits frustration. Other MLB teams, like the ones we’re looking at today, entered the 2016 season with high hopes. More than a month into the season, their play has failed to match high expectations.

We know what players are failing to live up to the hype, but which MLB teams fall into the same category?

Houston Astros

What’s gone wrong?

We could point out the abysmal seasons that players like Carlos Gomez and Ken Giles have had, but that’s only a fraction of the problem. The real issue is that, with the exceptions of Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, the rest of the team has just been inconsistent.

Dallas Keuchel. He has also not been helped in the pitching rotation, as Mike Fiers, Collin McHugh, and Doug Fister have all had as many bad starts as good ones. At the plate, Tyler White got off to a great start, but has cooled significantly since.

The Astros have had some good games, but haven’t been able to put them together. It’s why their next three-game winning streak will be their first. It’s why they’ve only won two in a row twice thus far. It’s why Houston sits at 13-21 and in the cellar of the American League West.

Can it be turned around?

Yes, but it won’t be easy. The path to the postseason (or even mild contention) will be dramatically different for Houston than it was last year.

The American League West has not been a great division. The Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers are off to strong starts, but the bottom three teams are separated by only one game.

Houston will need to quickly show that it can sustain a winning streak, but it’s too early for them to throw in the towel.

Los Angeles Angels

What’s gone wrong?

Just about everything not named Mike Trout or Kole Calhoun.

Andrew Heaney seems to have avoided Tommy John surgery (for now), but he joined C.J. Wilson on the 60-day DL. Garrett Richards was not so lucky, as Tommy Surgery will keep him out of action until sometime in 2017 at the earliest. Closer Huston Street is also on the DL, as is shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who likely won’t be seen for a long time.

Unfortunately, the injuries aren’t the only issues in Anaheim. Albert Pujols is off to a terrible start, while Jered Weaver has been average, at best.

Can it be turned around?

Realistically, no. If the Angels even finish the year at .500, Mike Scioscia should get strong Manager of the Year consideration.

Los Angeles does enjoy the same divisional advantages that the Astros do, but this problem is a lot more dire. The Angels’ depth was a potential problem when they were 100 percent healthy. Now that they have so many key players beaten up, the depth will be tested even more. It’s hard to see that working out too well for the Halos.

Even playing most of their games in a division that looks quite mediocre, this has all the makings of a lost season.

Arizona Diamondbacks 

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What’s gone wrong?

A few things have gone wrong, but it starts with the team’s starting pitchers. Entering the year, the team’s three top starters were newcomers Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller, along with stalwart Patrick Corbin. It hasn’t quite worked out that way.

The D-Backs have also gotten limited production from their superstar first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt sports a solid .413 OBP, but his .233 batting average and .457 slugging percentage are well below the .299 and .535 marks that he had entering the season.

Can it be turned around?

Yes, and it actually might be already. Arizona is currently riding a five-game winning streak. Also, thanks to the complete mediocrity of the National League West, it’s only a game out of first place.

The problem is that the team’s pitching will need to get much better. A team simply can not contend if any three starting pitchers (let alone the top three starters) are going that poorly. Even worse is that pitchers tend to struggle more as the season gets older, the weather gets hotter and the ball carries better.

Still, while the Diamondbacks have some undeniable problems that need to be fixed or addressed, they have no need to hit the panic button.

San Francisco Giants

What’s gone wrong?

While San Francisco’s and Arizona’s big problems are with the same part of their respective teams, they’re very different. The Giants top three starters — Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, and Jeff Samardzija — have been solid. The bottom two of Jake Peavy and Matt Cain, however, has been another story.

Some of San Francisco’s top hitters have struggled, as well. A recent slump has knocked Buster Posey’s batting average to .275, but more troubling is the fact that he only has four home runs. As catchers tend to lose power through the season, Posey’s early season power drain is certainly noteworthy.

Elsewhere on offense, Joe Panik and Matt Duffy are each only hitting .250, while Panik’s OBP is only .320 and Duffy’s is .310.

Can it be turned around?

Yes. The Giants and Diamondbacks are tied for second place, with both teams only a game back.

The struggling San Francisco hitters aren’t such a huge concern, but the issues of Cain and Peavy will need to be fixed in a big way. As Arizona’s struggling pitchers are their best pitchers, they’re a little more likely to turn things around. The fact that the Giants are getting so little from the bottom half of their rotation (and therefore their worst pitchers) means that the problem will most likely have to be fixed with outside help.

Much like Arizona, the Giants can’t hit the panic button just yet. They just can’t afford too much more patience before upgrading the pitching rotation.

Minnesota Twins

What’s gone wrong?

A whole lot of everything.

Offensively, the Twins are 27th in runs scored, 25th in batting average, 23rd in OBP, 26th in slugging, and 26th in OPS.

As bad as the offense has been, the pitching has been worse. Minnesota ranks 27th in ERA, 26th in starter’s ERA, 22nd in bullpen ERA, 27th in WHIP, 22nd in starter’s WHIP, 24th in bullpen WHIP,

All of that leads to an 8-24 record. Given that this team was 83-79 in 2015 and 18-14 after 32 games, this kind of futility has certainly been surprising.

Can it be turned around?

No. Other than the Braves, who were expected to be bad, Minnesota has MLB’s worst record.

The Twins are four games behind the Astros, who have the American League’s second-worst record. Within the American League Central, the Twins are not only 14 games out of first place, but a full seven games behind the next worst team.

Even with a lot of baseball to play, that’s a lot of games to overcome. To make up that kind of ground, a team needs to have a strong top-to-bottom starting rotation — something Minnesota does not have. The rest of this season should serve as a nice preview for the future, as the Twins have one of MLB’s best farm systems. But as far as competing for the playoffs, there’s already virtually no hope for the 2016 season.

Kansas City Royals

Courtesy of Denny Medley, USA Today Sports

What’s gone wrong?

The offense has been mediocre, but this team’s pitching rotation is the biggest problem.

Kansas City still sports one of the league’s best bullpens. Unfortunately, it’s getting called on a little too much. Relief pitchers have had to throw 109.2 innings, which is tied for the ninth-most bullpen innings in the league. That’s especially problematic as the Royals have played only 32 games, while some other teams have played 35.

The bullpen is getting called on a lot, of course, because the starting rotation has been well below championship caliber.

Ian Kennedy has been fantastic, Edinson Volquez has been okay, but the rest of the rotation has been awful. As a staff, Kansas City’s starters have a 4.73 ERA and 1.48 WHIP, good enough for 24th and 26th in MLB.

Can it be turned around?

Yes, but the pitching staff will need an upgrade.

Yordano Ventura is a much better pitcher than his 4.65 ERA would indicate, but the rest of the rotation is concerning.

Chris Young is a few weeks away from turning 37 and unfortunately looks every bit of it. Kris Medlen was once one of baseball’s most promising arms. But while plenty of pitchers have recovered nicely from one Tommy John surgery, the list of pitchers who have successfully come back from two is much smaller. As his 7.77 ERA and WHIP over 2.00 would indicate, Medlen is finding that out the hard way.

If you’ve watched them over the last two years, you know that counting the Royals out is a bad idea. Still, they’re already seven games back in the AL Central and if they don’t find pitching depth fast, the chances of having a repeat champion will quickly fade.

Detroit Tigers

What’s gone wrong?

Much like the Twins, Detroit’s problem is more collective than in any one area. It is below average across the board and as a result has a below-average 15-17 record.

The other problem here is that the Tigers’ 2016 season is shaping up much like the 2015 campaign did. Detroit finished April last season at 15-8. They wouldn’t enjoy another winning month and finished the season as one of the American League’s worst teams at 74-87.

Through 23 games in 2016, the Tigers were a solid 13-10. They won the next day to go to 14-10, but dropped the next seven, ending their losing streak only on Tuesday.

Can it be turned around?

This picture isn’t as bleak as Minnesota’s, but it’s not a terribly bright one either. If The Tigers had one area that was killing them, it wouldn’t be crazy to think that it could be changed via a trade or just a reversal of fortune. But with so many things going wrong, a turnaround is much harder to envision.

Miguel Cabrera needs to find his power again. The .298 batting average and .370 OBP are fine, but four home runs and a .455 slugging percentage are simply too low. Justin Upton also needs to pick up the slack. His .220/.259/.315 slash line is bad for anyone, let alone an All-Star outfielder.

Jordan Zimmermann has been a great investment so far, but the starting rotation will only be a strength if Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez get a lot better. Right now, Verlander has a 5.40 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, while Sanchez comes in at 5.89 and 1.64.

The good news is that the Tigers are relying on some players with great reputations. The bad news is that pretty much all of them need to improve.

New York Yankees

Yankees postpone opening day

What’s gone wrong?

Even before the return of Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees had a strong bullpen. Unfortunately, a bullpen doesn’t do much good if they’re not given many leads to protect. A key part of getting leads is scoring runs, which is something that the Bronx Bombers haven’t done much of this year.

The starting pitching has been a little better, as they rank 18th in ERA (4.54) and 13th in WHIP (1.32). But there are still a couple unmistakable problems.

One, 13th and 18th are okay ranks to hold, but they’re just middle-of-the-road. A team with a poor offense needs a great pitching staff to contend. Those numbers are far from great.

Two, they’re even worse if we eliminate the starts of Masahiro Tanaka. Without his outings, New York’s starters have a 5.03 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, totals that would put them at 26th and 23rd in the league. So, four out of every five days, the Yankees are just hoping for the best with their starting pitchers.

Can it be turned around?

Not to pour cold water on a team that’s won four out of its last five games, but it’s hard to see this team contending in 2016. The American League East is too deep and the Yankees just don’t have enough talent to navigate it.

They may not play .419 baseball throughout the season, but New York doesn’t look to be much better than a 75-80 win team.

Quite honestly, the Yankees would be best off trading some of their older players this year and developing a younger nucleus for 2017.

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