Tyler Glasnow, starting pitcher, Pittsburgh Pirates
Glasnow entered 2016 as MLB’s eighth ranked prospect. Between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, he posted a 1.93 ERA and 1.17 WHIP while striking out 144 batters in 116.2 innings. His MLB cameo wasn’t great, but with a 4.24 ERA and 1.50 WHIP, it wasn’t terrible, either, especially since it was only 23.1 innings.
The 2017 season has been a much different story.
Over his first nine starts, Glasnow has posted a 1.93 WHIP. Control was never Glasnow’s strength in the minors, but he’s walking 5.8 hitters per nine innings. That’s especially bad given that he’s allowing 11.6 his per nine. If you’re going to allow a lot of hits, you can’t be putting runners on base for free. That’s how we get stats like Glasnow’s 6.69 ERA.
Like Salazar, these numbers aren’t being inflated by a few good starts. Glasnow has recorded only three quality starts. In those outings, he’s put up a 3.92 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. If anything, they’re unduly helping his overall total.
The 2017 season has been a disappointing one for the Pirates. While Glasnow is certainly not the only cause of that, he’s not doing a lot to help the Pirates get out of the cellar, either.
Trea Turner, shortstop, Washington Nationals
We go from a struggling youngster on a struggling team to a struggling youngster on a thriving one.
When Turner gets on base, he’s one of the most dangerous players in the game, capable of turning a walk into a double (or even triple) in a matter of pitches.
2 innings, 2 stolen bases for Trea Turner. Funny what happens when he gets on base.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) May 24, 2017
The problem is that he’s just not getting on base anywhere near enough. Entering Wednesday’s action, Turner had a .241 average and .270 OBP. Now, some regression was expected after a .342 average and .370 OBP in his rookie year. But by any standard, the current numbers are dismal.
In a way, Turner’s struggles are bad news for the Nationals, as well as their competitors. No team wants to see one of its best young players struggling so much in his second season. That’s certainly not good news for Washington. On the other hand, the Nats have been lethal on offense despite Turner’s struggles. Imagine how good they can be if he gets it going. That’s a scary prospect for their competition.