Lincoln Zdunich
Some players get off to incredibly hot starts to the year. Very few keep it up, with most flaming out. Think of Chicago Cubs‘ outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong or James Wood of the Washington Nationals last year. Both put up All-Star seasons leading up to the halfway mark, then their bats went remarkably cold.
But there’s another group that starts off cold as can be before heating up. Think of Athletics‘ catcher Shea Langeliers, who put up 19 home runs after the 2025 All-Star break. That group offers hope for those who have started 2026 cold. So which hitters are on the list, and who can turn it around?
Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez
The superstar duo for the Seattle Mariners have been off to a torrid start to the year. The pair has combined for a .192/.284/.574 batting line with only four home runs. That lack of production has led to the Mariners’ fourth place standing in the American League West.
Seattle is in the bottom third of MLB rankings when it comes to team batting average (.218) and OPS (.675). With the recent injury to Brendan Donovan, the duo will need to wake up, and soon, for the Mariners to contend this year.
If Seattle is hoping for a return to the bright lights of the postseason, they’ll need resurgent moments from Raleigh and Rodríguez. They don’t need Raleigh to be the historic catcher he was last year with 60 home runs, but they need something (and they need it now).
Vinnie Pasquantino
The Kansas City Royals‘ mainstay first baseman has struggled to start the year. Of this list, the “Pasquatch” has probably had the worst start, with a .148 batting average and .488 OPS.
The Royals have been in a similar spot as the Mariners, with their lack of offensive production leading to a last-place finish in the AL Central thus far. The club is tied for 22nd in homers (18) and 24th in average (.223) across MLB.
Pasquantino was a huge factor for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. He slugged three home runs in one game for Italy, helping lead them to a miraculous semifinal. If he can rediscover that slug in Kansas City, his year will heat up quick.
Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.
Despite the red-hot San Diego Padres‘ offense carrying the team to the second-best record in MLB (15-7), this superstar duo has suffered. Tatis is still without his first home run of the year. It is, by far, the longest homer drought he has had to start a season. Machado sits with an even more impotent bat, slashing .186/.330/.630 to start the year.
There’s been signs of turnaround for Fernando. He started off colder than ice, but, in his last seven games, he’s batted .318/.407/.318. The homers still have yet to come, but with a series starting tonight in Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies, it seems that the first may come in those hitter-friendly environs.
The same hope holds true for Machado, who has taken advantage of the Rockies’ high altitude playing atmosphere in the past. If he can turn it on this week, hopefully it will carry over. He’s been one of the sturdiest hitters for the Padres over his career, but it’s been an uncharacteristically lengthy drought for the third baseman.
The Entire New York Mets
Wow, have the Mets been bad. It’s been hard to watch the orange and blue lately as they’ve struggled their way to last place in the NL East. They dropped 11 straight games and have yet to emerge from beneath that tumult.
The majority of those problems have been in offense. The pitching has been mostly solid, despite offseason trade acquisition Freddy Peralta getting off to a slow start (4.05 ERA, 26.2 IP). But the offense has been hard to watch. New York’s leader in batting average (50-plus ABs) is catcher Francisco Alvarez with a .263 mark. The team has combined for a .226 mark (23rd across MLB).
But the Mets have a good roster. Superstars like Bo Bichette, Francisco Lindor, Luis Robert Jr. and Juan Soto make up a terrifying offensive group. It’s just that none of them have seemed to click quite yet. When they do (and they should soon), Mets fans will be rewarded after an historically difficult stretch.
