Now that every team is already 22 or more games in, slow starts are becoming increasingly concerning. Especially for some notably talented players…
Note - I used Statsoldier.com for graphics and stats. I also used Fangraphs, as they provided the wRC+ stat, and I love using this to evaluate hitters. When looking at the WAR stat, I typically use bWAR or Baseball Reference, but I was lazy and did not want to go back and forth.
Cal Raleigh - Seattle Mariners (Yahoo #693 Player)
Was 2025 a fluke? A little bit. Do I think 60 home runs is the norm? Absolutely not. Cal Raleigh was the first Catcher ever to hit 60 home runs in a single season. One had to think his numbers would dip in 2026 as 2025 was such a brilliant performance for the 29-year-old.
Raleigh started 2022 struggling as well, with an .083 batting average and striking out in 32 percent of his plate appearances in his first nine games. He finished 2022 with 27 HR, 3.9 bWAR, and a .489 SLG. It is more than reasonable to believe he will get right here soon, as the weather warms up and returns to form.
2026 Stats - 93 AB | 7 R | 3 HR | 12 RBI | 1 SB | 11 BB | .161 AVG | .538 OPS | 60 wRC+ | 0.3 fWAR
Francisco Lindor - New York Mets (Yahoo #706 Player)
I could also have gone with Juan Soto, but since he is on the injured list, I decided to pass. Didn’t want to be the bitter Yankees fan and kick a man while he is down. With that mentality, I’ll have to lay off until 2039 because that is when he will finally be off this atrocious Mets team.
All jokes aside, I landed on Lindor. Lindor is another super-talented veteran who we know consistently starts slow. His career batting average in the month of March is a whopping .109. April historically trends up as he has played 217 career games in April, and the batting average climbs to .258. Sure, a massive uptick, but for a career .272, there are greener pastures for the 12-year veteran. At age 32, have we seen the best of Francisco Lindor? Maybe, maybe not. It is not a fun time right now in Queens, NY, but if I had to take a guess, Lindor will be back to normal soon enough.
2026 Stats - 88 AB | 12 R | 1 HR | 1 RBI | 2 SB | 10 BB | .205 AVG | .600 OPS | 76 wRC+ | 0.3 fWAR
Jazz Chisholm Jr. - New York Yankees (Yahoo #718 Player)
Jazz is almost 100 points in batting average below his career line. I am not overpanicking on Chisholm Jr. In his 176 games with the Yankees before the 2026 season, Jazz has racked up 42 HR, 103 RBI, .258 BA, and 49 stolen bases.
He is a highly productive player and should be able to get back into the swing of things as he sits in the middle of this Yankee lineup, and opposing pitchers are focused on other hitters such as Aaron Judge and Ben Rice.
2026 Stats - 73 AB | 6 R | 0 HR | 3 RBI | 8 SB | 9 BB | .164 AVG | .498 OPS | 49 wRC+ | 0.2 fWAR
Pete Crow-Armstrong - Chicago Cubs (Yahoo #610 Player)
Probably the player I'm most worried about on this list. Contrary to everyone else I have singled out, PCA has the smallest track record. The good news is the Cubs have a loaded lineup, so he can hide at the end of this lineup until he gets right.
The 24-year-old is coming off a massive 2025 season in which he accrued 6.0 bWAR and went 30-30. There is an obvious reason the Cubs rewarded PCA with a $115M/ 6-year extension this past offseason.
2026 Stats - 84 AB | 14 R | 1 HR | 5 RBI | 4 SB | 5 BB | .214 AVG | .572 OPS | 62 wRC+ | 0.3 fWAR
Julio Rodriguez - Seattle Mariners (Yahoo #579 Player)
This is probably the toughest one for me, both physically and emotionally. Personally, I have Julio Rodriguez rostered in all four of my fantasy baseball leagues, and I have made a significant financial commitment by purchasing his rookie cards.
According to Statmuse, he is a notorious slow starter. Career batting average of .172 in the month of March (17 G), and .236 in the month of April (114 G). I fully expect the man who is the first player EVER to begin his MLB career with four consecutive 20-20 seasons to bounce back in a big way, but this is just painful to watch right now until he gets back on track.
2026 Stats - 90 AB | 10 R | 1 HR | 7 RBI | 2 SB | 11 BB | .222 AVG | .609 OPS | 85 wRC+ | 0.1 fWAR
