This list is a mix of great players who still played well, bad players who played worse, and hyped players who didn’t meet expectations.
Is this a complete list? No. I went to qualified hitters to compile this list. I did not use anyone who was injured, as that would be unfair. So, someone like Anthony Santander, who was absolutely terrible, will not be on this list.
Jarren Duran- Red Sox
Quick Take: I wanted to include a Red Sox player on this list to avoid accusations of bias. Let me be clear, I do believe that Duran had a disappointing season. Forget about comparing him to last season; he was never going to match that. He was VERY inconsistent this year, both offensively and defensively.
I think the Red Sox will keep him. He is so affordable, and I don’t think a team will make a compelling enough offer.
Anthony Volpe – Yankees
Quick Take: Volpe has never put it together offensively. He has a career OPS of .662 across his three full seasons. Defensively, he has regressed since his GG season in 2023. With a career-high 19 errors, it is no surprise that many Yankee fans were calling for his benching.
Mookie Betts – Dodgers
Quick Take: Two years ago, Mookie Betts had a .987 OPS. Last year, he had an .863 OPS. Now he has dipped down to .732.
He is still a great player, and is producing enough value to justify his contract, but I don’t know how you aren’t disappointed in his offensive dip.
Ozzie Albies – Braves
Quick Take: Like Betts, Albies has regressed over the past two years. Unlike Betts, he went from well-above-average numbers to a .671 OPS and 89 OPS+.
You can easily point towards his fractured toe AND wrist last year as reasons for his decline. However, it is not like his bat speed and hard hit% changed that much year over year. In his best year, 2023, he was still only swinging the bat in the 20th percentile. That his dipped to the 10th percentile in 2025, but when you are that low, we are talking about a 1 MPH difference.
I had plenty of posts comparing Ketel Marte and Ozzie Albies two years ago. I was heavily leaning towards Ozzie Albies as the better overall player.
Thankfully, X’s algorithm is a mess, and they are very difficult to find.
Michael Harris II – Braves
Quick Take: If you haven’t caught the trend, most of these players have been on a two-year decline. Michael Harris II falls under that umbrella.
In 2023, he had an OPS of .808, followed by .722 in 2024, and now a measly .677 in 2025.
He is still a great defender, but Braves fans expected more out of their former Rookie of the Year.
Right now, he whiffs at a league-worst 43.1%. Until that changes, expect OPS to continue to dip.
Matt McLain – Reds
Quick Take: McClain missed all of 2024 with injury. So, Reds fans were excited to see him return in 2025 after he posted 3.6 bWAR in 89 games in 2023. Well, the only thing that McClain was able to improve in was his SB total. His OPS took a massive .200 point dip.
He is still only 26 years old, so let’s hope he can bounce back in 2026.
Lawrence Butler – Athletics
Quick Take: I think perhaps Butler was hyped a little too much in 2024. He was very good, but I think it was amplified by being a big fish in a little pond (playing for the A’s)
In 2025, his OPS dropped by almost 100 points, while his K rate went from 23.9% to 28.4%. He did begin to walk slightly more, so hopefully that is a sign of things to come.
Willy Adames – Giants
Quick Take: So overall, Adames wasn’t terrible. He compiled 3.7 bWAR, hit 30 home runs, and drove in almost 90. So yeah, his production covered the cost of his contract, but he didn’t elevate the Giants in a big way, and he is in no way their centerpiece. When you give the largest contract in your team’s history, you expect more.
Gunnar Henderson – Orioles
Quick Take: I will keep this simple. Gunnar Henderson is amazing. He will continue to be amazing. However, he just had his worst season of his career, which is disappointing.
If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing below.