Musings From the Bleachers 04:24:08: Slow Starts and the Curse of Papi Part 2
Posted by Frank Fedele on 04.24.2008
Seems like all David Ortiz needed to get out of the early season funk he has been in was to have a jersey of his dug out of the new Yankee Stadium concrete. Papi is not alone is his funk early in the season. Some big names join him below the Mendoza line.
Early Season Issues
David Ortiz was off to a horrible start. So much so that he was pulled from the lineup for a day off early in the season to help him get out of the hitting slump he was in. Of late he has finally started to heat up (some may say due to jerseygate at Yankee Stadium) and started hitting the ball with a little more authority.
David is not alone in early season issues. Many other teams have their own slow starters that are causing their lineup not to fire on all cylinders.
New York Yankees
If we talk Redsox we have to talk Yankees next. It is a rule somewhere I think.
The Yankees have their own slumping star. Robinson Cano hit with the authority of a future batting champion in his time in the big leagues thus far. The Yankees were expecting big things out of him this year to give their lineup some average to go with the power lower in the lineup; so far he has not come through. He is batting a paltry .173 and not hitting with any power either. The Yankees have had other issues (starting pitching anybody???) that have caused them early season issues, but for their lineup to perform to its expectations Robinson needs to be a key part of it.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers were supposed to be a major force this year with the addition of Miguel Cabrera to their lineup; they were supposed to throttle the American league pitching staffs. Thus far, not so much.
One of the key guys in their lineup to give the power hitters lower in the lineup men on base is Placido Polanco. Thus far Mr. Polanco is hitting a lowly .148 and not triggering the Tigers lineup like planned. It also does not help that Curtis Granderson, their leadoff hitter, has been out of the lineup thus far also. The Tigers do not have the people on base to take advantage of the hitters like Cabrera, Ivan Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez. For the Tigers to climb back in the Central, they need Placido to set the table with Curtis Granderson so the power lower in the lineup can do their thing. They need to figure it out quickly also before the deficit becomes too large to overcome.
Philadelphia Phillies
Ryan Howard has won an MVP already in his short career is the man in the middle of the Phillies lineup. While others around him are hitting the cover off the ball (Mr. Utley comes to mind) Mr. Howard is under .200 and only has 4 homers at this time.
The Phillies have been able to keep the lineup going with Utley and Pat Burrell (but Mr. Burrell has also shown and annoying habit of running hot and cold in his career, so he should not be expected to keep this pace up) hitting with authority, but need Ryan to start hitting like he has shown he can if they want to be a contender in a tough National League East where only the Marlins and Nationals look like they aren't going to be a factor.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs are off to a good start thus far, first in their division so their slow start isn't killing them. But Alfonso Soriano is supposed to be the star hitter in that lineup and thus far he has been anything but for the Cubs.
He isn't hitting for average and his power has not been their either. He has also pulled up lame and could be battling leg injuries all year. For the Cubs to continue to fend off the Cardinals and Brewers, they need all of their pieces in their lineup contributing and Soriano is a big piece to have missing.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Andruw Jones just signed a big (though not as big as he was hoping) contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are betting that the hitting funk that Jones went through last year with the Braves wasn't a permanent thing. Thus far, the Dodgers are losing that bet. Andruw is hitting .156 and has already struck out 23 times this year. Jones is a big part of that lineup and needs to bring the power and get his average up to at least .250 for the Dodgers to contend. We shall see if he can pull that off.
Maybe these guys can see if they can get one of their jerseys buried for them somewhere.
Just saying.
Hey it worked for Papi.
Stranger things have happened.
Oh and the Mendoza line was named after Mario Mendoza a light hitting shortstop for the Seattle Mariners who every year struggled to get his average above the .200 mark. Thankfully Mr. Mendoza was an exceptional fielder, so he kept his job regardless. That and the Mariners were pretty lousy back then too.
