DISAPPOINTING PLAYERS IN 2012

Every season teams have their heroes and goats. This season is no exception and some of the heroes were not surprising, but a lot of the goats were expensive mistakes!

When you look at what the Marlins spent this off-season, and the results they are getting, you wonder if buying large is a good idea? Two of the biggest disappointments this far as far as teams go are the Boston Red Sox and the Miami Marlins, especially with Hanley Ramirez who has been sinking these past few years.

Others such as Albert Pujols who slumped during the beginning of the ear and since has come around and Ike Davis a raw rookie last year who got hurt early on, missing most of the season and is having a disaster this year can be excused to a degree.

Below are 7 of the most telling disappointments so far this season, and maybe after the All-Star break, will turn things around.

Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants

The phenom of yesteryear, Lincecum’s strikeout rate is the highest it's been since 2009, but his walk rate, opponents' batting average and opponents' slugging percentage are all higher than last season. His 5.60 ERA suggests that maybe the rest of the league has figured him out, with men on base. When pitching out of the stretch, Lincecum's strikeout-to-walk ratio drops to 1.10 and hitters hit .274 off him with a .411 slugging percentage.

Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox

Buchholz started this season by allowing at least five earned runs in each of his first six starts, posting an ERA of 9.09. He allowed 10 home runs in 32.2 innings pitched.

He has since settled down, posting an ERA of 3.35 over his last eight starts.

 

Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies

Highly coveted this off-season, Cliff Lee is 0-4 so far this season through 12 starts, with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.  After hitting him at a .226 clip last season, opponents are hitting Lee at a .252 clip this season. He's been especially bad with men on base; opponents are hitting .321 with a .532 slugging percentage. Since May 20, he has a record of 0-3 and an ERA over 5.00.

Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox

Lester is currently 5-5 with an ERA of 4.53. 3 of the 10 homers Lester has given up this season have been solo home runs. Opponents are slugging .485 against him with men on base, as opposed to .401 against him with nobody on base. If the Sox are to be competitive, he needs to step up.

 

Adrian Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox

Last year after the All-Star break, Gonzalez seemed to lose his power. This year Gonzalez is hitting .244 with three home runs when he pulls the ball, and just 6 homers overall. He's hitting .269/.322/.412, and all three of those numbers are well below his career averages. The low slugging percentage is particularly concerning as I mentioned above as Gonzalez has hit just six home runs this season, and even doubles have been hard to come by. 

Jose Reyes, Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins signed Reyes for six years and $106 million this offseason. Reyes led the National League with a .337 batting average last season, with 16 home runs and 39 stolen bases, and the 2011 National League batting champion.

The version they've gotten this year is hitting .269/.346/.380, with two home runs. The league's best leadoff hitter last year is one of the league's worst leadoff hitter this season.

Heath Bell, Miami Marlins

The Marlins signed Bell to a three-year contract worth $27 million. Bell was considered to be the best available at the time. Bell got off to a bad start this season: blowing his first two save opportunities, and allowing eight earned runs in his first 6.2 innings with just five strikeouts and eight walks. Bell’s ERA is well over 6.00 and a WHIP of 1.80.

That’s all I wrote, folks!