Slumping Hitters

As we move past the first third of the 2015 season, some stars are finding their way into month-long slumps. After extremely hot starts in April from Joey Votto, Matt Kemp, and Hanley Ramirez, the month of May has brought them down to earth. David Ortiz, Robinson Cano, and Troy Tulowitzki have found themselves in trouble trying to match their typical career production. Talented hitters will go through slumps throughout the long baseball season. It’s your job to find those slumpers in your lineup and choose short-term starters while you wait it out.

David Ortiz- Boston Red Sox

Big Papi has had a season he most likely would want to forget. To date, 2015 has been one of his worst seasons out of all his 18 years in the league. We’re talking about a hitter who has hit for a .300 batting average or higher for 7 seasons in the MLB, yet this year is hitting a pitiful .223. Ortiz has surpassed 100 RBI’s in his last two seasons, but only has 18 through April and May. After back to back seasons with 30 or more home runs, he has only launched a disappointing 6. Ortiz should get some slack because he’s 39 years old, but fans aren’t accustomed to this production from their team’s power threat. Ortiz’s last 35 at bats has resulted in only 5 hits. The slugger has had a rough start to the season and will need to pick the pace up fast before fantasy owners start to cut him loose. If his slump continues and you own him, you may want to find a replacement.

Joey Votto-Cincinnati Reds

Votto proved all the doubters wrong to start this season after his injury plagued his 2014 season. I owned him in one league in 2014 and I passed up on him this season.  Initially his hot start made me regret that decision, however, as the season has progressed, Votto has slowed down. Votto’s April numbers included a .317 batting average, .646 slugging, 7 home runs, and 17 RBI’s, yet in May he’s only delivered .250 average, .359 slugging, 2 home runs, and 7 RBI’s. Before the 29th of May, his last 46 at bats only resulted in 9 hits, 2 runs, 0 RBI’s, and 0 home runs. I like Joey Votto and I think he is a great player, but get ready to bench him again if he goes into another power slump. 

Robinson Cano- Seattle Mariners

I’m not sure anyone saw this kind of poor start from the top fantasy second baseman. The 32-year-old has a .257 batting average, 22 runs, 2 home runs, and 15 RBI’s. As crazy as it sounds, yes, this is the same player who hit 27 home runs, 107 RBI’s, and a .314 batting average two years ago in New York. It wasn’t a surprise that Cano lost some power last year in Seattle because of the shift from a hitter’s park in Yankee Stadium to the pitcher’s park of Safeco, but his hits and average have reduced as well. Cano is the 18th ranked second baseman in my fantasy league, behind a no-name Astro second baseman Luis Valbuena, who has 19 less at bats than Cano. No fantasy member who takes fantasy baseball seriously is going to cut this veteran, but adding a hot backup may be necessary.

Matt Kemp- San Diego Padres

Kemp was off to a hugely effective start in April by slashing a .326 batting average with 16 RBI’s. However, May has been a completely different story. Kemp’s May stats include a .171 batting average along with 31 strikeouts (15 more in May than April). In 2015 overall, Kemp has a .244 average, 27 runs, 1 home run, and 26 RBI’s. He’s also only been 19 for his last 109 at bats with 0 home runs and 31 strikeouts. While his slumps are frustrating to fantasy owners, that’s the risk everyone takes when drafting or adding Kemp. Kemp’s inconsistent play requires you to be patient and have a reliable backup.