Prime MLB Gamers Underperforming Early within the 2025 Season

The Main League Baseball season is a couple of month outdated, so sufficient video games have been performed to find out who’s off to a disappointing begin. It’s not merely a matter of figuring out who’s enjoying poorly—though that helps—however we additionally must think about expectations, current outcomes and what sort of contract worth the group is getting for the participant.

They’ve performed only a month in 2025, however as Yogi Berra presumably stated: It’s getting late awfully early on the market. Listed below are gamers who want to choose it up quickly, or else they’ll maintain making lists like this one:

Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies, SP
Nola carries a 5.40 ERA and a 4.56 anticipated ERA (per FanGraphs), plus an 0-5 document via his first six begins—although the Phillies did win his most up-to-date look. Nola, who turns 32 in June, has allowed two house runs in three totally different begins. He’s within the second yr of a seven-year, $172 million contract.

Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros, C
Diaz has been one of many prime three or 4 hitting catchers within the league since 2023, however he got here into motion Tuesday with a slash line of .172/.200/.299 and two house runs in 90 plate appearances. Yordan Alvarez and others within the Astros’ lineup have began gradual too, however not this sluggish.

Triston Casas, Boston Crimson Sox, 1B
Casas is batting .185/.279/.315 with three house runs in his first 104 plate appearances, and supervisor Alex Cora has dropped him to sixth or seventh within the batting order. Getting into 2025, Casas had produced about 25 p.c higher than league common (.250/.357/.473) with 45 homers in 840 plate appearances.

Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers, 2B

The Rangers entered motion Tuesday with essentially the most anemic offense by runs scored within the league, and Semien was not serving to. He got here in hitting .155/.226/.223 with two house runs in 115 plate appearances, although he did choose up three singles in opposition to the Athletics on Tuesday night time. Solely José Altuve and Ketel Marte have produced extra offense at second base than Semien since he switched to that place full time in 2021.

Willy Adames, San Francisco Giants, SS
Adames produced about 11 p.c above league common (.243/.320/.454) over 5 seasons earlier than signing a $182 million free-agent contract within the offseason. For the Giants to date, his outcomes have been tiny: .212/.286/.305 with simply seven extra-base hits (two homers, together with one Tuesday night time). Oracle Park is a tricky ballpark for right-handed hitters, however even accounting for that, Adames is producing 30 p.c beneath league common.

Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies, 3B
Bohm hit .280/.332/.448 with 97 RBIs in 606 plate appearances in 2024, and produced about 10 p.c above league common over the previous two seasons mixed. He’s been one of many worst hitters within the league in 2025, slashing .221/.252/.274 with zero house runs and simply three walks for a mediocre Phillies offense.

Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees, LF

Bellinger homered and doubled Tuesday night time and might be about to get scorching. However he got here in batting .194/.262/.312 with two homers and a .118 remoted energy in 107 plate appearances, which interprets to just about 40 p.c beneath league common. The Yankees will want extra—they usually’ll most likely get it quickly—but it surely’s been a poor begin.

Anthony Santander, Toronto Blue Jays, RF
The Blue Jays lastly landed Santander on a free-agent deal, and he has but to point out he was price it. He’s batting .174/.260/.294 with three house runs in 123 plate appearances. His common exit velocity has been typical for him, however he’s been placing out greater than regular. He’s most likely making an attempt too onerous to be price $92.5 million.

Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox, CF
For components of two seasons now, Robert has been disappointing. He hit a house run, drew a stroll and stole a base Tuesday, however he’s nonetheless batting .158/.283/.305 in 115 plate appearances. He’s 27 years outdated and will turn into a free agent after this season if the White Sox don’t choose up $20 million group choices for 2026 and 2027. It’s onerous to determine why he’s been so dangerous. In 2023, he slugged .542 with 38 homers and 20 stolen bases.

Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas Metropolis Royals, DH

He’s been one of many worst hitters within the league at .174/.242/.303 with three house runs in 120 plate appearances—good for 55 p.c beneath league common. Pasquantino has expressed concern that he’s swinging the bat too quick. His bat pace, per MLB Statcast, has jumped from the forty fifth percentile to 84th, and he wonders if swinging tougher is perhaps much less efficient. In 1,112 earlier profession plate appearances, he produced about 15 p.c higher than league common.

Devin Williams, New York Yankees, CL
Properly, he’s not the nearer anymore—at the least for now. Williams throws two pitches, a changeup and a four-seam fastball, and neither has been efficient. The changeup has sometimes been the most effective pitches within the league, but it surely’s been no higher than impartial to date. That drop in effectiveness may very well be linked to a drop in fastball velocity, which has declined from the 61st percentile to the fortieth.