It has become common knowledge that hitting is down across MLB.
In a season where pitching is dominating the sport, many hitters are struggling to find their groove.
Many stars are having down years, and it remains to be seen whether that will last.
With two months complete in the 2021 season, these three hitters have had incredibly disappointing years thus far.
3. Jackie Bradley Jr.
Jackie Bradley Jr. has never been known for his offense, but if he continues at his current rate, it’s going to be hard to keep him in the lineup.
The Gold Glove winner is currently batting .151 with a .488 OPS, which ranks last in all of MLB among qualified players.
Bradley has a -0.5 WAR and is currently fighting a 6-for-72 stretch.
COLD (cont.)
Khris Davis: 2-for-21 (.095), 1 double, 8 K, in 11 games
Marwin Gonzalez: 3-for-28 (.107), no extra base hits, 10 K in 10 games
Jackie Bradley Jr: 2-for-27 (.111), 1 homer, 11 K in 9 games
— High Heat Stats (@HighHeatStats) May 27, 2021
This is Bradley’s first season with the Milwaukee Brewers after spending his first eight years with the Boston Red Sox.
With Boston, Bradley was a career .239 hitter and managed a .732 OPS, numbers you can absolutely live with when you factor in his elite outfield defense.
He was an All-Star in 2016 when he homered 26 times and posted an .835 OPS.
The Brewers’ lineup is poor on the whole and Bradley’s struggles aren’t doing the offense any favors.
2. Mookie Betts
Another Red Sox product makes the list, and this time, it’s former MVP Mookie Betts.
Betts is having a year that many players would take in a heartbeat, but by Mookie’s standards, 2021 has been wildly disappointing.
The 28-year-old is in his second season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and is currently batting .240 with a .782 OPS.
He does have an above-average OPS+ of 120 and a solid WAR of 1.5, both of which make it difficult to be too hard on the superstar.
But at the end of the day, when you’ve got a generational talent like Betts, you adjust your expectations accordingly.
Betts has been a factor in the MVP race for six straight seasons.
He won the award in 2018 and has finished in the top eight of the race for five consecutive years.
Betts is a five-time Gold Glover, four-time Silver Slugger and four-time All-Star.
The Dodgers have more than enough talent to overcome a sluggish year from Mookie at the plate, but they’d much rather see him make some adjustments and return to the player he always has been.
1. Francisco Lindor
It’s hard to diagnose what is going on with Francisco Lindor.
After establishing himself as a legitimate MLB star with the Cleveland Indians, Lindor has been a different player with the New York Mets.
Through 41 games with his new club, Lindor is batting .192 with a .583 OPS and has just eight extra-base hits.
Those numbers are a far cry from Lindor’s tenure with Cleveland.
There, he was a top-15 MVP finisher every season from 2016-2019 and was named an All-Star each of those years.
Overall, he batted .285 with an .833 OPS over six years with the Indians, posting a WAR of 4.0 or higher in every campaign with the except of the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
Francisco Lindor may be in an 0-for-14 hitless streak again, but he *did* just do this: pic.twitter.com/S0RnkwhSEK
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) May 27, 2021
The Mets are going to need Lindor to return to form if they want to make a playoff push.
NEXT: 3 Most Disappointing MLB Pitchers Through Month Of May
