Apr 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola (27) before action against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images The Major League Baseball season is about a month old, so enough games have been played to determine who’s off to a disappointing start. It’s not simply a matter of identifying who is playing poorly—although that helps—but we also need to factor in expectations, recent results and what kind of contract value the team is getting for the player.
They’ve played just a month in 2025, but as Yogi Berra possibly said: It’s getting late awfully early out there. Here are players who need to pick it up soon, or else they’ll keep making lists like this one:
Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies, SP
Nola carries a 5.40 ERA and a 4.56 expected ERA (per FanGraphs), plus an 0-5 record through his first six starts—though the Phillies did win his most recent appearance. Nola, who turns 32 in June, has allowed two home runs in three different starts. He’s in the second year of a seven-year, $172 million contract.
Yainer Diaz, Houston Astros, C
Diaz has been one of the top three or four hitting catchers in the league since 2023, but he came into action Tuesday with a slash line of .172/.200/.299 and two home runs in 90 plate appearances. Yordan Alvarez and others in the Astros’ lineup have started slow too, but not this sluggish.
Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox, 1B
Casas is batting .185/.279/.315 with three home runs in his first 104 plate appearances, and manager Alex Cora has dropped him to sixth or seventh in the batting order. Entering 2025, Casas had produced about 25 percent better than league average (.250/.357/.473) with 45 homers in 840 plate appearances.
Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers, 2B
Jul 25, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers second base Marcus Semien (2) celebrates with shortstop Corey Seager (5) after hitting a home run against the Chicago White Sox in the third inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images The Rangers entered action Tuesday with the most anemic offense by runs scored in the league, and Semien was not helping. He came in hitting .155/.226/.223 with two home runs in 115 plate appearances, though he did pick up three singles against the Athletics on Tuesday night. Only José Altuve and Ketel Marte have produced more offense at second base than Semien since he switched to that position full time in 2021.
Willy Adames, San Francisco Giants, SS
Adames produced about 11 percent above league average (.243/.320/.454) over five seasons before signing a $182 million free-agent contract in the offseason. For the Giants so far, his results have been tiny: .212/.286/.305 with just seven extra-base hits (two homers, including one Tuesday night). Oracle Park is a tough ballpark for right-handed hitters, but even accounting for that, Adames is producing 30 percent below league average.
Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies, 3B
Bohm hit .280/.332/.448 with 97 RBIs in 606 plate appearances in 2024, and produced about 10 percent above league average over the past two seasons combined. He’s been one of the worst hitters in the league in 2025, slashing .221/.252/.274 with zero home runs and just three walks for a mediocre Phillies offense.
Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees, LF
Mar 29, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) hits an RBI single in the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Bellinger homered and doubled Tuesday night and is probably about to get hot. But he came in batting .194/.262/.312 with two homers and a .118 isolated power in 107 plate appearances, which translates to nearly 40 percent below league average. The Yankees will need more—and they’ll probably get it soon—but it’s been a poor start.
Anthony Santander, Toronto Blue Jays, RF
The Blue Jays finally landed Santander on a free-agent deal, and he has yet to show he was worth it. He’s batting .174/.260/.294 with three home runs in 123 plate appearances. His average exit velocity has been typical for him, but he’s been striking out more than usual. He’s probably trying too hard to be worth $92.5 million.
Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox, CF
For parts of two seasons now, Robert has been disappointing. He hit a home run, drew a walk and stole a base Tuesday, but he’s still batting .158/.283/.305 in 115 plate appearances. He’s 27 years old and could become a free agent after this season if the White Sox don’t pick up $20 million team options for 2026 and 2027. It’s hard to figure why he’s been so bad. In 2023, he slugged .542 with 38 homers and 20 stolen bases.
Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals, DH
Aug 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (21) collides with Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (9) in the eighth inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports He’s been one of the worst hitters in the league at .174/.242/.303 with three home runs in 120 plate appearances—good for 55 percent below league average. Pasquantino has expressed concern that he’s swinging the bat too fast. His bat speed, per MLB Statcast, has jumped from the 45th percentile to 84th, and he wonders if swinging harder might be less effective. In 1,112 previous career plate appearances, he produced about 15 percent better than league average.
Devin Williams, New York Yankees, CL
Well, he’s not the closer anymore—at least for now. Williams throws two pitches, a changeup and a four-seam fastball, and neither has been effective. The changeup has typically been one of the best pitches in the league, but it’s been no better than neutral so far. That drop in effectiveness could be linked to a drop in fastball velocity, which has declined from the 61st percentile to the 40th.
