There have been a handful of teams that are having to take a step back at this point of the season and take a long look at themselves. Teams that believed that they would be in the hunt for first place in their respective divisions find their club in the cellar as we get closer to the quarter point of the 2015 season. It is puzzling to understand why some of these teams are where they are considering the talent that is present on their teams, but others are just underachieving. Here is a look at some of the teams that have had a slow start to 2015, despite having high hopes during spring training.
Chicago White Sox
The team from the windy city made a few big splashes in the offseason acquiring right handed starter Jeff Samardzija from the Athletics and signing free agent outfielder Melky Cabrera and closer David Robertson. After the incredible rookie season by Jose Abreu and a breakout year from Alexei Ramirez, the Sox seemed poised to make a run at the Tigers and Royals in the American league central. This however has not been the case. They find themselves at 17-17 and 5 games behind the Royals for first. It is really hard to put a finger on why the Sox are underachieving, they seem to be really inconsistent, one day their pitching will be great and the next their hitting. There is still a ton of time for this team to hit its stride and make a run, but it needs to find a balance, and after watching them play the Athletics this past weekend I think they are starting to find it. Abreu has not been the same hitter he was last season but Avisail Garcia has begun to emerge as an offensive force, batting at .336 with a .371 OBP. And if Samardzija can find a way to be more consistent with Chris Sale and Carlos Rodon, look out because here come the White Sox. I personally believe that they can be a scary team to play because of the middle of their lineup, but unless they find some consistency, that will not be a factor.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays. It seems like every year we keep saying that on paper this is a great team but on the field it is a different story, 2015 has been the same. The Jays made a huge move in the offseason acquiring Josh Donaldson from the Athletics and signing catcher Russell Martin. They did however suffer a major blow in spring training when their ace Marcus Stroman tore his ACL during pitchers fielding practice. This team has puzzled me for some time now, they have an immense amount of talent in their lineup that includes Jose Reyes, Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Martin and newcomer Devon Travis who has been hitting the cover off the baseball. Despite all these talented hitters, they just have not seem to be able to put it together. It is hard to say what exactly this team needs to do to compete in this difficult division, players just need to step up and grind through it. The Jays just finished getting swept over the weekend in a 4 game series against the Astros, losing all but one game by one run. When it all comes together this team will be putting up video game like home run numbers, but someone needs to step up and get them on the right track.
Miami Marlins
Sometimes you can have all the young talent in the world and still struggle, and the Marlins are a perfect example of a team that has all the right pieces, but none are falling into place. The fish announced the firing of their manager Mike Redmond on Sunday after almost getting no hit by the Braves. It is safe to say that they have hit the panic button on the 2015 season. This is a team that is searching for answers, and it hoping that a new voice in the clubhouse will help answer their problems. The Marlins acquired Dan Haren, Dee Gordon, Mat Latos, Martin Prado, David Phelps and signed Michael Morse and Ichiro Suzuki this offseason, giving a whole revamped look to their lineup. I just cannot understand why this team is struggling this much, although I know one reason is they have not been able to hit to their full potential. There are certain players that are holding their own in the lineup but others are nowhere to be found. Giancarlo Stanton, Dee Gordon and Adeiny Hechavarria are contributing their share of offensive, but everyone else has been either streaky or not living up to their hype. Hopefully when they get back their ace Jose Fernandez next month they can start playing at a higher level, but until then, they need to start winning ball games or else they will fall far behind the Mets and surging Nationals in their division.
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