Slow Starts (And Hopeful Turnarounds)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 17: Vinnie Pasquantino #9 of the Kansas City Royals grounds out as Maikel Garcia #11 (not pictured) scores in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on April 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) The Kansas City Royals‘ mainstay first baseman has *struggled* to start the year. Of this list, the “Pasquatch” has probably had the worst start, with a .148 batting average and .488 OPS. The Royals have been in a similar spot as the Mariners, with their lack of offensive production leading to a last-place finish in the AL Central thus far. The club is tied for 22nd in homers (18) and 24th in average (.223) across MLB. Pasquantino was a huge factor for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. He slugged three home runs in one game for Italy, helping lead them to a miraculous semifinal. If he can rediscover that slug in Kansas City, his year will heat up quick.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 14: Manny Machado #13 and Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres celebrate after defeating the San Diego Padres 4-1 in a game at Petco Park on April 14, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Despite the red-hot San Diego Padres‘ offense carrying the team to the second-best record in MLB (15-7), this superstar duo has suffered. Tatis is still without his first home run of the year. It is, by far, the longest homer drought he has had to start a season. Machado sits with an even more impotent bat, slashing .186/.330/.630 to start the year. There’s been signs of turnaround for Fernando. He started off colder than ice, but, in his last seven games, he’s batted .318/.407/.318. The homers still have yet to come, but with a series starting tonight in Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies, it seems that the first may come in those hitter-friendly environs. The same hope holds true for Machado, who has taken advantage of the Rockies’ high altitude playing atmosphere in the past. If he can turn it on this week, hopefully it will carry over. He’s been one of the sturdiest hitters for the Padres over his career, but it’s been an uncharacteristically lengthy drought for the third baseman.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – APRIL 17: Bo Bichette #19 and manager Carlos Mendoza #64 of the New York Mets lookon prior to the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 17, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Wow, have the Mets been bad. It’s been hard to watch the orange and blue lately as they’ve struggled their way to last place in the NL East. They dropped 11 straight games and have yet to emerge from beneath that tumult. The majority of those problems have been in offense. The pitching has been mostly solid, despite offseason trade acquisition Freddy Peralta getting off to a slow start (4.05 ERA, 26.2 IP). But the offense has been hard to watch. New York’s leader in batting average (50-plus ABs) is catcher Francisco Alvarez with a .263 mark. The team has combined for a .226 mark (23rd across MLB). But the Mets have a good roster. Superstars like Bo Bichette, Francisco Lindor, Luis Robert Jr. and Juan Soto make up a terrifying offensive group. It’s just that none of them have seemed to click quite yet. When they do (and they should soon), Mets fans will be rewarded after an historically difficult stretch. **Related Headlines**