{"id":862595,"date":"2026-08-18T14:10:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T14:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/862595\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T14:10:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T14:10:11","slug":"mlb-power-rankings-which-stars-have-surprisingly-struggled-this-season-we-have-our-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/862595\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB Power Rankings: Which stars have surprisingly struggled this season? We have our list"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every week,\u200b we\u200b ask a selected group of our baseball\u200b writers\u200b \u2014 local and national \u2014 to rank the teams from first to worst<\/a>. Here are the collective results.<\/p>\n

Imagine it\u2019s next March, and teams throughout the NBA are making their final push for postseason seeding. And in debating how far the San Antonio Spurs can go, we keep returning to one point: Boy, it\u2019s kind of weird that Victor Wembanyama has been one of the NBA\u2019s worst players this year, right?<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t imagine it. It couldn\u2019t happen! There\u2019s really no history in the NBA of a player going from darn near the MVP to the bottom of the league one season later. And yet, here we are in August of this baseball season pondering Cal Raleigh and his .568 OPS, one year after he hit 60 home runs and dragged the Mariners within one win of their first pennant.<\/p>\n

This is what makes this sport so tough to predict and so enjoyable to watch transpire over six months and 162 games. With six weeks left in this regular season \u2014 unfolding more predictably in the NL than the AL, we must confess \u2014 let\u2019s look at those other players who, for whatever reason, simply haven\u2019t performed the way we expected.<\/p>\n

This can be a negative exercise, so take note: You\u2019ll enjoy it more if, when wondering what happened to X player, you ask it in Fred Willard\u2019s voice<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Record: 77-48
Last Power Ranking: 1<\/p>\n

What happened to: Christian Yelich<\/p>\n

After posting a 121 wRC+ last season, earning down-ballot NL MVP votes in the process, Yelich has fully bottomed out in 2026. His 86 wRC+ is the third worst among primary designated hitters with at least 300 plate appearances. The former MVP has looked utterly lost at the plate, and there\u2019s no underlying red ink<\/a> to support a turnaround. All that has led to a negative WAR season. Perhaps more concerning is that Milwaukee is on the hook for two more years of the 34-year-old at a hair over $23 million per season. At this point, Yelich is nothing more than a statue at the plate, and an expensive one at that. \u2014 Johnny Flores Jr.<\/p>\n

Record: 75-51
Last Power Ranking: 2<\/p>\n

What happened to: Kyle Tucker (but only in Dodger Stadium)<\/p>\n

It has been a little covered up by all the shine coming from the surrounding stars in the Dodgers lineup, but Tucker has had an extremely weird 2026. After signing a contract that pays him the highest AAV in the history of the sport \u2014 $60 million per year \u2014 here are his home\/road splits going into Monday\u2019s game:<\/p>\n

Everywhere that isn\u2019t Dodger Stadium: .275\/.371\/.469 (.840 OPS)
Dodger Stadium: .189\/.286\/.272 (.558 OPS)<\/p>\n

Perhaps you can see the problem: The Dodgers play half their games at Dodger Stadium; it\u2019s right there in the name. The extreme home\/road splits recently led to Tucker being benched in\u00a0Los Angeles<\/a>, which is probably not something the two sides covered during contract negotiations. \u2014 Levi Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 74-51
Last Power Ranking: 3<\/p>\n

What happened to: Austin Riley<\/p>\n

When Atlanta signed its flurry of extensions early in the decade, they were never all going to work out. But it\u2019s especially tough when the richest of them stops working as soon and as unexpectedly as it has for Riley. When he signed that 10-year deal in August 2022, he was on his way to a six-win season and the second of three straight top-10 finishes in MVP balloting. But things have gone downhill since for the third baseman, whose OPS+ has steadily declined from its 2022 peak of 140 to 130 to 115 to 105 to 85 this season. He\u2019s signed for six more years. \u2014 Tim Britton<\/p>\n

Record: 73-53
Last Power Ranking: 4<\/p>\n

What happened to: Edward Cabrera<\/p>\n

In need of a cost-controlled starter with frontline potential, the Cubs made a big swing in the offseason to poach Cabrera from the Miami Marlins. It hasn\u2019t worked out. Making his return from the IL on Sunday, Cabrera allowed seven runs on six hits over 3 2\/3 innings, his ERA ballooning to 5.68. Cabrera\u2019s return was short-lived, as the right-hander is once again dealing with a blister issue on top of more ineffectiveness. His place in the rotation has become untenable, something Chicago can ill afford as it attempts to chase down Milwaukee in the NL Central, or, at the very least, secure the NL\u2019s first wild-card seed. \u2014 Flores<\/p>\n

Record: 75-49
Last Power Ranking: 5<\/p>\n

What happened to: Carson Williams<\/p>\n

A top-10 prospect in the sport entering last season and a top-100 prospect entering this season, Williams has stagnated. His offensive numbers in the majors have been putrid; in Triple A, pedestrian. The swing decisions haven\u2019t been any better this year than last, and Williams is running the risk of becoming more of a utility player than the everyday shortstop the Rays theoretically could use. Maybe not? Tampa Bay is closing in on the best record in baseball despite running out Taylor Walls, who is barely above replacement level, at short every day. \u2014 Britton<\/p>\n

Record: 69-55
Last Power Ranking: 7<\/p>\n

What happened to: Jazz Chisholm Jr.<\/p>\n

You could say I was skeptical Chisholm would join Shohei Ohtani in the 50-50 club before the season, despite his confidence. But I did expect Chisholm to put himself in good position within this year\u2019s lackluster free-agent class. Instead, he\u2019s having his worst season at the worst time, and he\u2019s slumping at a particularly bad time for the Yankees. His OPS is under .500 over his last 20 games entering Monday. \u2014 Britton<\/p>\n

Record: 67-58
Last Power Ranking: 6<\/p>\n

What happened to: Jarren Duran<\/p>\n

It was reasonable to think that Duran was unlikely to repeat his 2024 campaign. But even a pessimist then wouldn\u2019t have predicted a plummet in production to this extent two years later. Duran started the year hitting third and now bats seventh or eighth, and his hold on everyday playing time might have been saved by Masataka Yoshida\u2019s injury \u2014 at least until Roman Anthony\u2019s return. Duran\u2019s average is just peeking above .200 with an on-base percentage in the .260s. \u2014 Britton<\/p>\n

Record: 68-58
Last Power Ranking: T-8<\/p>\n

What happened to: Trea Turner<\/p>\n

It felt like Trea had Turnered the corner in the last couple weeks of July, when he looked like his usual self at the plate. Instead, August has been a harsh return to where he was for the first three months of the season (and where the Phillies as a team were in April). The formula in Philadelphia is not complicated: What makes the Phillies so dangerous come October is their high-end talent, of which Turner is supposed to be a critical part. If he\u2019s a dynamic leadoff hitter in front of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper with Cristopher S\u00e1nchez or Zack Wheeler on the mound, that\u2019s a tough team to beat in a short series. If he\u2019s not, a team that lacks some depth to begin with gets too shallow to seriously contend. \u2014 Britton<\/p>\n

Record: 65-59
Last Power Ranking: 10<\/p>\n

What happened to: The catching, all of it<\/p>\n

Entering the 2026 campaign, catching was supposed to be one of Chicago\u2019s least concerns. That was before Kyle Teel injured himself during the World Baseball Classic, and before his replacements, Edgar Quero and Reese McGuire, provided negative offensive and defensive value. When Teel finally did return, it was short-lived as the backstop suffered another lower-body injury, one without a timeline for a return<\/a>. In a particularly cruel twist of fate, Joey Bart, a deadline acquisition, made it three games before a 97.7 mph hit-by-pitch fractured his left hand. Now, the White Sox turn to Jake Rogers, who is on his fourth team in the last two-plus weeks. It\u2019s a good thing, then, that Chicago entered Monday with a 5 1\/2 game lead in the AL Central. \u2014 Flores<\/p>\n

Record: 67-59
Last Power Ranking: 12<\/p>\n

What happened to: Manny Machado<\/p>\n

What happened to Machado is that he had a scorching July, and not much else. Check this out:<\/p>\n

Pre-July (344 PAs): .189\/.274\/.399 (.673 OPS)
July (111 PAs): .292\/.369\/.552 (.922)
August (64 PAs through Sun.): 64 PAs, .193\/.281\/.211 (.492)<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not the only Padre who\u2019s had a strange year. Fernando Tatis Jr. went through an extended stretch of hitting the ball hard, but never over the fence. Jackson Merrill took forever to find the light switch.<\/p>\n

Machado\u2019s hot streak \u2014 and the resurgence of the other Padres stars \u2014 has vaulted them into a playoff spot. But there\u2019s still a month and a half left in the regular season. They need everyone to avoid reverting to their first-half selves. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 66-60
Last Power Ranking: T-8<\/p>\n

What happened to: Zac Gallen<\/p>\n

Before 2026, Gallen had never had any of these things:<\/p>\n

Negative bWAR
\nAn ERA over 4.83
\nA FIP above 4.50
\nA WHIP above 1.294
\nA strikeout rate of worse than 8.2 K\/9
\nA hits per nine innings of greater than 8.3<\/p>\n

If I knew how to put these numbers upside-down and in italics, I\u2019d do it so you could flip your laptop or phone over like magazines in the olden days. But since I can\u2019t, here ya go: -1.6, 6.34, 5.30, 1.561, 5.6 and 11.2, in that order.<\/p>\n

Not only are those all career-worst numbers, most of them completely obliterate his previous career-worst numbers. And not to make things worse, but a lot of those previous career-worsts came last year. That feels like a pretty concerning trend for the 31-year-old. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 64-62
Last Power Ranking: 13<\/p>\n

What happened to: Pete Fairbanks<\/p>\n

Fairbanks has been better over the last six weeks, but reliever seasons can go off the rails quickly, and his did back in April and May. He\u2019s allowed three runs in five different outings this season, or as many times as he\u2019d done it in the prior three seasons combined. While Fairbanks\u2019 peripheral numbers suggest he\u2019s been a bit unlucky, they\u2019re still lagging where they were throughout his tenure with Tampa Bay. \u2014 Britton<\/p>\n

Record: 61-64
Last Power Ranking: 11<\/p>\n

What happened to: Justin Verlander<\/p>\n

Signed to a one-year, $13 million deal in the offseason, Verlander was, at best, supposed to be a reliable backend starter. At worst, a nostalgia ploy in his final season. To date, he\u2019s been neither. He\u2019s made just one start for the Tigers, a 3 2\/3 inning start on the road back in March. Since then, it\u2019s been setback after setback. At last, he\u2019s playing catch off a bullpen mound, but with Detroit having 37 games left in the season, time is running out on a final appearance at Comerica Park. It wasn\u2019t supposed to end like this. \u2014 Flores<\/p>\n

Andrew Friedman on how the Tarik Skubal trade came together<\/p>\n

Jayson Stark<\/p>\n

Record: 63-62
Last Power Ranking: 14<\/p>\n

What happened to: Mike Burrows<\/p>\n

You could make a case for Tatsuya Imai as the biggest letdown, and I wouldn\u2019t argue with you. There are a lot of starting pitcher options you could pick; go wild. As Chandler Rome has pointed out on multiple occasions, the Astros needed rotation help last winter, but the six big-league pitchers they acquired \u2014 Imai, Roddery Mu\u00f1oz, Ryan Weiss, Kai-Wei Teng, Nate Pearson and Burrows \u2014 have combined for a 5.54 ERA. Only Imai is currently on the active roster, and he\u2019s in the bullpen<\/a>. (Peter Lambert, their big offseason acquisition success story, signed a minor-league deal, was released in March, re-signed a minor-league deal and was finally added to the roster on April 17.)<\/p>\n

So, yeah, take your pick, really.<\/p>\n

For me, I\u2019m going with Burrows. Hailed as a \u201cpillar\u201d for future rotations<\/a> when the Astros acquired him, he was, in turns, ineffective<\/a>, demoted to Triple A<\/a> and then oops-just-kidding un-demoted because actually, he was injured<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the Astros, currently in first place in the AL West, can address their rotation at the trade deadline.<\/p>\n

Oh, right<\/a>. Huh. What a weird year. \u2014\u00a0Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 61-64
Last Power Ranking: 22<\/p>\n

What happened to: Gunnar Henderson<\/p>\n

When Juan Soto signed his $765 million deal in late 2024, I was tasked with figuring out whether anyone in the league stood a chance of eclipsing that mark. My answer was no, but only after looking closely at Henderson. (Later that spring, I pegged an extension for the shortstop at $375 million.) Since his MVP-worthy eight-win season in 2024, Henderson has taken a step back. That season put him right next to Bobby Witt Jr. as one of the game\u2019s best shortstops; Witt has nearly doubled Henderson\u2019s WAR since. That drop in value aligns with what\u2019s happened to Baltimore competitively since the start of 2025. \u2014 Britton<\/p>\n

Record: 61-66
Last Power Ranking: 16<\/p>\n

What happened to: Paul Skenes<\/p>\n

If there was any chance of Skenes\u2019 career ERA dropping back under 2.00, it\u2019s not happening this season. The NL\u2019s reigning Cy Young Award winner has endured multiple blow-ups, abbreviated outings and general ineffectiveness in his third season in the big leagues. It\u2019s all led to multiple questions about Skenes\u2019 long-term health, the role of velocity and what it means to be an ace in 2026. His next start won\u2019t come until Wednesday, a little more than a week after five trying innings against the Marlins. There, he will have the chance to turn the conversation back. For now, it\u2019s all about what happened to the former No. 1 pick. \u2014 Flores<\/p>\n

Record: 64-62
Last Power Ranking: 18<\/p>\n

What happened to: Jordan Walker<\/p>\n

A month ago, Walker was on cloud nine, having broken the hearts of thousands of Philadelphians in the Home Run Derby on a walk-off blast, with his family in tow to cheer him on. A month later, he would love nothing more than to have that feeling in his bat again. The first-time All-Star has struggled out of the break, posting a .678 OPS with just two home runs and 25 strikeouts in 27 games. Compare that to his monstrous first half, where his .887 OPS and 22 homers had him in upper NL MVP ballot and Silver Slugger conversations. Point being: baseball is hard, and Walker is going through it. \u2014 Flores<\/p>\n

Record: 61-65
Last Power Ranking: 23<\/p>\n

What happened to: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.<\/p>\n

You could pick almost anyone on this offense \u2014 one that looked like a model for the rest of the league late last year, and which this year sits 30th out of 30 in runs per game entering Monday, with barely any single hitter performing better than the league average. But this has to start with Guerrero, who, as of this\u00a0writing, still hasn\u2019t homered in Toronto this season. He homered in Toronto sooner in 2021, and the Jays didn\u2019t even play at home that season until late July. The Blue Jays wish it were just a home thing, but Guerrero has 26 extra-base hits this season \u2014 down from 57 last year and 75 the year before that. \u2014 Britton<\/p>\n

Record: 59-66
Last Power Ranking: 20<\/p>\n

What happened to: Cal Raleigh<\/p>\n

This was definitely my easiest pick, and I\u2019m betting it was easier than anyone else\u2019s most obvious one, too.<\/p>\n

I have never seen so many Instagram hitting coaches so confident that they have solved the mystery of Raleigh. It\u2019s his stance. It\u2019s his load. It\u2019s his hands. It\u2019s his lower half. It\u2019s World Baseball Classic fatigue. It\u2019s a secret injury. Zoom in, look right there, peeking out of his jersey: That\u2019s a Whiff Goblin \u2014 he should have better boundaries with the Whiff Goblin.<\/p>\n

I dunno, maybe one of them is right. Maybe they\u2019re all right. Whatever the cause, Raleigh\u2019s year-to-year drop in production has been ghastly.<\/p>\n

2025: .948 OPS, 60 HR, 125 RBIs, 7.2 bWAR
2026: .568 OPS, 13 HR, 44 RBIs, -0.4 bWAR<\/p>\n

WAR doesn\u2019t really work this way, but if you just straight-up added seven wins to the Mariners\u2019 total going into Monday\u2019s action, they\u2019d be leading the AL West by three games. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 60-66
Last Power Ranking: 15<\/p>\n

What happened to: Daylen Lile<\/p>\n

We should be clear: This isn\u2019t really a criticism of Lile\u2019s first full season in the majors, as he\u2019s been close to a league-average hitter while playing every day as a much-improved defensive outfielder. But it is surprising that for an organization that has nailed it in maximizing the offensive potential of so many young players this season, Lile hasn\u2019t been one of them. What was so impressive about Lile\u2019s cameo in 2025 was how sustainable it looked and felt. This year, he\u2019s chasing too often and not squaring the ball up quite as consistently. We still like the future here. \u2014 Britton<\/p>\n

Record: 60-65
Last Power Ranking: 17<\/p>\n

What happened to: The offense<\/p>\n

Listen, the Guardians have never been the hallmark of a good offense. But 2026 is a new low, even by Cleveland standards. Only one team finished Sunday with a lower OPS than Cleveland\u2019s .682 mark. Ditto for hitting with runners in scoring position, a place where the Guardians have struggled mightily, to the tune of a .670 OPS. With the AL seemingly getting its act together, the only route to October might end up being whoever wins the Central. Going 3-7 over your last 10 games doesn\u2019t help, either. If there is a silver lining, it\u2019s that the Guardians will close the month with 12 games against the Giants, Rockies, Angels and Royals. If that\u2019s not enough to get your offense rolling, then I don\u2019t know what will. \u2014 Flores<\/p>\n

Record: 61-65
Last Power Ranking: 21<\/p>\n

What happened to:\u00a0Byron Buxton<\/p>\n

In the ninth inning of Sunday\u2019s 7-5 loss to the Phillies, with two outs and two men on, Buxton struck out on five pitches, none of which were in the zone, completing an 0-for-5 day and sealing a three-game sweep. It continued a season-wide trend for the 32-year-old. With runners in scoring position, Buxton has a .558 OPS; with two outs, he has a .483 OPS, and in late\/close situations, it\u2019s .546. Where Buxton goes, so do the Twins, and for a club that bought at the deadline and has postseason aspirations, that\u2019s not ideal. Activated off the IL ahead of the Field of Dreams game, Buxton has a second-half slash line of .135\/.220\/.162. \u2014 Flores<\/p>\n

Record: 61-64
Last Power Ranking: 19<\/p>\n

What happened to: Corey Seager<\/p>\n

The obvious answer to \u201cwhat happened to\u201d Seager is that he\u2019s been on the injured list. Three times, in fact. But when he\u2019s been in the lineup this year, he has put up this slash line: .203\/.307\/.390 (.696 OPS).<\/p>\n

All are career lows.<\/p>\n

Seager has put up 2.0 bWAR or less just three times in his career:<\/p>\n

2015: 1.7 bWAR in 27 games, his first year in the league
2018: 0.5 bWAR in 26 games (injured)
2020: 2.0 bWAR in 52 games (pandemic-shortened season)<\/p>\n

So far this year, he\u2019s at 1.4. Perhaps he\u2019ll crack that 2.0 mark by season\u2019s end \u2014 maybe the injuries are behind him and he\u2019ll produce if his body is feeling closer to 100 percent. But either way, it hasn\u2019t been a great season for Seager or the Rangers \u2026 who are still somehow within one fall-down-in-the-luckiest-direction of a playoff spot, because, you know, 2026 American League. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 57-69
Last Power Ranking: 24<\/p>\n

What happened to: Jorge Polanco<\/p>\n

Permitting your franchise\u2019s all-time home run leader to leave in free agency (when you could obviously afford to bring him back) was destined to sting a little bit. But it could hardly have stung the Mets more than it has this season, because Pete Alonso\u2019s replacement has played a grand total of 20 innings at first base. (Twenty innings, however, still outpaces the 19 hits he has on the season entering Monday.) It\u2019s been just about a nightmare season for New York, and nobody symbolizes that more than Polanco \u2014 an honest-to-goodness postseason hero for Seattle 10 months ago. He has rebounded from subpar and unhealthy seasons in the past; the Mets hope he does so again in 2027. \u2014 Britton<\/p>\n

Record: 60-65
Last Power Ranking: 25<\/p>\n

What happened to: Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes<\/p>\n

Things have never been more bleak for the 29-year-old, who has a wRC+ of 20. For those keeping score, that\u2019s 80 points below league average. At this point, his bat is unlikely to ever rebound to passable \u2014 he has more below-average seasons by wRC+ (five) than above-average (one) \u2014 but at least there\u2019s the defense, right? Sort of. He continues to have good range (two outs above average) and a solid glove (five defensive runs saved), but his arm strength continues to diminish year over year. It\u2019s not Platinum Glove-level as it once was, and Gold Glove-level might be out of the question. With five years of service time, Hayes can\u2019t be optioned to the minors without his consent. What\u2019s more, Cincinnati is on the hook for three more years and $23 million. For a club that ranks 20th in payroll, per Cot\u2019s Contracts<\/a>, that might as well be an albatross. \u2014 Flores<\/p>\n

Record: 51-73
Last Power Ranking: 26<\/p>\n

What happened to: Willy Adames<\/p>\n

I always roll my eyes a little bit when I hear people say that a player \u201cdoesn\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sorry, but baseball is way too hard to make it to \u2014 or stay in \u2014 the big leagues if you don\u2019t care. You have to care to put in all the off-field work, you have to care to keep your body in shape, you have to care to make the sacrifices these guys make.<\/p>\n

So keep that in mind as you read through all of these entries. Yeah, we\u2019re pointing out individual guys, but it\u2019s with the acknowledgement that they know, and they care, and obviously they want to perform better.<\/p>\n

The reason I\u2019m making that my Adames entry is that part of his recent inefficacy has been that he\u2019s been trying too hard to stay on the field<\/a> when it\u2019s clear that his back is hampering his performance.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s really admirable. It\u2019s also not helping anyone, and the Giants aren\u2019t going anywhere this year. Get your back healed up; I promise the Giants are very capable of continuing to lose this many games while you\u2019re out. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n

The Giants’ Buster Posey put his legacy on the line. Will it work?<\/p>\n

Brittany Ghiroli and more<\/p>\n

Record: 52-74
Last Power Ranking: 27<\/p>\n

What happened to: Salvador Perez<\/p>\n

One of only two designated \u201ccaptains\u201d in MLB, and the only one to have a \u201cC\u201d on his jersey, Perez is Kansas City royalty in waiting. When the time is right, he will certainly be the fourth player to have his number retired by the organization, and he\u2019ll also join former teammate Alex Gordon as members of the 2016 team to be inducted into the club\u2019s Hall of Fame. Heck, he might even end up in Cooperstown. Until then, his 68 wRC+ ranks dead last among qualified DHs. Things were already on the decline in 2025, but 2026 has been even more trying. Perez isn\u2019t the chief reason the Royals are 22 games below .500, but his lack of production certainly doesn\u2019t help, either. \u2014 Flores<\/p>\n

Record: 49-76
Last Power Ranking: T-29<\/p>\n

What happened to: Arte Moreno?<\/p>\n

Yeah, I know. It\u2019s supposed to be a player, and I think the rest of these have implied, \u201cBoy, this season sure was a disappointment \u2026 What happened?!\u201d<\/p>\n

But this is the owner, and we\u2019re leaning into the opposite direction. One reason is that when we look at the list of players we expected might do better this year, something is off: they\u2019re not Angels anymore.<\/p>\n

Logan O\u2019Hoppe is in Triple A \u2026 with the Rangers. Jo Adell is a Guardian. Jorge Soler is a free agent. Grayson Rodriguez is\u2026 OK, well, it wasn\u2019t a complete fire sale, but interim GM John Mozeliak is doing something we haven\u2019t seen in Anaheim in quite a while: make moves that seem likely to help the team long-term.<\/p>\n

Not to conflate our O\u2019Hoppes with our Ohtanis<\/a>, but it seems like every year around this time, we look at an Angels team with yet another miserable record, pitching yet another flimsy story about how things are great, actually, and think \u201cWhy on earth did they decide to [take<\/a> your<\/a> pick<\/a>]?!\u201d<\/p>\n

Since coming aboard in late June, Mozeliak has led with transparency<\/a> and a decisive direction. So either Moreno has loosened his grip on the reins, or this was possible all along. Either way, it feels weird. \u2014\u00a0Weaver\u00a0<\/p>\n

Record: 50-75
Last Power Ranking: T-29<\/p>\n

What happened to: Ezequiel Tovar, I guess?<\/p>\n

Tovar is really in year two of \u201cWhat happened to \u2026\u201d after a breakout 2024 campaign that earned him a Gold Glove and down-ballot NL MVP votes. Injuries (hip contusion, oblique) limited him to 95 games last year, but even when healthy, his production was down from the prior year.<\/p>\n

This year, it\u2019s bad. Really bad. Like \u2026 \u201cOPS of .587 and you play all your home games at Coors Field\u201d bad.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there have been recent signs of a turnaround. Going into Monday\u2019s game, his August slash line was a robust .324\/.366\/.460 (.825 OPS) in 41 plate appearances. \u2014\u00a0\u00a0Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 49-76
Last Power Ranking: 28<\/p>\n

What happened to: Lawrence Butler<\/p>\n

There are a lot of missing persons on the Athletics\u2019 roster, but for most of them, the answer is: \u201cThey got injured.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Butler, though, it has just been a bad year. In 2024, the then-23-year-old outfielder had a breakout year, hitting 22 home runs with an .807 OPS, earning 3.0 bWAR and a seven-year extension<\/a> worth $65.5 million.<\/p>\n

Last year wasn\u2019t quite as good, but Butler was still worth 1.5 bWAR and still hit 21 home runs, even as his OPS dropped to .710.<\/p>\n

This year, he\u2019s sitting at 11 home runs, a .652 OPS and -0.5 bWAR in 116 games. Worse, his OAA (outs above average) sat in the 86th percentile last year. This year? It\u2019s in the first percentile. (That\u2019s bad, to be clear.)<\/p>\n

So, what happened to Butler? Plot twist: It was probably also an injury. He had surgery last October to repair a patellar tendon in his knee. It\u2019s possible it\u2019s just taking a little more time to get back to 100 percent. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every week,\u200b we\u200b ask a selected group of our baseball\u200b writers\u200b \u2014 local and national \u2014 to rank…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":862596,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[485,495,3960,3966,3959,49,48,508,3961,3983,491,4021,490,1506,474,3962,487,3981,493,3965,462,475,3980,481,509,477,512,470,82,3982,480,3992,507,3968],"class_list":["post-862595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-arizona-diamondbacks","tag-athletics","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-baltimore-orioles","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-cincinnati-reds","tag-cleveland-guardians","tag-colorado-rockies","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-houston-astros","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-miami-marlins","tag-milwaukee-brewers","tag-minnesota-twins","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-mets","tag-new-york-yankees","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-pittsburgh-pirates","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-san-francisco-giants","tag-seattle-mariners","tag-sports","tag-st-louis-cardinals","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-texas-rangers","tag-toronto-blue-jays","tag-washington-nationals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=862595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/862596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}