Few people would have predicted that the Philadelphia Phillies would be eight games over .500, and only a half game behind the Washington Nationals, heading into June. Those optimists were probably relying on the fact the last place Phils did make a couple of key acquisitions over the winter, and therefore were bound to be better.
A warning that last season’s sensational rookie Rhys Hoskins would be hitting just .220 with a scant six home runs probably would have made even those devout followers foresee Philadelphia at eight games under .500 instead of over, and that prediction would be even worse had you told them All-Star free agent Carlos Santana would be hitting just above the .200 mark.
Believe it or not, Santana ‘s low batting average is not nearly the worst we have seen in 2018, a season that looks as if it could see record low batting averages. He are fifteen star players who have batting averages under .200, a mark that has become known as the Mendoza Line.
Nick Ahmed .199
The Arizona Diamondbacks managed to hold first place in the National League West for much of the season, in spite of the below average offense from their regular shortstop.
Jackie Bradley Jr. .199
Boston announcers refer to the star outfielder as JBJ, whose Red Sox have the best record in all of baseball.
Carlos Gomez .194
Now with Tampa Bay, the former runner up for Most Valuable Player has struggled so far in the Days outfield.
Logan Morrison .198
After establishing a career high in home runs in 2017, the left handed slugger has gotten off to rough start with his new team in Minnesota.
Jason Kipnis .199
His struggles kind of symbolize those of the Cleveland Indians, who have managed to stay a .500 solely because of their outstanding pitching rotation.
Matt Joyce .199
Oakland has been up and down for the first two months, while it is still waiting for Joyce’s bat to regain prominence.
Ian Desmond .190
The Colorado Rockies first baseman n as flexed a lot of power, but any other hits have been rare.
Adam Duvall .184
It is possible that Cincinnati’s odd four man outfield rotation negatively affected the former All-Star, who has had to sit out every three games or so.
Dexter Fowler .180
Now that catcher Yadier Molina is on the disabled list, the St. Louis Cardinals may need this star outfielder to return to the form he had when they signed him to a large free agent contract last year.
Kolten Wong .180
Unlike his teammate mentioned above, Wong’s struggles have been going on for much longer than just this season.
Chris Davis .160
Baltimore’s first baseman has never hit for a real hign average, but it is too low now and so is his power.
Lewis Brinson .155
Miami is in a rebuild, but they need this youngster to really step up to come even close to replacing Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yellich and Marvel Ozuna in the Marlins outfield.
Kole Calhoun .145
While he often stands beside MVP Mike Trout in the Los Angeles outfield, he is barely in the same ballpark when it comes to batting averages.
Russell Martin .174
His catching skills will keep him in the lineup, but the Blue Jays need Russell to raise his average about fifty points if Toronto is to contend in 2018.
Kendrys Morales .194
He has been plagued by injuries, but if he can get healthy he can offer much needed protection for the rest of the guys in the Blue Jays lineup.
Source by Doug Poe
