Three Disappointing Players in 2021
After winning the 2020 AL MVP Award, Jose Abreu hasn’t quite followed up with nearly as impressive a season in 2021. (via MLB.com)
After one of the strangest years in human history, 2021 has since presented baseball fans with some sense of normalcy. Stadiums across the country are finally filled with fans, and with these fans come huge expectations. And what’s more normal than players failing to live up to these expectations?
Below, I’ve compiled a list of three players that come to mind as “disappointments” so far in the 2021 season. Granted, we’re only about 70 games through the regular season, so there is still some time for these players to turn it around. But, 70 games is 70 games, and I think we have a pretty good hunch that these players have officially regressed in 2021. So, let’s jump right in, shall we?
1. Anthony Rendon (3B, Los Angeles Angels)
Angels’ third baseman Anthony Rendon is having perhaps his worst offensive season of his career so far in 2021. (via USA TODAY Sports)
After signing a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Angels in 2020, Angels’ third baseman Anthony Rendon has struggled to find his way at the plate so far in 2021. Prior to this season, Rendon was an All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, a World Series Champion and was largely considered one of the top third basemen in all of baseball.
Prior to the 2021 season, Rendon amassed a career slash line of .290/.369/.483. From 2016 to 2019, he averaged over 25 home runs and 100 RBIs per season, finishing in the top-11 in MVP voting on three separate occasions.
This season, however, tells a different story.
So far Rendon’s 2021 campaign has been quite underwhelming, and saying so is quite an understatement.
So far, Rendon is hitting just .230 with five home runs and 31 RBIs, all while totaling a career-worst .304 on-base percentage. According to Razz Ball’s rest-of-season projections, Rendon is on pace to hit just .266 with 17 home runs and 82 RBIs.
That is quite the regression compared to his last four full seasons of play (excluding the shortened 2020 season), in which he averaged eight more home runs and 18 more RBIs. I haven’t even mentioned his inability to stay healthy this season, but I won’t go there in this article. Needless to say, the $245 million man has yet to play up to his contractual worth, much to the disappointment of the Angels’ front office and Angels’ fans everywhere.
2. José Abreu (3B, Chicago White Sox)
After winning the 2020 AL MVP Award, White Sox first baseman José Abreu has regressed dramatically in 2021. (via the Associated Press)
José Abreu put together the best season of his career in 2020, leading the majors in RBIs (60) and total bases (148), while also leading the American League in games played (60), hits (76) and slugging percentage (.617). Abreu had already put together quite an impressive major league career going into 2020. From 2014 to 2019, Abreu averaged 29 home runs, 101 RBIs, and a .292 batting average. As such, his 2020 MVP season didn’t come as much of a surprise to baseball fans.
However, what has come as a surprise is Abreu’s 2021 campaign.
So far this season, Abreu is hitting just .236, and his on-base percentage of .318 is just four points higher than the major league average of .314, which is by far the worst on-base percentage of his career. His current batting average is nearly 30 points lower than any of his previous major league seasons and ranks 20th among all other first basemen in 2021.
To make matters worse, Abreu ranks sixth among major league first basemen in strikeouts with 73, which does not look good on last year’s MVP.
3. Francisco Lindor (SS, New York Mets)
The 2021 season has been as close to disastrous as it can get for the Mets and shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is having a career-worst offensive season. (via USA Today Sports)
After signing a mega-contract of 10 years and $341 million, Mets’ shortstop Francisco Lindor has perhaps been the most disappointing player in all of baseball in 2021.
Prior to joining the Mets, Lindor averaged 23 home, 69 RBIs, and a slash line of .285/.346/.488. He finished as a top-15 MVP finalist on four separate occasions, including a top-5 finish in 2017. Lindor amassed four All-Star appearances, two Silver Slugger Awards and two Gold Gloves (including a Platinum Glove in 2016).
Lindor was largely considered one of the best (if not the best) shortstops in the game, but he has failed to produce at that level in 2021.
So far this season, Lindor has been one of the worst offensive shortstops in all of baseball.
According to MLB.com, among qualified players, Lindor ranks 20th in batting average (.215), 15th in on-base percentage (.306) and 18th in slugging percentage (.362). He ranks just 16th in hits (56) and 17th in RBIs (25). Suffice it to say, Lindor has been a massive disappointment, especially considering that this is the season immediately following the signing of one of the biggest contracts in baseball. Defensively, Lindor has continued to uphold his side of the bargain.
But, as evidenced above, his offensive production tells a different story.
