Albert Pujols and Justin Morneau highlighted yesterday's list of players who should stop struggling soon.
Here are five more players bound to break out of slumps.
- Adam Dunn, 1B/DH, Chicago White Sox – Dunn hasn’t hit fewer than 38 home runs since 2003. This season, he has five. In a ballpark like U.S. Cellular Field, that number is bound to go up. Once he hits a couple home runs to build his confidence, he could get as hot as the summer weather.
- Torii Hunter, OF, Los Angeles Angels – Hunter is showing signs of life lately, with three home runs in his last 10 games. His .242 average isn’t quite what we’re used to seeing from Hunter and he only has two stolen bases. His average should go up, but his age might be the leading factor in the speed decline.
- Hanley Ramirez, SS, Florida Marlins – Ramirez has only had a sub-.300 batting average once in his career. And that was back in his rookie season of 2006. He currently stands at .210. We know he’s a much better hitter than that, and it should start to show soon.
- Carl Crawford, OF, Boston Red Sox – Crawford is also nearly 60 points below his career batting average. He also only has seven stolen bases this season. For a guy who has finished with over 50 steals five times in his career, that’s a worrisome sign. But, the Red Sox were outstanding in May and as his teammates continue producing, Crawford will continue to get pitches to hit. He’ll start taking advantage of them sooner or later.
- Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Boston Red Sox – Pedroia is just another Red Sox player off to a slow start this season. Pedroia, if he can stay healthy, will eventually start producing simply because of all the chances the potent Red Sox offense provides. He’s also on pace to set a new career high in stolen bases. He already has 12 this season. His career high is 20.