It’s been a week since the Opening Day. Due to the lockout, spring training and the regular season were delayed. Normally, spring training is for players to prepare for the new season and great performance in spring training doesn't guarantee a player’s success in the regular season. However, some players just didn’t hit well in spring training this year.
After a week during the regular season, do they actually prove that spring training stats don’t matter?
Jorge Polanco had 38 plate appearances in spring training. Unfortunately, he was struck out 11 times and had only 2 hits. However, both hits were extra base hits. By far, Polanco is hitting .238 across 23 plate appearances.
After spending 5 seasons with the Reds, Jesse Winker was traded to the Mariners in mid-March. In his first spring training in the Mariners uniform, Winker had 37 plate appearances, but he only had 2 hits. So far, Winker already played 7 games and he’s only hitting .136/.367/.136.
Yoan Moncada starts the season on the injured list and he is out for three weeks. In spring training, Moncada collected 4 hits in 33 at-bats, but he didn’t have any extra base hits.
Moreover, it’s Wil Myers’ 8th season with the Padres. Over the last 7 seasons, Myers didn’t post a batting average below .259 in each spring training. Nonetheless, Myers only hit .129/.200/.258 in the 2022 spring training. Myers already played 8 games so far this season and now his batting average is .219.
In addition, Ryan McKenna owned a batting average of .133 in spring training and he crushed 2 home runs. He is still looking for his first hit in the 2022 season. Meanwhile, Skye Bolt’s batting average was .138 in spring training and he’s currently on the IL.
After winning the 2019 NL MVP award, Cody Bellinger hadn’t been hitting well over the last two seasons. He slashed .239/.333/.455 in the shortened 2020 season and he only hit .165/.240/.302 last year. In the 2022 spring training, Cody Bellinger was hitting .139/.162/.139. Bellinger had 5 hits and all were singles. Nonetheless, Bellinger seems to be bouncing back and he’s now batting .286/.423/.476 with 1 home run in 6 games.
Finally, Nelson Cruz, Jean Segura and Eugenio Suarez each owned a .143 batting average in the 2022 spring training. Nelson Cruz just signed a 1-year deal with the Nationals. So far, he’s hitting .179/.258/.286 now. At the same time, Jean Segura already crushed 2 home runs in 2022 and by far, he has a .353/.421/.765 slash line. Eugenio Suarez was traded to the Mariners with Jesse Winker. Suarez only batted .198/.286/.428 last year, however, he blasted 31 home runs in 2021. In his first 6 games in the Mariners uniform, Suarez is hitting .182/.280/.409 over 25 plate appearances.
For some players, 4-week spring training is enough for them. However, some players need more time to heat up during the regular season. After a rough spring training, Cody Bellinger and Jean Segura have shown that they are ready for the new season. Nonetheless, after the first week of the regular season, it seems that most players probably need some time to heat up.
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