Overview
- NL executives told MLB.com he has the worst FanGraphs WAR in baseball with a strikeout rate over 30 percent and only two home runs through roughly one-sixth of the season.
- Through 28 games he is hitting .216 with a .562 OPS, with 36 strikeouts against six walks, a steep fall from last year’s production.
- Analysts point to value lost on defense and the bases, citing a negative 1 WAR, two errors at first base, minus-3 defensive runs saved, and bottom-percentile Baseball Savant grades.
- Media scrutiny has escalated, with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale calling him the most disappointing player and ESPN’s David Schoenfield asking if he has “forgotten how to hit.”
- The Giants are 13-15, and the slump carries extra weight because the team traded top prospects to acquire Devers and took on his long contract, increasing pressure on both player and club.