The 10 Biggest Disappointments of the MLB Season Early On

No need for overreactions this early in the season, right?

OK, at the very least, let's just call it like we see it. Every thought or feeling in April is not necessarily a rational one, but work with what you've got.

MLB teams are on their fifth series, so there's been enough baseball for both excitement and disappointment.

Here, let's take a look at the 10 biggest disappointments of the season early on, with special consideration given to expectations.

Josh Bell was signed by the Cleveland Guardians largely to add thump to a young lineup that has little power and is mostly reliant on small ball.

Instead, Bell slashed just .109/.250/.130 with zero home runs over his first 46 at-bats. He finally hit his first homer Friday night against the Washington Nationals.

It's disappointing because the Guardians showed last year they were ahead of schedule. They just needed some slugging and a veteran presence in the seemingly wide-open American League Central.

Perhaps most concerning with Bell is how this seems like a continuation of how he closed last season. He was with the Nationals until the trade deadline and slashed .311/.390/.504 with 13 home runs. With the San Diego Padres, Bell slashed .194/.318/.289 with four home runs.

Cleveland is still looking for the Bell from Washington, the one who made an appearance Friday against his old team.

The Seattle Mariners set a new standard last season, ending the longest playoff drought in baseball. With that run and a few key moves in the offseason came expectations.

The M's have a phenom in reigning American League Rookie of the Year Julío Rodríguez. They traded for another All-Star outfielder in Teoscar Hernández and Gold Glove second baseman Kolten Wong in the offseason.

Yet so far, neither newcomer is off to a strong start. Hernández was slashing .216/.273/.431 entering Friday. Wong's struggles were even worse: .105/.205/.105.

Then there was Rodríguez with his underwhelming .736 OPS in 59 at-bats. With those individual performances from key players, it should be no surprise that this squad ranked in the bottom seven across baseball in OPS (.690) and was 17th in runs per game (4.5) entering Friday.

The Boston Red Sox decided to lean on a pair of aging and often injured former All-Star pitchers at the top of their rotation this season.

It's not working out. Chris Sale and Corey Kluber are a combined 1-4 with an ERA of 9.00.

On Thursday, Kluber was just another speed bump in the Tampa Bay Rays' historic start. He gave up four runs on four hits in 4.2 innings and has allowed 10 runs, including four home runs, through 13 innings.

That followed Sale getting rocked for five earned runs over four innings in a loss the previous night. He has allowed five homers in 12 frames. To Sale's credit, he's been candid about his struggles.

"I've got a three-inning outing with seven runs, I've got a four-inning outing with six runs and a five-inning outing with three runs," he said Wednesday via Ian Browne of MLB.com. "I had to get bailed out at all times. And the one time we lost is the day I sucked the most. So, I'm not going to sit here and make excuses. I've just got to get better. That's what I'm here for."

The Chicago White Sox started their season right with a masterful Dylan Cease performance to take down the reigning World Series champion Houston Astros. They also left the Lone Star State with a 2-2 series split.

It's been rough ever since. Chicago dropped two of three against the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins.

And it lost Tim Anderson to the injured list, which was an eerie reminder of last season. As great as Cease is, he can't be expected to carry the rotation. So, the Sox need better than a 6.70 ERA from Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito and Michael Kopech.

They are also one of the worst defensive clubs again, which has been a problem for a few years now.

Despite a talented roster and promising new manager Pedro Grifol, nothing is materializing early in the season. Chicago has a fresh opportunity this weekend at home against the Baltimore Orioles, who entered the series a game above .500, but Baltimore won Friday night, 6-3.

It says a lot about Jacob deGrom that he can lead the majors in xFIP and WAR, have the third-most strikeouts per nine innings and still be underperforming three starts into his Texas Rangers tenure. He's their ace and immediately became one of the top American League pitchers when he signed.

There is also the expectation that deGrom will be dominant, even immortal. Instead, he has gradually improved with each start.

After signing Corey Seager and Marcus Semien last offseason, the Rangers made another bold move as they try to chase down the in-state and American League West rival Astros.

With Justin Verlander gone from the World Series champions and the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner in town, Texas is on to something. So it is disappointing for him to have a 4.32 ERA and 1-0 record through three starts, though the team is 3-0.

In his first outing, deGrom gave up five earned runs on six hits, including a home run, in just 3.2 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. He was tremendous in his next start against the Orioles, fanning 11 and giving up just two hits in six innings. He followed that with another quality start against the Kansas City Royals, but Texas will need its five-year, $185 million ace to be elite to contend.

Rightfully so, the Houston Astros operated this offseason like a team that did not have a lot to prove or much of a need to improve.

They went a couple of months without a general manager, fresh off a World Series victory. They let the AL Cy Young Award winner and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander walk in free agency.

Other than signing an aging José Abreu (36) to replace and even more aging Yuli Gurriel (38), the Astros didn't do much to elevate this championship squad.

This team, for all of its upside, looks mortal to start the season. It split its opening series at home against the White Sox and didn't win a series until this past week against the Pittsburgh Pirates, dropping two of three to the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins, respectively.

The Astros entered Friday night's action against the Texas Rangers with a 6-7 record. They did start 7-9 in two of the past three seasons but still found their way to the ALCS and once into the World Series.

It's a good enough team to afford a disappointing start, but no doubt that's what it is.

This one is a little tricky. On the surface, José Abreu has been one of the Houston Astros' most reliable hitters. He recorded at least one hit in the Astros' first 10 games and has a solid .291 average through his first 55 at-bats.

But the power numbers and strikeouts are alarming. Abreu only had one extra-base hit until Wednesday, when he doubled against the Pirates. He has yet to hit a home run.

Abreu's expected slugging ranks in the bottom 15 percentile, as does his chase rate. His barrel percentage is in the 14 percentile, and his whiff percentage in the 16 percentile.

All of that is to say he's swinging and missing a lot. When he is making contact, he's not hitting the ball particularly hard. It's something that needs to change soon, especially in the absence of Jose Altuve (thumb) and Michael Brantley (shoulder) from Houston's lineup.

The St. Louis Cardinals entered Friday's action with the NL Central's worst record and run differential. Remember, this is the favorite to claim the division after winning 93 games with a pair of MVP candidates last season in Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.

The problem right now is pitching. Despite a win Friday over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cardinals have baseball's highest opposing batting average (.288) and the fifth-highest WHIP (1.51).

Miles Mikolas, fresh off a two-year extension worth $40 million in the offseason, has been dreadful through his first three starts. His ERA is at 10.05. In his last outing, a Cardinals win against the Colorado Rockies, he allowed six runs on 10 hits with two walks over five innings and did not factor into the decision.

We've seen this franchise go on incredible winning streaks in the recent past, but it doesn't want to dig a hole large enough where it has to.

Everyone is just living in the Tampa Bay Rays' world right now, especially if you're expecting to be a contender from the AL East like the Baltimore Orioles.

Cedric Mullins, arguably their best player, would presumably need to be a big part of whatever the Orioles hope to accomplish. He's off to a slow start, though.

He's slashed .192/.300/.327 over his first 52 at-bats, a far cry from his .291/.360/.518 line two years ago when he became an All-Star, or even the .258/.318/.403 from when Baltimore had the best turnaround in baseball last season.

Mullins does have a pair of home runs and is contributing defensively. He's also tied for the most stolen bases in MLB (seven) with teammate Jorge Mateo.

The Philadelphia Phillies won't be able to escape expectations after winning the NL pennant last year and bringing in arguably the best of a star-studded free-agent shortstop class in the offseason.

Between the World Series contending core and the addition of Trea Turner, there has to be high hopes in Philadelphia.

The Phillies will enter Saturday's action 5-9 with a -14 run differential. They are hitting (tied for fifth in OPS), but that's not necessarily translating into runs (12th in wRC+).

Their biggest problem is pitching, with the fourth-highest WHIP (1.52) and seventh-highest ERA (5.13).

The good news for Philly is it is getting 2021 NL MVP Bryce Harper back from Tommy John surgery sooner rather than later, even if it has to put him at first base.