MLB hot take: 5 disappointing players on contending teams

There are seemingly more contending teams this MLB season compared to last. Clubs like the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles are just a few that come to mind. With these teams stepping up, some teams have fallen off a bit. That is in large part due to some of their top players not performing at the level at which they should be playing.

Here are five disappointing players on contending teams around MLB

MLB disappointment 5. Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays

It was very hard to pick a player from the Rays. However, with how well they have done so far this season, I feel it’s only right to put a Rays player on this list. Who knows, maybe Tampa will be even better after the All-Star break. That is scary to think about. With that said, Brandon Lowe is my pick for the Rays. One disclaimer is that Lowe is recovering from an injury and won’t be back in action until July according to Sports Illustrated.

Lowe has never been a huge average guy, hitting .244 for his career but what makes him valuable is his power. Lowe hit 39 home runs in 2021 with the Rays, but wasn’t the same player in 2022 or now in 2023. Missing a chunk of playing time last year definitely hurt his numbers and, since the start of the new season, he still hasn’t gotten back to form.

With how Tampa Bay finds and develops talent, I don’t see this hurting the team like some of the other players on this list. That is why he is at number five instead of number one or two. If the All-Star second baseman does get back to his level from a couple of years ago, the Rays will still succeed and it would be hard to see them not win the division even with how stacked the AL East is.