Cubs Slumps: Castro, LaHair & Campana
It’s hard to ignore the offensive struggles of Starlin Castro, Bryan LaHair and Tony Campana.
Despite adopting a more disciplined plate approach since the firing of Rudy Jaramillo, which should help in the long run, Castro hasn’t been the same batter that led the NL in hits last season (207).
That doesn’t mean Starlin won’t break out of his funk before season’s end, but we can expect Castro to put together some better quality at-bats. Not to mention, this kid is so super-talented it’s only a matter of time before he settles back into being the Cubs’ premier hitter in the lineup.
LaHair’s slump, however, is far more concerning. He’s simply been brutal since mid-June, which helps explain why the Cubs didn’t feel they could receive enough value in return to trade him last week.
Surviving the trade deadline should’ve been LaHair’s golden opportunity to be an everyday player for the Cubs in the season’s second half. Instead, Team Theo opted to promote Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters.
The roster move is certain to leave LaHair riding the pine as a role player until he makes the needed adjustments to return to his brilliant hot start to the season, one that earned him All Star honors.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for LaHair is regaining his confidence. It’s vanished over his last 100 at-bats. He looks lost, over-matched and generally defeated at the dish.
Not even Tony Campana can outrun the slump-bug, which is why he was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday to make room for the arrivals of Jackson & Vitters.
Aside from being a cute base stealing threat, Campana expectedly fell back to earth after his hot start in April.
It’s clearly evident Campana is over-matched by big league pitching–and has been all year. He rarely puts together quality at-bats and what little success Campana has had this season has been fleeting at best.
Both he and the Cubs are best served getting the scrappy lefty more playing time in Iowa vs. sitting the bench on a team with zero need for a pinch-runner.
Starlin Castro
- Since July 6 – Last 99 at-bats
- .232/.276/.434
- 23 hits, 3 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 12 RBI – 5 BB, 12 K
Bryan LaHair
- Since June 18 – Last 100 at-bats
- .210/.282/.300
- 21 hits, 2 HR, 3 2B, 5 RBI – 10 BB, 41 K
Tony Campana
- Since May 14 – Last 98 at-bats
- .204/.243/.214
- 20 hits, 1 2B, 2 RBI, – 5 BB, 29 K – 18/19 stolen bases
