It’s never too early to judge how well a player is performing. Never. Players on new teams tend to be judged far more harshly, as the pressure to impress fans quickly mounts. One bad series can turn into a prolonged slump in the blink of an eye, and while that isn’t always the case, it’s just a lot more helpful to start strong. Luckily for some players, they gave their new fans a solid introduction in the first series of the season. Here are 6 players on new teams already off to a strong start.
Jason Heyward – St. Louis Cardinals
Heyward, in his tenure with the Braves, developed a reputation as a solid bat and fantastic glove, winning two Gold Gloves. He, along with Jordan Walden, was traded by Atlanta to the Cardinals in an offseason where the Braves got rid of quite a few players. In the first game of the Cardinals’ season, Heyward has shone, knocking 3 hits and scoring a run in front of a national audience. For the whole series against the Cubs, Heyward hit .444. These first few games were sure to assuage a few Cardinal fans’ fears
Edison Volquez – Kansas City Royals
Through his career, Edison Volquez has been known as a pitcher with a lot of talent who rarely found consistency. But he had a breakthrough last year with the Pirates, pitching to a 3.04 ERA in 31 starts and getting to pitch for Pittsburgh in the NL Wild Card game. Volquez’s great season earned him a 2-year, $20 million contract from the Kansas City Royals, and his first start for KC was encouraging, to say the least. Volquez gave up just 1 run in 8 innings against the Chicago White Sox, striking out 5 and delivering the final blow as the Royals swept Chicago. Skeptics who expected a regression will have to wait a little longer for their “I told you so” moment.
Adam Lind – Milwaukee Brewers
Adam Lind was traded to Milwaukee this offseason after being a Toronto Blue Jay his whole career. Though he has yet to reach the heights of 2009, when he hit .305 with 35 home runs, but has still proven himself capable of being an everyday player who can hit 20+ homers. Looking to come back from a few seasons bogged down by injuries, Lind started his tenure in Milwaukee by going 3-4 on Opening Day. For the whole opening series, Lind went 6-10 with a home run. The Brewers might have gotten swept by the Colorado Rockies, but Lind’s performance was a real silver lining.
Max Scherzer – Washington Nationals
Don’t let the loss on his record fool you, Scherzer was fantastic in his first start for Washington after signing for 7 years and $210 million. Scherzer pitched 7.2 innings, allowing just 4 hits, and striking out 8. Scherzer was let down by his defense, as two errors by Nats shortstop Ian Desmond led to 3 unearned runs and ultimately, a Nationals opening day loss to the New York Mets. Still, Nationals fans are relieved it had nothing to do with their new pitcher, who they hope to be the ace in a starting rotation chock full of them.
Howie Kendrick – Los Angeles Dodgers
Howie Kendrick had been a Los Angeles Angel since 2006, proving himself to be an above average everyday player capable of hitting for a solid average with around 10 home runs and stolen bases every season. This past offseason, the Angels traded Kendrick to the Los Angeles Dodgers and he has impressed so far. In the Dodgers opening series against the San Diego Padres, Kendrick started every game and batted cleanup. The results were Kendrick going 5-12 with 2 RBIs and a stolen bases to boot. Early on, Kendrick looks to be a solid addition to the Dodgers’ stacked lineup.
Aaron Harang – Philadelphia Phillies
Science may never explain how Aaron Harang is still pitching to success. Harang, the former Cincinatti Reds ace, was a dependable front-of-the-rotation pitcher for much of his career, but seemed to be in a steep decline after a couple of mediocre seasons with the Reds and a terrible 2013 season with the Seattle Mariners. But Harang found himself again after signing with the Braves in 2014, pitching over 204 innings with a 3.57 ERA. In January of 2015, the Phillies signed Harang for 1 year, $5 million. He took the mound against the Boston Red Sox for his first start of the year and proceeded to throw 6.1 shutout innings, giving up a mere 2 hits and striking out 8. The Phillies aren’t projected to contend this year, but another solid year from Harang could go a long way for them.