Seven weeks into a full 162-game MLB season, some teams have gotten off to hot starts while others have struggled out of the gate.
It might be too soon to write off certain teams, considering the small 43-game sample size -- but there also might be cause for panic for a few. Which struggling teams and players are showing signs of season-long problems, and which will still be able to turn things around?
What better place to start than with the defending World Series champions.
Atlanta Braves: Sluggish start at 20-23
The Braves haven't won more than two games in a row all season. Despite breakout performances from starter Kyle Wright and rookie reliever Spencer Strider, they've been mediocre across the board -- middle of the pack in offense, middle of the pack in pitching, middle of the pack in defense and 0-3 in extra-inning games.
People talk about a World Series hangover. It's reasonable to suggest the concept exists because there hasn't been a repeat World Series champion since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000. On the surface, it seems logical, right? A World Series champion has to grind for over 200 games, then kick back into gear and do it all over again a few months later. It's a difficult mental and physical assignment.
