Twitter: @RobShawSports and @BloombergSports

Bloomberg Sports Anchors Rob Shaw and Julie Alexandria break down four players who have struggled mightily over the first quarter of the season:

Eric Hosmer, 1B, Royals

Last year a 1-4 performance was ho-hum for Royal phenom Eric Hosmer.  These days it’s cause for celebration as it lifts his batting average further above the Mendoza line.  The 6 home runs and 25 RBI aren’t all that bad for Hosmer, but with an average of .204, the former top three pick has been a major bust.  Also, his power and patience have declined this month, as he boasts just one home run and six walks in May.  I still do not suggest dropping Hosmer, because his struggles are not isolated.  The entire Royals roster has pretty much struggled, and once guys like Alex Gordon, Jeff Francouer, and other start hitting, there will be more runners on base and more fastballs in the middle of the plate.  I am buying low on Hosmer, and have confidence that he will turn this season around.

Dee Gordon, SS, Dodgers

Similar to former Rangers prospect Julio Borbon a few years ago, Dee Gordon gained some fantasy interest with a strong finish to the season, most notably 24 steals in 56 games.  However the scouting report is now out on Gordon and you can’t steal bases if you can’t reach base.  With a .225 average and .269 on base percentage, Gordon is not getting on base nearly enough.  As a result, he is not scoring runs and not getting enough steals to warrant fantasy value.  I’m not buying on Gordon in fear that he is a bit more one dimensional than people thought.

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Diamondbacks

Billed as the next prolific power hitter to thrive in the desert, Paul Goldschmidt was predicted to blast as many as 30 home runs this season Instead, he has just three round-trippers a quarter of the way through the season.  The lack of homers as well as the 19 RBI will be enough for some fantasy managers to drop the bopper.  Instead, they should focus on the 12 doubles, which projects to more than 40.  Again, you can’t blame Goldschmidt for the fact that his teammates are struggling to reach base.  Once those doubles turn to home runs, all will be forgiven.

Ike Davis, 1B, Mets

Finally, Ike Davis makes the list for all the wrong reasons.  To his credit, Davis has driven in six RBI over the last six games, but his average is well below the Mendoza line and it will take a heck of a hot streak to return to respectability.  The problem for Davis is that he is returning from nearly a full year off from baseball and his timing isn’t where it should be.  Furthermore, the opposition is exploiting Davis with junk, throwing him more off-speed itches than anyone else in baseball.  The Mets have decided to keep Davis at the Big League level, and this is largely because he remains a better threat than anyone else that they can put in the lineup.  I don’t know when, but I do think that Davis will eventually bounce back and end up with a batting average closer to .240 by season’s end.