The 23-year-old Starling slashed a mere .091/.091/.361 in 11 at bats, with three strikeouts while playing in five games in Surprise. He did manage to slam his first hit for a two-run home run in Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Rockies, but his inability to make good contact shows he might not have progressed enough to be ready for the major leagues.
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Bubba Starling’s Achilles heel throughout his minor league career has been his high strikeout rate, despite an improvement to 24.9% at AA Northwest Arkansas last season. His three strikeouts with no hits in 11 early at bats has done little to convince anyone that his whiff problems are behind him.