3 Texas Rangers players it's already fair to worry about

After just over a month into the season, the sample size is big enough that it is probably fair to examine some players whose starts have got us scratching our heads. Whether they are rookies who are experiencing baptism by fire or salty veterans who are in their mid-30s and on the "back nine" of their career, these three Texas Rangers players are underperforming and are worth monitoring as we come up on the 40-game first quarter of a long season.

Hopefully, we are overreacting and will look back and admit that we knee-jerked and were too quick to react. It would be crow we'd be happy to eat, as it would likely indicate that the team as a whole is performing much better.

3 Texas Rangers players it's already fair to worry about

Kumar Rocker - SP

The gargantuan right-hander from Watkinsville, Georgia, was good enough to snag the last spot in the rotation after a solid Spring, but his first taste of regular-season baseball against the big boys has been inconsistent to say the least.

Rocker only registered one quality start in his five outings before landing on the IL. That was against the Los Angeles Angels on April 17, where he surrendered just three runs and five hits in seven innings on an efficient 78 pitches. He also had a decent five-inning start earlier in April, but aside from that, he has been downright hittable.

The rookie hurler is carrying an 8.10 ERA and is not getting the strikeouts that an imposing pitcher with his kind of velocity should. He has given up 23 hits in just 17 innings pitched, and his strikeout ratio of right around 6 per 9 innings needs to be higher. Maybe some time to recoup and catch his breath will help, but he will be scratching and clawing to keep his spot moving forward

Joc Pederson - OF

Well, this one is fairly obvious, right? After a Ranger record-breaking slump to start the season that saw his batting average plummet to .052, he has been better than that recently, going a whopping 4 for his last 16 with a couple of extra base hits.

With no home runs and a single RBI through the first 33 games, you have to be concerned about Pederson and his role. Everyone says he is a great clubhouse guy, and his track record over 12 seasons in the league seem to dictate a progression to his career averages, but Father Time is undefeated and the bottom has to drop out at some point.

Considering that the veteran is no longer a plus defender in the outfield, that makes him pretty much a full-time DH. DH is short for designated "hitter", right? So, if he's not performing in that role, he's too expensive to just be patting guys on the butt and saying "good job!"

Marcus Semien - 2B

It's not so much that the Rangers' ironman is off to a sub .200 batting average to start because he has done that before and still come around to his career mark of .254. However, if you look at his slugging numbers, in particular, it makes you a little more worried.

His two homers and just one double in 91 at-bats are far more disconcerting if you're a Rangers fan. That lack of power and extra base hits translates to a diminutive slugging percentage of just .245. Combine that with an alarming 11 walks, and his OPS isn't much better at .504. These are not Marcus Semien-type numbers.

As with Pederson, you have to start to worry if age is playing a part in the lack of pop and overall production. Bruce Bochy has already moved him out of the leadoff spot that he had been manning for his entire tenure with the team. Semien's numbers have to improve, but is there still enough gas in the tank to be as good as he needs to be for this team?