In, say, 99 percent of all cases, spring training results don't matter. Even most of the really bad ones are easily shrugged off as irrelevant.

But there are always exceptions.

We've pinpointed nine disappointing players from Major League Baseball's 2019 exhibition season who are actually worth being worried about. These are players who are important to their teams in some way, shape or form, and whose struggles therefore have dire implications.

We'll start with five hitters and end with four pitchers.

Edwin Encarnacion, Seattle Mariners

According to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, the Seattle Mariners made it clear to Edwin Encarnacion that they traded for him in December only so they could eventually flip him for prospects.

That obviously didn't happen before spring training. Given the way he's hitting, it may not happen during spring training either.

Encarnacion has suited up in 10 Cactus League games so far, and he's produced only four hits in 28 at-bats with zero walks and nine strikeouts. His OPS is a measly .321.

The 36-year-old is typically a solid performer in spring training, but what he's doing now is alarmingly similar to what he did with the Cleveland Indians last spring. The slugger managed just a .541 OPS, which ultimately preceded his lowest OPS (.810) and home run total (32) since 2011.

Because of the $26.7 million remaining on his contract and his status as a primary designated hitter, Encarnacion doesn't have much trade value to begin with. He's not exactly boosting it with his performance this spring, which isn't making it any easier for the Mariners to follow through on their plan to flip him for young talent.

Dexter Fowler, St. Louis Cardinals

Despite his terrible, horrible, no good and very bad 2018 season, the St. Louis Cardinals are giving Dexter Fowler another chance at being their everyday right fielder in 2019.

Presently, he's rewarding their faith with a .440 OPS through nine Grapefruit League games. He has one extra-base hit (a double) next to zero walks and seven strikeouts.

This is coming on the heels of a campaign that was by far the worst of Fowler's career, and indeed one of the worst of the entire 2018 season. In 90 games, Fowler mustered a .576 OPS and minus-1.4 wins above replacement, according to Baseball Reference.

One piece of good news is that the 32-year-old is fully recovered from the broken left foot that ended his 2018 season in August. It's also to his credit that he spent a chunk of his winter revamping his swing with the help of good friend/all-time home run champion Barry Bonds.

Yet none of this seems to have fixed Fowler. If he doesn't snap out of it, the Cardinals won't have much choice but to turn him into a $16.5-million-per-year reserve outfielder.

Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs

Speaking of National League Central outfielders coming off 2018 letdowns, there's also Ian Happ.

Happ debuted with an .842 OPS and 24 homers as a rookie for the Chicago Cubs in 2017. But in 2018, he slumped to a .761 OPS, 15 homers and 0.5 WAR in 142 games. Notably, he had by far the highest strikeout rate of any qualified NL hitter.

"The league made some adjustments to him, and now he has to adjust back," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said on 670 The Score. "He's making those adjustments."

The clearest sign that Happ, 24, is indeed adjusting is that he's struck out only four times in nine Cactus League games. However, the extra contact isn't doing him much good. He has three hits in 28 at-bats, and only one of them was for extra bases.

Perhaps this doesn't mean that Happ is altogether broken, but it may indicate he's caught between what comes naturally and what he must do to survive as a major league hitter. The longer he remains in such a state, the less the Cubs may be able to trust him as their primary center fielder.

Maikel Franco and Scott Kingery, Philadelphia Phillies

And now for a two-for-one special involving a duo that the Philadelphia Phillies hoped would provide a clear answer for their third base conundrum.

Though Maikel Franco was the presumed starter, Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said in February that Scott Kingery would get his chance to earn regular playing time at the hot corner. With Franco slimmed down and Kingery bulked up, the competition between the two figured to be a good one.

Well, it's not. Between them, Franco and Kingery have played in 19 Grapefruit League games and churned out 11 hits in 55 at-bats (a .200 average) with 18 strikeouts and three walks.

This is happening against the backdrop of a 2018 season in which the Phillies got minus-0.3 WAR out of third base. That was mostly Franco's doing, as his .780 OPS and 22 homers weren't enough to save him from 0.2 WAR. Kingery, meanwhile, flopped hard with a Fowlerian minus-1.4 WAR.

The Phillies might have avoided this situation if they'd signed Manny Machado to man the hot corner, but they opted for Bryce Harper in right field instead. If neither Franco nor Kingery shape up, they might have second thoughts about that.

Tyler Thornburg, Boston Red Sox

Sans Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel, the Boston Red Sox have taken a "This is fine" approach to their 2019 bullpen. Their hope is that the situation will resolve itself from within.

Tyler Thornburg was supposed to play a key role in this regard. What he's actually doing is getting lit up. He's made four Grapefruit League appearances, and they've resulted in 10 hits and seven runs in four innings.

Thornburg, 30, was coming off a 2.15 ERA and 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings when the Red Sox acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers in December 2016. But he missed all of 2017 due to thoracic outlet syndrome, and his 2018 return yielded zero WAR over 25 appearances.

One bright side is that Thornburg has cranked his fastball up to 96 mph this spring. But he's had issues sustaining that velocity, and he generally hasn't impressed Boston manager Alex Cora.

"[We] like everything that's going on right now, but at one point in spring training, we've got to start seeing results," Cora said Saturday, per Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald.

If said results aren't forthcoming, the Red Sox's refusal to address their bullpen will look that much worse.

Chase Anderson, Milwaukee Brewers

Just as the Red Sox haven't rushed to add relievers to their bullpen, the Brewers have been indifferent about bringing in a No. 1 starter to lead their rotation.

In their defense, they do have a handful of intriguing in-house candidates for the role. It includes Chase Anderson, who's only two years removed from breaking out with a 2.74 ERA in 2017.

The 31-year-old couldn't sustain that success into 2018, however, and his effort to get back on the proverbial track this spring could be going better. He's only given up five hits in six innings of Cactus League action, but three of those have gone over the fence. His ERA is 7.50.

The homers are particularly distressing because Anderson co-led the NL in that category last season with a total of 30 long balls allowed. He ventured to improve in 2019 by altering his delivery, but that won't count for anything if the results are the same.

Given that he still posted a solid 3.93 ERA in 2018, this doesn't mean that Anderson will be a bad pitcher. However, he may not be the ace the Brewers are looking for.

Dylan Bundy, Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles lost 115 games last season. The road from there back to contention is a long one that can only be shortened by blockbuster trades for young talent.

Out of all the players on their major league roster, Dylan Bundy might have the most trade value under the right conditions. He's 26 and controlled through 2021. All he needs are results that scream "ace!"

His attempt to provide them this spring isn't going so well. Through three Grapefruit League assignments, he's allowed 15 hits (including three homers) and 10 runs in 6.2 innings. 

So it goes for the pitcher who once climbed as high as No. 2 in Baseball America's prospect rankings. Bundy has had moments of brilliance in the majors, but his career ERA is 4.63, and he's coming off a 2018 that was marred by a 5.45 ERA and an MLB-high 41 homers allowed.

After trying to survive as a fastball/slider pitcher in 2017 and 2018, Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun reports Bundy is trying to diversify his pitch mix this spring. Yet like with Anderson, a good process is worth diddly until the results are also good.

Michael Fulmer, Detroit Tigers

With two straight 98-loss seasons behind them, the Detroit Tigers are in basically the same boat as the Orioles. And Michael Fulmer is their Bundy.

Fulmer will be 26 on March 15, yet his club control runs all the way through 2022. To boot, his trade value is boosted by an American League Rookie of the Year win in 2016 and an All-Star nod in 2017.

Trouble is, Fulmer's trade value has fallen apart about as quickly as his body has. He underwent elbow surgery in September 2017 and knee surgery in September 2018. In between, he struggled with a 4.69 ERA over 24 starts in the '18 season.

The righty hasn't righted his ship in his first three Grapefruit League starts, allowing 11 hits and seven runs in eight innings. He's struck out only six, in part because his customary fastball velocity hasn't been there.

Fulmer sat at 95.8 mph with his heater in 2018. Per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press, he's been working in the 88-92 mph range this spring. Further, Fenech reported that Fulmer just "didn’t look right" his last time out Saturday against the Atlanta Braves.

The longer it takes Fulmer to recapture his old dominance, the more his trade value will diminish.

Spring stats courtesy of MLB.com. Other stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.