X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2016 in Review: First Base (1B) Busts

What Appears In This Article? hide

Our review of the 2016 fantasy baseball season continues with a look at some first base bust. While some of these players contributed modest home run totals, they simply couldn't bring enough value to justify their ADP.

 

First Base Busts - 2016

Mitch Moreland, Texas Rangers

When Prince Fielder was forced to prematurely end his career, Moreland's responsibilities increased. Unfortunately, his production did not. On the surface, you could point to the fact that Moreland hit just one fewer home run (22) as the previous year in practically the same amount of at-bats. His 4.5% HR% and 20.9 AB/HR could even be considered assets in deeper leagues. That's where the value ends, however. Despite playing for a top contender all season, Moreland drove in 60 runs and finished with a poor .233/.298/.422 line. His 3.37 K/BB rate was also nearly identical to the previous season, so Moreland simply made less contact on his swings.

After an encouraging 2015, Moreland was expected to at least match his .278 average with 23 home runs and 85 RBI. That would have placed him near the top 10 at the first base position. Instead, he reverted to his old form. In fact, it's eerie how similar this season compares to 2013 when Moreland was considered nothing more than a borderline corner infield option. For comparison's sake, here are his 2013 primary stats: .232 AVG, .736 OPS, 23 HR, 60 RBI, 60 R, 117 K, 45 BB in 462 AB. In 2016, he produced much of the same: .233 AVG, .720 OPS, 22 HR, 60 RBI, 49 R, 118 K, 35 BB in 460 AB. If anything, 2015 appears to be outlier season in a mostly mediocre career. It seems increasingly unlikely that the 31 year-old will bounce back or produce more than he did this year. He is still usable in deep leagues for his power, but shouldn't be counted on for much more.

Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals

On the plus side, Zimmerman played his highest game total in the past three years and logged 467 at-bats. That's where the good news ends, however, as his .218 batting average was by far the lowest of his 12-year career. Zimmerman has battled injuries over the last three seasons, making him a risky pick entering the 2016 season. It may then be more concerning that, despite playing a majority of the year, he performed so poorly.

Although he logged 81 more at-bats than last season, Zimmerman ended up with 27 fewer RBI and one less HR. Moreover, his 22.3% K% was the highest in his career and his 6.2% BB% was the lowest since his rookie year. He is just 32 years old, so it's too early to write Zimmerman off completely. You could point to his .248 BABIP and argue that he is due for regression at least somewhat closer to his .308 career mark. Still, Zimmerman is trending downward and is not worth anything more than a late round pick. He can't be counted on to hold down a starting spot on fantasy rosters.

Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees

Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that a 36 year-old slugger suddenly declined, but few players have fallen so hard so fast (Bret Boone comes to mind). Remember that in 2015, Tex jacked 31 HR, 79 RBI and made the third All-Star appearance of his career. His power was invisible from the start, as he notched just three homers in April and May combined and only two more in June. In 2015, his 12.6 AB/HR rate was the best of his career, ahead of his typical 17.0 AB/HR mark. That number fell all the way to 25.8 AB/HR in 2016. The main problem is that his HR/FB% fell to 10.6%, rendering a once elite power hitter useless.

Tex likely wasn't expected to be a starting first baseman in most fantasy leagues, but he was universally drafted as a CI or Util player as a reliable power source. While 15 HR and 44 RBI in 387 at-bats are nothing to sneeze at, his lowly averages were an albatross around the collective neck of fantasy teams. He ended the season with a triple slash line of .204/.292/.362, all career worsts if you exclude the 2013 season in which he only made 63 plate appearances. His abrupt retirement was in the best interest of the rebuilding Yankees and Teixeira personally, but it's never a good feeling to see a player you drafted call it quits mid-season.

This serves as a reminder that selecting an aging star is often a double-edged sword. If you chose to ignore a player like Teixeira in 2015, you passed up a great late-round value who still appeared to have plenty left in the tank. If you took a chance on that same player in 2016, you were able to squeeze two good months of power out of him while taking a serious hit to other categories before ultimately having to drop him. Fantasy owners won't need to make any decisions about Tex now that he's out of the picture, but when considering a veteran like Carlos Beltran or Matt Holliday in next year's draft, be careful about overpaying for past success.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Joel Embiid12 mins ago

Dominates In Game 3
Detroit Lions15 mins ago

Lions Trade Up To Select Terrion Arnold With The 24th Overall Pick
Brian Thomas Jr.28 mins ago

Selected By Jacksonville
Philadelphia Eagles33 mins ago

Quinyon Mitchell Taken With The 22nd Pick
Miami Dolphins42 mins ago

Dolphins Select Chop Robinson With The 21st Pick
Pittsburgh Steelers50 mins ago

Troy Fautanu Goes To Steel City
Los Angeles Rams58 mins ago

The Rams Select Jared Verse With The 19th Overall Pick
Cincinnati Bengals1 hour ago

Cincinnati Looks To Strengthen Line With Amarius Mims
Minnesota Vikings1 hour ago

Minnesota Vikings Trade Up To Select Dallas Turner
Seattle Seahawks1 hour ago

Seahawks Take Byron Murphy II With The 16th Overall Pick
Indianapolis Colts1 hour ago

Laiatu Latu Taken At No. 15 By Indianapolis
New Orleans Saints1 hour ago

Saints Land Taliese Fuaga At No. 14
Brock Bowers2 hours ago

Taken At No. 13 On Thursday Evening
Bo Nix2 hours ago

Broncos Grab Bo Nix At No. 12 On Thursday
New York Jets2 hours ago

Jets Take Olumuyiwa Fashanu At No. 11
J.J. McCarthy2 hours ago

Vikings Trade Up One Spot And Take J.J. McCarthy
Rome Odunze2 hours ago

Bears Add To Offense With Rome Odunze
Michael Penix Jr.2 hours ago

Falcons Surprise And Draft Michael Penix Jr.
Tennesse Titans2 hours ago

JC Latham Taken By Titans At No. 7
Malik Nabers2 hours ago

Giants Select Malik Nabers Sixth Overall
Los Angeles Chargers3 hours ago

Joe Alt Heads To Chargers With Fifth Overall Pick
Olivier-Maxence Prosper3 hours ago

Won't Play In Game 3
Kawhi Leonard3 hours ago

Questionable For Game 3
Marvin Harrison Jr.3 hours ago

Cardinals Stick At No. 4 And Draft Marvin Harrison Jr.
Stephen Curry3 hours ago

Named Clutch Player Of The Year
Joel Embiid4 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
J.P. France5 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A Sugar Land
José Ramírez5 hours ago

Jose Ramirez Launches Grand Slam In Three-Hit Day
Daniel Gafford5 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Tim Hardaway5 hours ago

Jr. Ruled Out For Game 3
Giannis Antetokounmpo5 hours ago

Doubtful For Game 3
Khris Middleton5 hours ago

Misses Thursday's Practice, Questionable For Game 3
Dean Wade5 hours ago

Ruled Out For First Round
Sonny Milano5 hours ago

Misses Practice On Thursday
Filip Chytil6 hours ago

Joins Rangers For Trip To Washington
Jesper Fast6 hours ago

Remains Out On Thursday
Matt Martin6 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Anton Lundell6 hours ago

Takes Over As Second-Line Center Thursday
Ryan Lomberg6 hours ago

Ruled Out For Game 3
Zack Gelof7 hours ago

A's Place Zack Gelof On 10-Day Injured List
Alec Marsh7 hours ago

Lands On Injured List
Keibert Ruiz8 hours ago

Back From The Injured List
Jackson Merrill8 hours ago

Scratched With Groin Tigthness
Nolan Jones9 hours ago

Remains Sidelined Thursday
Max Muncy9 hours ago

On The Bench Thursday
Alex Vlasic9 hours ago

Inks Six-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Kyle Okposo10 hours ago

To Suit Up In Game 3
William Nylander10 hours ago

Reportedly Dealing With Migraine Issue
Framber Valdez10 hours ago

To Start Sunday
Brett Pesce10 hours ago

Tony DeAngelo To Replace Brett Pesce
Cal Raleigh10 hours ago

Back In The Lineup Thursday
J.P. Crawford10 hours ago

Heading To The Injured List
Sam Bennett10 hours ago

To Miss At Least A Week
Ceddanne Rafaela10 hours ago

The Team's Everyday Shortstop
Vaughn Grissom10 hours ago

Unlikely To Return This Weekend
Rafael Devers11 hours ago

Likely To Return To Third Base On Saturday
Corey Seager11 hours ago

Serving As Designated Hitter Against Seattle
Jonathan India11 hours ago

Back In Action Thursday
Bryce Harper11 hours ago

Back From Paternity List
Jack Eichel12 hours ago

Makes NHL History In Game 2 Win
Brad Marchand12 hours ago

Racks Up Three Points In Game 3 Victory
Leon Draisaitl13 hours ago

Posts Two Assists In Wednesday's Loss
Anze Kopitar13 hours ago

Completes Three-Point Night With Overtime Game-Winner
Mason Marchment13 hours ago

Exits With Injury Wednesday
Radek Faksa13 hours ago

Injured In Game 2
Trey Murphy13 hours ago

III Cools Off In Game 2
CJ McCollum13 hours ago

Blows Hot And Cold In Game 2
Brandon Ingram13 hours ago

Overcomes Cold Start In Game 2
Jonas Valanciunas13 hours ago

Leads Pelicans In Scoring Wednesday
Jalen Williams13 hours ago

Contributes In All Areas Wednesday
Chet Holmgren14 hours ago

Sets The Tone For Thunder In Game 2
Uros Medic14 hours ago

A Massive Favorite At UFC Vegas 91
Tim Means14 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 91
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander14 hours ago

Leads Thunder To Victory
Austen Lane14 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Jhonata Diniz14 hours ago

Making UFC Debut
Bogdan Guskov14 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Vegas 91
Ryan Spann14 hours ago

Looks To Snap Losing Skid At UFC Vegas 91
Garrett Whitlock22 hours ago

Still Not Cleared For Mound Work
Max Scherzer22 hours ago

Serves Up Two Homers In Rehab Start
John Means22 hours ago

Could Start Sunday
Alec Marsh23 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Alec Marsh
Naz Reid1 day ago

Named Sixth Man Of The Year
Mitchell Robinson1 day ago

Questionable For Game 3
Joel Embiid1 day ago

Questionable For Game 3
Bam Adebayo1 day ago

Looks Good In Win Over Boston
Ryan Lomberg1 day ago

Could Be Back For Game 3
Cam Talbot1 day ago

Starts Game 2 For Kings
Logan Thompson1 day ago

Heads Out For Another Win Wednesday
Jake Oettinger1 day ago

Tries To Bounce Back Wednesday
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Survives At Talladega For First Win Of 2024
Brad Keselowski3 days ago

Finishes Second At Talladega After Last-Lap Wreck
Anthony Alfredo4 days ago

Gets Best Finish For Beard Motorsports Since 2022
Todd Gilliland4 days ago

One Of The Strongest At Talladega
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace Finishes 36th At Talladega Superspeedway
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Fails To Deliver Value In DFS At Talladega
NASCAR4 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finishes Fourth At Talladega
Noah Gragson4 days ago

Surprisingly The Most Consistent Driver At Talladega
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Acquits Himself Nicely In Drafting Debut
Michael McDowell4 days ago

Ends Talladega Wrecked From The Lead
Alex Bowman4 days ago

Quietly Captures Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Daniel Hemric4 days ago

Surges To Ninth-Place Result At Talladega
Harrison Burton4 days ago

Squeezes Into Top 10 At Talladega
NASCAR4 days ago

Bubba Wallace Will Start 14th For the GEICO 500
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Avoid Rostering Tyler Reddick At Talladega?
John Hunter Nemechek4 days ago

Should DFS Players Roster John Hunter Nemechek At Talladega?
Joey Logano4 days ago

Expect Joey Logano To Compete For The Win At Talladega
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Is Denny Hamlin Recommended For Talladega?
Justin Haley5 days ago

Is A Top DFS Value At Talladega
William Byron5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win Talladega
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Is Best Suited As A Tournament Play At Talladega
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF