RADIO
Jorge looks at a few fantasy baseball busts to cut from your teams. These underperformers are candidates to be replaced off the waiver wire in Week 13.
It's lucky Week 13 in fantasy baseball. Things are getting interesting. We have some closer upheavals, some new risers, and then obviously the fallers. As always, it's important to know when to let go in fantasy, and to drop the dead weight that may be holding your teams back.
So let's get to the cuts. I can't cover every player that is droppable, for every league size and format, but I chose a few that stood out for me. Without further ado, here is a list of some guys with whom you shouldn't waste your time, as we head into Week 13 of the fantasy baseball season.
Editor's Note: Listen into RotoBaller Radio on Sirius XM (Channel 210) - on Sunday afternoon from 5-7 PM EST. More hot seat players will be discussed, including whether to drop guys like Byung Ho Park, Gio Gonzalez, Billy Burns, Randal Grichuk, and Alcides Escobar.
Week 13 Players to Consider Cutting
1) Michael Conforto (NYM, OF):
Drop in All Redraft Leagues
Honestly, I'm stunned. I know he's been awful since May, but wow. The Mets demoted Conforto back to AAA on Saturday and called up Brandon Nimmo. I'm sure if Conforto starts destroying AAA pitching that he would be back up fairly soon. However, this is still a major disappointment given how poised he looked in 2015 and at the beginning of this season. Those in keepers and dynasties would be wise to hang on a little longer, but Conforto's 2016 value looks to have all but evaporated.
2) Shelby Miller (ARI, SP):
Drop in All Leagues
I couldn't resist. Just when you think this dude is going to pull it together, he gets lit up. Granted it was at Coors, but still Miller has been straight up bad this season. The Rockies recorded 11 hits against him, two of which were homers. Anyone who picked him up should probably do what the Rox did and send him packing.
3) Trayce Thompson (LAD, OF):
Droppable in Deeper Leagues
Trayce has seen his numbers come down fast and it's opened the door for Yasiel Puig to reclaim his job now that he's healthy. Thompson has just one hit over his last 18 at-bats, and his average on the season is down to .239. He's striking out close to 25% of the time, and the BABIP doesn't suggest this is just a matter of bad luck. Until further notice, Thompson should be dropped like his brother's team was in the Finals. Too soon?
4) Trevor Rosenthal (STL, RP):
Droppable in Deeper Leagues
Well, it finally happened. Rosenthal has always had a live arm that could make him unhittable at times. Unfortunately, his control was always a bit spotty. The ninth inning would always feel like walking a tight rope as a result. This made him one of the more irritating closers to own as he could do some damage to pitching ratios. It's finally caught up to him as manager Mike Matheny has seen enough. It looks like Seung Hwan Oh will be the go to guy in the ninth now, and given how good he's looked it's safe to drop Rosenthal.
Hot Seat
So these are some guys you shouldn't cut just yet, but who would be the first to go on most rosters if you need to add someone else.
1) Ben Revere (WAS, OF)
Nearly Droppable in 10 Team Leagues
The main appeal here is the steals, make no mistake about that. We know that Revere is capable of being a .300 hitter with speed, but right now he doesn't play every day and isn't hitting well. Manager Dusty Baker flat out said that Revere will platoon with Michael A. Taylor, so this puts a major cap on his value. If you are in a league with daily editing and can afford to just plug Revere in when he plays, then by all means keep him. However for weekly lock leagues or leagues where you need steady, everyday production Revere won't be the guy for you.
2) Whit Merrifield (KC, 2B/OF)
I wonder if Merrifield's parents pulled a White Goodman when they spelled their son's name. All joking aside though, Whit is on the hot seat a bit. After his little power surge, he's cooled off and really is just an empty average hitter. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but you're getting virtually no counting stat upside here. He's not stealing much, the power is minimal, and there's not many RBI to be spoken of. My advice is to hold for now as long as he's still contributing in the AVG and OBP categories. However, once he hits the skids, I have no problem cutting him for the next flavor of the week.
3) Jameson Taillon (PIT, SP)
The last two outings have been a bit rough for the rookie. The Cubs are the best offense in the league, and the Dodgers aren't that bad either. However, both those outings were a far cry from his strong two outings against the Mets. I'm not saying drop him, especially in keeper/dynasty leagues. However, keep an eye on how he looks the next few times out. In redrafts, dealing with his growing pains may not be worth it.
Reverse Jinx
Lorenzo Cain (KC, OF)
Cain was a hyped up player for 2016, coming off a career year where he provided five-category production. He hasn't been bad in 2016, but his performance has left a bit to be desired. He's still on pace for around 16 home runs and 80 RBI, but his average is lower than it's been over the last two season. The speed numbers are ddown too. Again, I'm not complaining. Here's hoping that the reverse jinx kicks in though and gets this potential fantasy stud going.
Graveyard
Addison Russell, Jaime Garcia , Joe Panik, Travis Shaw, Tommy Joseph, Jhonny Peralta, Dan Straily
Zombies
Aledmys Diaz (STL, 2B/SS)
Ever since I featured him on the Hot Seat, Diaz has gotten things going a bit. Over his last three games, the shortstop has driven in six runs and homered twice. He's hitting .412 over the last five games, and looks to be making adjustments at the dish. Get him back in your lineups if he was riding the pine pony.
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