X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

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
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

The Cut List (Week 11): Time to Let Go?

Players to cut or drop in week 11 of the 2018 MLB season. Connor McEleney lists overrated players and busts that should be waived in fantasy baseball.

Welcome to Week 11 of the Cut List. This week I’m taking a look at four players who came into the season with huge expectations. All of these players were drafted in all standard formats.

Jonathan Schoop is fresh off a 3.8 WAR, 32 HR season that propelled him to fantasy stardom, Billy Hamilton stole 56+ bases in the past four seasons, Ryan Braun had a decent 2017, and Rafael Devers was one of the most hyped players this offseason. They’ve all drastically underperformed expectations in 2018, so it’s time to let them go.

Want some waiver wire advice to make up for those necessary cuts? Make sure you check out our waiver wire blog for the best pickup consultation around.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Time to Move On

Jonathan Schoop (2B, BAL) - .224 BA, 21 runs, 5 HR, 15 RBI

Cut in 10 and 12 team leagues

Why you should cut him: Take one quick look at Schoop’s plate discipline metrics and you’ll see nothing out of the ordinary. His contact rates are steady, his swing rates aren’t alarming, and his walk and strikeout rates are in line with his career averages. The problem is that Schoop is hitting fewer line drives, too many infield pop-ups, and he’s 213th in average exit velocity out of batters with a minimum 100 batted ball events. His 14.2% line drive rate is four points lower than his career average, and his 27.3% infield fly rate is eleven points higher than his 16.3% career rate. He’s never been a masher, though, so it’s not like his poor exit velocity is a surprise. Schoop’s poor play is just an unfortunate development. Highly touted 26-year-old players aren’t supposed to look this bad after a career year.

Better 2B options: It’s a tough call because peak Schoop is more valuable than anything sitting on the free agent list. Josh Harrison? Joe Panik?

Billy Hamilton (OF, CIN) - .191 BA, 27 runs, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 10 SB

Cut in 10, 12, and 14 team leagues

Why you should cut him: Billy Hamilton is, without a doubt, one of the five worst hitters in the league right now. This dude is simply terrible, and the only reason he’s barely fantasy relevant is his stolen base upside. That’s not news to anyone. Hamilton is so bad that benching him and hoping he’ll get rolling is a straight-up losing strategy. His strikeout rate is 30.6%, his wRC+ is 55, and his contact rate is 73.8%. That’s not worthy of ownership in any format, but he’s still sprinting well on the base paths. His 30 ft/sec sprint speed score on BaseballSavant is good for third in the league.

Better OF options: Almost literally anyone, but Leonys Martin and Michael Taylor look good right now.

Ryan Braun (OF/1B, MIL) - .236 BA, 22 runs, 8 HR, 29 RBI, 6 SB

Cut in 10-team leagues

Why you should cut him: Braun needs to be owned in 12+ team leagues because of his decent average and power/speed combo, but owners in 10-team leagues should feel free to cut him loose for a hot bat or gas-throwing arm. The early returns on his age-34 season aren’t promising, and it looks like he’s headed straight toward fantasy irrelevance if he doesn’t turn it around soon. Braun is producing career-lows in OBP, wRC+, BA, wOBA, and SLG. You name the metric, and it’s probably a career-low. At the same time, however, his .256 BABIP is well below his career .329 BABIP, so there’s some hope for you deep league Braun owners.

Better OF/1B options: Brian Anderson, David Peralta, Max Muncy

Rafael Devers (3B, BOS) - .229 BA, 24 runs, 9 HR, 28 RBI, 1 SB

Cut in 10 and 12 team leagues

Why you should cut him: Generally locked into a middle-of-the-order spot on one of the most potent lineups in the league, one would assume Devers would continue dominating like he did last season. But after hitting .417 after being called up last July, Devers has only hit .254 since. He mashed lefties last season, hitting .400 in 57 PA, but he’s been awful against them this season. A .218 average against lefties is unacceptable in standard 10 and 12 teamers, and you need to look elsewhere for batting average. Luckily for you Devers owners, third base is pretty deep this year.

Better 3B options: Brian Anderson (can you tell I like Anderson?), Derek Dietrich, Max Muncy

 

Update on Last Week’s Cuts

Kevin Pillar (OF, TOR)

  • 5-for-19 (.263), 3 runs, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB
  • This is the quintessential Pillar output we’ve come to expect. He’s still completely viable in deep leagues and a decent depth outfielder in 12-team leagues with deep rosters.

Adam Duvall (OF, CIN)

  • 4-for-14 (.285), 1 run, 0 HR, 1 RBI
  • It’s worth noting that Duvall’s .510 xSLG and .351 xwOBA suggests a positive regression is on the way. You could’ve probably guessed that, though. Out of the four players I listed last week, I think Duvall is worth holding most based on upside alone. He’s coming off back-to-back 30 HR seasons, but when the production is this bad, you have no other choice but to let him go.

Gregory Polanco (OF, PIT)

  • 1-for-11 (.090), 0 runs, 0 HR, 3 RBI
  • This is absolutely unacceptable production from a guy who supposedly possesses a unique size-adjusted skill set. He cut his strikeout rate down to 14.6% last year, but it’s back up to 23.5% this year. Polanco is simply awful, guys.

Sean Manaea (SP, OAK)

  • 5.1 IP, 2 strikeouts, 4 BB, 2 ER, 4 hits allowed on June 6 start.
  • Manaea’s downfall is an absolute shame and one of a few disappointing post-April regression developments. He’s an automatic cut in 10 and 12 team leagues.

 

More Busts and Overvalued Players




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

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

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Roman Anthony

Leaves Early With Back Injury
Jared McCain

"On Pace" for Training Camp
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Done for the Year With Torn ACL
Luke Hughes

Devils Optimistic About Signing Luke Hughes
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Dylan Holloway

Good to Go for Start of Season
Nick Kurtz

Back in Action on Tuesday
Josh Morrissey

Fully Healthy for Start of Season
Dennis Hildeby

Signs Three-Year Extension With Maple Leafs
Nick Lodolo

Scratched With Illness
Quinshon Judkins

Zero Chance Quinshon Judkins Plays Against Bengals?
Najee Harris

Says He's Expecting to Play Against Chiefs
Franz Wagner

Collects Double-Double in Blowout Win
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Achieves Rare Numbers at EuroBasket
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Dominates Against Sweden
Stefon Diggs

Expected to Suit Up in Week 1
Kristaps Porzingis

Finding Form at EuroBasket
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Suffers Minor Injury at EuroBasket
DJ Moore

Bears Experimenting with DJ Moore in Backfield
Rome Odunze

Could Move All Around the Offense
Carolina Panthers

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Victor Scott II

Activated From Injured List
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness, Expects to Play Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Dameon Pierce

Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Season
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Chicago Bears

Bears Head Coach Admits Offense Could Face Learning Curve
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
A.J. Brown

Says He'll Be Active For Season Opener
Luis Garcia

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Max Scherzer

Exits Due to Back Tightness
Taylor Ward

Exits Early After Collison
Braelon Allen

Says He Has a Lot Left to Prove
Sal Stewart

Reds Promoting Sal Stewart to Majors
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Aroldis Chapman

Agrees to Contract Extension
Juan Soto

Homers Twice in Loss
Nick Kurtz

Avoids Serious Injury
MacKenzie Gore

Placed on 15-Day Injured List
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Reaches 25-Homer, 25-Steal Milestone
Chris Sale

Activated on Saturday
Dansby Swanson

Homers Twice, Drives in Six in Win
Nick Kurtz

Leaves Game With Oblique Soreness
Joe Burrow

Bengals Feel Joe Burrow Just had "the Best Training Camp of his Career"
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Leads Serbia to a Win
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Shines Versus Portugal
Jose Alvarado

"Good" After Recent Fall
Lauri Markkanen

Torches Sweden
Neemias Queta

Dominates in EuroBasket Opener
Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Not Allowing Kawhi Leonard to Play Back-to-Backs
Dallas Mavericks

Mavericks Looking to Trade Olivier-Maxence Prosper

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP