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Players to cut or drop in week 12 of the 2018 MLB season. Connor McEleney lists overrated players and busts that should be waived in fantasy baseball.
Welcome to Week 12 of the Cut List. This week I take a look at Jed Lowrie, Justin Smoak, Yoan Moncada, and Mitch Moreland. What’s the common denominator here? They’re barely standard league viable and they were all super hot at one point or another this season.
Lowrie was arguably the fantasy MVP in April, Moncada heated up before a DL stint, Smoak started hot after a fantastic 2017, and Mitch Moreland put together a few weeks of excellence in May. But now, each player’s fantasy arrow points straight down, and it’s time to cut them in standard formats. Let’s dive in.
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Time to Move On
Jed Lowrie (2B, OAK) - .210 BA, 9 runs, 0 HR, 6 RBI over past 30 days
Cut in 10 and 12 team leagues
Why you should cut him: Lowrie went cold in May after hitting .339 in April and leading the league in RBI and hits. He’s always been an April producer though, hitting a career .311 in the opening month. The guy’s a solid real-life player (3.5 WAR in 2017), but zero home runs and six RBI over a month is completely unacceptable in fantasy. He’s droppable in 10-team leagues, but he’s still valuable in deep leagues considering his plus contact ability and a cushy spot in the Athletics’ lineup.
Better 2B options: Ketel Marte, Josh Harrison, Daniel Descalso
Justin Smoak (1B/DH, TOR) - .188 BA, 9 runs, 3 HR, 9 RBI over past 30 days
Cut in 10 and 12 team leagues
Why you should cut him: Although the .188 batting average is low for Smoak and somewhat acceptable from a power bat, three homers in thirty days is enough to warrant cuts in all leagues. If he’s not hitting homers, what is he doing for you? His walk rate and OBP are actually career-highs right now, but a diminished 31.6% hard contact rate has not helped him chip in home runs. Keep this in mind: before hitting 38 homers in 2017, Smoak had never hit more than 20 home runs in a season. He’s been in the bigs since 2010.
Better 1B options: Yuli Gurriel, John Hicks, Yonder Alonso
Yoan Moncada (2B, CHW) - .191 BA, 14 runs, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 3 SB over past 30 days
Cut in 10-team leagues
Why you should cut him: Just when we thought Moncada was finally breaking out, he landed on the 10-day DL and crushed all our hopes and dreams. He was doing everything we wanted: elite hard-hit rate, fantastic expected stats on BaseballSavant, and solid stolen base consistency. That whole phase is over now, and it’s time to let go of him in 10-teamers. Steamer projects a .228 ROS batting average and only 12 HR. Assuming he’ll do just that, he doesn’t make the cut in shallow formats.
Better 2B options: Ben Zobrist, Jose Pirela
Mitch Moreland (1B, BOS) - .220 BA, 11 runs, 4 HR, 10 RBI over past 30 days
Cut in 10-team leagues
Why you should cut him: It’s important to note that Moreland is a cut in 10-teamers, but he’s viable in pretty much every other format. His average career .253 batting average and 20 HR ceiling is, at best, a depth option in standard shallow leagues. Keep an eye on him if he’s available in deep leagues, however. His .412 xwOBA and .294 xBA look promising in formats where winning comes down to mining value.
Better 1B options: Brandon Belt, Marwin Gonzalez
Update on Last Week’s Cuts
Jonathan Schoop (2B, BAL)
- 2-for-20 (.100), 2 runs, 1 HR, 1 RBI since June 10
- Schoop’s season can’t get any worse at this point, but this is a guy who produced a combined 361 R+RBI in 2016 and 2017. This is probably the lowest point of his major league career, so you should ask about his availability in keeper formats and deep leagues. He’s only 26-years-old and coming off a 3.8 WAR season, you know. Buy low, but only because his value hit rock bottom. We have to assume he’ll bounce back.
Billy Hamilton (OF, CIN)
- 2-for-11 (.181), 4 runs, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 SB since June 10
- More of the same from Hamilton: a few runs, an awful average, and a cheap steal. He’s really bad. I think we’re all waiting for one of his wild hot streaks, however. We all know it’s coming at some point.
Ryan Braun (OF/1B, MIL)
- 3-for-15 (.200), 1 run, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB since June 10
- Braun heated up on June 8 with two homers and five RBI, but he’s been quiet since. He’s an average depth outfielder in standard formats.
Rafael Devers (3B, BOS)
- 8-for-25 (.320), 3 runs, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 SB since June 10
- He’s riding a 10-game hitting streak since June 6, and he finally looks like the player we were hoping to see. Keep rolling him out if you still own him.
