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Players to cut or drop in week 19 of the 2018 MLB season. Connor McEleney takes a look at overrated players and busts that should be waived in fantasy baseball.
Welcome to Week 19 of the Cut List. Special thanks to Kyle Bishop for filling in for me last week while I was out of town on vacation in northern Minnesota. His cut suggestions were pretty much fantastic.
This week I’m taking a look at Cesar Hernandez, Matt Kemp, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Tim Anderson. All four of these guys should be cut in most shallow standard formats. Don’t hesitate dropping them for a surging bat or a hot arm. Playoff time is approaching and you need to shed dead assets and acquire producers as soon as possible.
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Time to Move On
Cesar Hernandez (2B, PHI) - .188 BA, 4 runs, 0 HR, 4 RBI over last 15 days
Cut in 10 and 12 team leagues
Why you should cut him: I think dropping Cesar Hernandez for Robinson Cano or Eduardo Nunez in a shallow league would prove beneficial in the long run. Although Hernandez should provide a bunch of runs sitting atop the Phillies’ lineup, I’m not sure you’re better off rostering him over a hotter bat. He’s been a hidden fantasy gem for over two seasons, but you should cut him if you want to add a surging bat in time for your league’s playoffs. Keep him if you need run support and believe his average will bounce back, however.
Better 2B option: Robinson Cano, Eduardo Nunez
Matt Kemp (OF, LAD) - .191 BA, 8 runs, 2 HR, 4 RBI over last 15 days
Cut in 10-team leagues
Why you should cut him: His bounceback season has been fantastic, but he’s really struggled since early July. His second half has been atrocious: a 66 wRC+, .191 BA, and .265 wOBA have made his fantasy value plummet in the past few weeks. It’s time to start looking for other options at this point. A player like Carlos Gonzalez should be available in some standard shallow leagues. If he is available, he’d be a great bench piece. Kemp went 0-for-25 between July 23 and August 1. Cut him swiftly.
Better OF option: Carlos Gonzalez
Asdrubal Cabrera (SS, PHI) - .184 BA, 6 runs, 1 HR, 6 RBI over last 15 days
Cut in 10-team leagues
Why you should cut him: It’s the same story for Asdrubal Cabrera: he showed out in the first half but seriously cooled down over the last 30 days. His average and power outage are the only concerns here. To be honest, if he’d been hitting around .250 through June and July, I wouldn’t have put him on the list because of his general consistency as an overall batter, but a .184 BA over the last 15 days is unacceptable in shallow standard formats. As with most of the cut suggestions I make, this really comes down to who’s available in your league. Don’t bother cutting Cabrera if your other options are weak.
Better SS options: Jurickson Profar
Tim Anderson (SS, CHW) - .222 BA, 3 runs, 1 HR, 5 RBI over last 15 days
Cut in 10-team leagues
Why you should cut him: With only one home run and two stolen bases in the last 30 days, Tim Anderson’s fantasy value is fading by the day. Yes, he cut his strikeout rate and boosted his walk rate this year. Yes, his power/speed skill set is enticing on the surface, but looking at what he’s actually done since starting hot in April is a whole different story. Anderson is a flawed hitter playing for one of the worst clubs in the league. He’s no more than a bench option in standard shallow formats.
Better SS options: Ketel Marte
Update on Last Week’s Cuts
Jose Martinez (OF, STL)
- 2-for-9, 0 runs, 0 HR, 3 RBI since July 29
Paul DeJong (2B/SS, STL)
- 2-for-23, 1 run, 0 HR, 1 RBI since July 29
- Fantastic call by Kyle last week. DeJong has been disgustingly bad recently and remains a cut candidate in most leagues. Goodness gracious.
Ryan Braun (1B/OF, MIL)
- 5-for-17, 3 runs, 1 HR, 2 RBI since July 29
Cole Hamels (SP, CHC)
- 5.0 IP, 3 hits allowed, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 strikeouts at Pittsburgh
