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Players to cut or drop in week 21 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 21 of the Cut List. Last week we saw Jon Lester and Jed Lowrie bounce back after enduring major slumps in July. Those weren’t the best calls I’ve made this year, to say the least.
This week I’m taking a look at Brian Anderson, Kyle Schwarber, Sean Newcomb, and Chris Taylor. All four players should be cut in most standard shallow formats.
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Time to Move On
Brian Anderson (3B/OF, MIA)
Cut in 12-team leagues
Why you should cut him: Anderson hit .212 over the last thirty days, hasn’t hit a home run since July 30, and he’s scored only one run in August. If you have the roster space and are willing to drop Anderson, I suggest dropping him to open up a stash spot for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The problem with Anderson isn’t a lack of talent or opportunity, it’s that he’s mired in an extreme cold streak. He’ll rebound at some point in the next few weeks, but is he worth owning right now? I don’t think so.
Better 3B options: Todd Frazier, (stash) Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Miguel Sano
Kyle Schwarber (OF, CHC)
Cut in 10-team leagues
Why you should cut him: Love the talent, hate the cold streak. Three homers in the last thirty days and two RBI since August 4 is unacceptable at this point in the season. Don’t be afraid to cut him if you see hot players on the free agent list. We all love Schwarber’s raw power and general consistency, but owning a slumping low-average bat is detrimental in standard shallow league playoffs.
Better OF options: Harrison Bader, Michael Conforto
Sean Newcomb (SP, ATL)
Cut in 10-team leagues
Why you should cut him: The 6’5” lefty threw a combined 9.1 innings in his last two disastrous starts. On top of giving up 12 earned runs over both starts, he allowed 21 hits and five walks. He completely stunk it up. He’s probably worth holding through his August 22 start in Pittsburgh, but if he implodes in that game, feel free to cut him loose. This is what happens when his command slips.
Better SP options: Hyun-Jin Ryu, Mike Fiers
Chris Taylor (SS/OF, LAD)
Cut in 10 and 12 team leagues
Why you should cut him: Two home runs over the last thirty days, only two runs over the last fifteen days and Chris Taylor’s standard format value is rapidly fading away. The jury is still out as to whether or not Taylor is a viable fantasy option at this point. His recent performance suggests he’s not. The real Chris Taylor is somewhere in-between last season’s version and this season’s version, don’t you think? He was a strong minor league producer and he’s fresh off a 4.8 WAR season. Keep him around in dynasty, jettison him in standard redraft leagues.
Better SS option: Marcus Semien
Update on Last Week’s Cuts
Stephen Piscotty (OF, OAK)
- 2-for-15, 1 run, 0 HR, 0 RBI since August 12
Jon Lester (SP, CHC)
- 6.0 IP, 8 strikeouts, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 hits allowed at Pittsburgh on August 16
Jed Lowrie (2B, OAK)
- 9-for-21, 4 runs, 2 HR, 8 RBI since August 12
Eric Thames (1B/OF, MIL)
- 1-for-4, 0 runs, 0 HR, 1 RBI since August 12
