Well-Known Fantasy Baseball Players - Drop, Hold, or Sell Low? (Week 14)

Joey Pollizze discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well recently. He looks at whether it's time to drop or hold these players.

One of the hardest things about fantasy baseball is whether or not to drop certain players. In a long baseball season, it's important to remain patient and not overreact to slumps. It happened earlier in the year with Paul Goldschmidt after a rough start. But since then, he has been much better for fantasy managers. 

That's why patience is key in fantasy baseball, and that applies all throughout the season. As we enter Week 14 (June 24 to June 30), there are some well-known fantasy players who should be held onto and some who should be let go -- either dropped or traded away. 

So, without further ado, here's what managers should do with these five players in fantasy. All five of these players are also rostered in the majority of leagues. 

Jordan Hicks - SP/RP, San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants pitcher Jordan Hicks has been somewhat of a surprising fantasy option in his first full season as a starter in the majors. In his first five years, Hicks appeared in 212 games and only made eight starts. But the Giants stretched him out in the spring, where he currently owns a 3.24 ERA and 69 strikeouts across 16 starts in 2024.

Hicks has been solid on the mound this season, but as of late, he has struggled. After giving up two earned runs or less in 10 of his first 11 starts this year, the right-hander has allowed more than two earned runs in three of his past five outings. In those last five starts, the Giants pitcher has a 5.56 ERA, and opposing hitters are batting .304 against him. During that stretch, his ERA also jumped up 91 points from 2.33 to 3.24. 

Jordan Hicks, Perfectly Painted 97mph Sinker on 1-2...for a ball. pic.twitter.com/eR1Kr0mfiz

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 5, 2024

As a result, things are certainly trending down for Hicks. He is walking more batters, and his strikeout numbers—7.7 strikeouts per nine innings—aren't great. With his recent struggles on the mound, fantasy managers should be looking to sell him for cheap. He has already thrown 80.2 innings in 2024, which is the most he has thrown in a season since his 107 innings in 2017 in the Cardinals' minor league system. He just might not be able to hold up as the season progresses. 

Alex Verdugo - OF, New York Yankees

New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo has put up solid numbers in his first year with the team. He is hitting .247 with nine home runs, 15 doubles, and 41 RBI across 76 games this season. However, Verdugo is in a bit of a slump at the plate. Over the past 18 games, the veteran is hitting just .208 (15-for-72) with one home run, three doubles, and eight RBI. 

That recent cold streak has questioned what fantasy managers should do with the 28-year-old. While he hasn't put up big numbers recently, he should definitely be held in most leagues in Week 14 and beyond.

Got that Dawg in him. pic.twitter.com/2c6dVKKGqp

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 14, 2024

For starters, batting in the middle of New York's lineup should lead to many RBI chances. Hitting behind Juan Soto and Aaron Judge—two players who get on base at a high level—should help him produce consistent fantasy numbers for the rest of the year. Verdugo also gets to play 81 games at Yankee Stadium, one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks. Having the short porch in right field of only 314 feet could help him total somewhere between 17 and 20 HRs in 2024. 

Ryan Jeffers - C, Minnesota Twins

To start the season, Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers looked like the waiver wire pickup of the year. Jeffers had a .309 average with eight HRs, 12 doubles, and 29 RBI through May 9. But since then, the 27-year-old is batting just .160 with four HRs, three doubles, and nine RBI over the last 31 games. 

That cold stretch at the plate has also limited his playing time. He has only started back-to-back games once in the month of June, which came back on June 1 and June 2. With Jeffers playing every other day and struggling at the plate, there is not much upside in rostering him in fantasy right now. That's why the Twins catcher can be safely dropped in most 10 to 12-team leagues.

Jeffers is on pace for a career year at the plate, as he needs just three more HRs, one more double, and six more RBI to finish with career-highs in those categories. However, there are better catchers on the waiver wire to roll with moving forward, including Patrick Bailey (29% rostered), Shea Langeliers (33% rostered), and Connor Wong (59% rostered). Now might be the right time to drop him in fantasy. 

Jesus Luzardo - SP, Miami Marlins

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo was on this list last week, but a lot has changed since then. He was scratched from his start on Saturday with a back issue and was placed on the 15-day injured list soon after. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker also said that this type of back injury for Luzardo would likely keep him out for four to six weeks, so he was immediately transferred to the 60-day injured list.

That leaves fantasy managers in a weird spot with the southpaw. He hasn't been great in 2024 and lands on the IL with a 5.00 ERA and 58 strikeouts across 12 starts. This is also the second time this year that Luzardo will miss extended time, the first coming back in late April/early May with an elbow injury. 

"It throws a huge wrench into the trade deadline"@ByRobertMurray discusses the injury to Jesús Luzardo and why the @Marlins will now likely hold onto what was going to be a huge trade deadline chip. pic.twitter.com/tRFjQVq2KL

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 24, 2024

Despite struggling for most of the year, though, managers are better off just holding him in fantasy. Since he will miss at least one month, he should be stashed in one of your IL slots for the time being. Luzardo should return later this season, where he could provide some fantasy value. Hopefully, this long IL stint can get him right and get him back on track to pitching like his former 2023 self. 

George Springer - OF, Toronto Blue Jays

What a miserable season it has been for Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer. After posting career-worst numbers in 2023 (.258 average, .327 on-base percentage, and a .732 OPS), Springer has put up even worse stats through the first three months of the 2024 campaign. The veteran is slashing just .191/.282/.285 with five HRs, nine doubles, and 15 RBI.

If you're one of those fantasy managers still holding on to Springer, hoping he can turn it around, it might be time to cut your losses. He has statistically been the worst hitter in baseball in 2024, and there are no signs that he will pick it up at the plate. His expected slugging (.371), average exit velocity (86.5 mph), and hard-hit rate (34.8%) all rank extremely poor. At 34 years old, the 11-year veteran is showing major signs of slowing down. 

With the way he has looked at the plate this year, he should be dropped in most leagues. It's almost July, and Springer has just nine multi-hit games in 2024. It's time to let go of the veteran and release him to the waiver wire in fantasy leagues. 

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