We are officially one month into the fantasy baseball season and many owners are left scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong.
I’m that way in one league as I have a stacked team on paper, but for one reason or another, many of my superstars have gotten off to poor April starts.
Apr 18, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians third baseman Carlos Santana (41) walks off the field after popping out to end the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
There’s good news though.
Fantasy baseball is a marathon, not a sprint.
With that being said, let’s take a look at a bunch of guys who should rebound from poor April starts. While their current numbers may not suggest it, most of the following players you should have your eyes on as good buy-low candidates.
With that being said, let’s look at fantasy baseball’s biggest disappointments after the first month of the season as I unveil my All-April Bust team.
C- Carlos Santana, Cleveland Indians, .151/.313/.280, 3 HR, 9 RBI
Santana made the switch to third base for the Tribe, but still has catcher eligibility.
That looked great coming into the season as Santana would be in the lineup more often and big numbers were expected. That’s big because his numbers would represent an average third baseman, but should make him one of the top tier catchers in the game.
What we did not expect throughout the first month was a .151 batting average and a .280 slugging percentage.
For most of April Santana has looked lost at the plate, but things may be picking up.
On April 27, Santana was batting .122, the worst in the majors. But after back-to-back games with home runs and three RBIs, he’s could be closing his buy-low window as it looks like he may be coming out of his funk.
Santana has a career OPS of .804 and is far below that right now (.610), which should provide owners a little bit of hope.
Regardless though, there is no more disappointing catcher in the game so Santana’s inclusion on this team was an easy choice.
1B- Prince Fielder, Texas Rangers, .206/.331/.314, 2 HR, 9 RBI
Apr 25, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Texas Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder (84) walks off the field after striking out to the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
A year ago Fielder posted an .819 OPS, his worst mark in his career.
But with a trade to a hitter friendly ballpark in Texas, many felt that Fielder would bounce back in a big way. That’s the way he was drafted as he went in the second round in most drafts.
That hasn’t come close to happening as Fielder is sitting with a .644 OPS through the first month of the season.
There are some encouraging signs as he has more walks (16) than strikeouts (14), and he leads the league in intentional walks.
He also should be pretty cheap to get right now as his line is horrendous, but he’s also a better bet to hit for power in his new park.
However this April start should have him labeled as a bust.
2B- Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds, .255/.272/.318, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB
While Robinson Cano‘s power numbers have been very disappointing, he gets edged out by Phillips here.
Phillips drove in 103 runs a season ago and while you knew that wasn’t going to happen again, you didn’t expect him to have only six RBI through April, considering he drove in over 20 runs last April.
I urged people to stay away from Phillips this season and if you have him it may be tough to move him.
His average is down for the fourth consecutive season, but his OBP is down almost 40 points from last season and his slugging is down close to 80.
He has been on a tear recently with 13 hits in his last 37 at-bats before leaving the game Saturday with back spasms.
But add up all the negatives and throw in the fact that he doesn’t run anymore and it is a no-brainer that Phillips makes this all-bust team.
3B- Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers, .277/.320/.415, 2 HR, 15 RBI
Apr 22, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera (24) during the game against the Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Still eligible at third base, Cabrera makes this team mostly due to lofty expectations.
If you own Miggy that means you likely drafted him with the first or second pick and he hasn’t come close to earning that value.
His .735 OPS is the lowest of his career and while I think Cabrera will be just fine by seasons end, it is hard to ignore the poor April start.
Try to buy low on him as it looks like Cabrera is coming around with 13 hits in his last 31 at bats, including a homer and eight RBI.
SS- Jose Reyes, Toronto Blue Jays, .200/.250/.333, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB
If you own Reyes, you likely grabbed him by using a second round pick and he has been a huge bust to this point.
A hamstring injury has limited the amount of at bats he has gotten in April, but his .583 OPS in just 45 at bats is well below the .780 OPS he posted the past two seasons.
More concerning though is that we are a month into the season and Reyes has yet to swipe a bag.
He’s started to heat up lately but his start is still very concerning.
I tend to worry about hamstring injuries lingering with speed guys and that could be the case with Reyes.
I would look to move him now as another DL stint could be on the horizon.
OF- Allen Craig, St. Louis Cardinals, .220/.277/.367, 3 HR, 11 RBI
Apr 26, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Allen Craig (21) reacts after striking out during the eighth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium. Pittsburgh defeated St. Louis 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
After being almost automatic with runners in scoring position, Craig got off to a brutal April start.
His .644 OPS is way down from the .830 mark of 2013 and his OBP and SLG are down almost 100 points each.
Entering Wednesday’s game, Craig’s rate of hard contact has plummeted 75 percentage points. He’s also hitting 20 percent more ground balls. Both of these are really not good signs.
While Craig is an April bust, he could be a great buy low guy right now.
He has hit safely in five straight games, hitting .429 in that span, including going 4-for-5 to get his average over .200 for the first time all season, with a homer and three RBI on Wednesday.
OF- Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles, .265/.291/.357, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 2 SB
Jones hasn’t been a total bust, but hasn’t produced anywhere near the value of a first-round pick.
I cautioned against picking Jones in the first round and if you did, you have a problem on your hands.
His .659 OPS is abysmal and all he has given you is a homer and a mere two steals and his SLG is down over 130 points from last year.
There is a chance that he bounces back and has a decent year, but I highly doubt he earns first or second round value when it is all said and done.
OF- Wil Myers, Tampa Rays, .245/.321/.357, 2 HR, 11 RBI
Myers closed April strong, which is a good sign, but most of his April was pretty disappointing.
He is riding a seven-game hit streak, which helps, but both of his homers came in one game and hasn’t driven in a run in nine games. Seven of Myers 11 RBI on the season have come in a two-game span.
His SLG is down about 125 points from his rookie season and his .678 OPS is way down from the .831 mark of last season.
He is another candidate I would look to buy low on though.
DH- Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals, .224/.284/.255, 0 HR, 8 RBI
Butler currently has a slugging percentage (.253) that is lower than any batting average he has had in any previous year in his career.
That is reason enough he makes this team.
SP- Homer Bailey, Cincinnati Reds, 1-2, 6.15 ERA, 1.785 WHIP
Apr 14, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey (34) reacts to a call during the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports
Bailey has been awful and has the major league’s fourth-worst HR/FB percentage (25).
He also has the major’s second-worst BAPIP (.416). Bailey might have simply been unlucky and is worth targeting in trades as a result.
But the seven home runs he has allowed already are more than a bit concerning.
Bailey has allowed four-plus runs in four of his first five starts. He owns a 6.15 ERA, a 1.78 WHIP with a 29:8 K: BB ratio over 26.1 innings pitched.
SP- Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1-0, 1.35 ERA, 0.90 WHIP
Kershaw’s numbers look good, but the mere fact that he went in the first round and owners have gotten a mere six innings out of him due to injury lands him a spot on this team.
Based on expectations coming into the season he qualifies as a bust, but there is good news on the horizon as Kershaw should return to the hill soon.
SP- Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants, 0-3, 4.35 ERA, 1.323 WHIP
Coming off a disappoint 2013, many, including myself expected Cain to bounce back nicely in 2014.
That especially rings true considering how he finished last season.
However that hasn’t happened as Cain has been hit pretty hard at times and is still in search of his first win of the season.
SP-Justin Masterson, Cleveland Indians, 0-1, 4.84 ERA, 1.50 WHIP
Masterson has been struggling with a dip in velocity that has forced him to at least temporarily change his pitch selection and approach.
The results have been mixed.
Following an Opening Day gem, Masterson was battered for a couple of starts before turning in a solid outing.
Masterson has allowed 10 earned runs in 12 innings on the road this season, including allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and two walks in Monday’s loss to the Angels.
SP- Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians, 0-3, 6.04 ERA, 1.658 ERA
Salazar’s fastball velocity has declined by more than two mph (compared with last year), resulting in an ERA that has nearly doubled.
He showed improvement in his most recent start, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to bounce back as he has been a huge April disappointment.
Salazar could be ticketed for the minors if he continues to struggle.