Steve Pearce Quickly Losing Value

Apr 8, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Steve Pearce (28) at bat against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

While three weeks may not be enough time to decide whether to drop someone, it is enough time to notice when a player is in a slump. An early-season slump isn’t too detrimental to your team, but it does make things difficult. One player hurting fantasy owners is Baltimore Orioles outfielder Steve Pearce.

Pearce, someone who never made over 190 plate appearances in his previous seven years wa able to carve out a role in the Orioles lineup in 2014. He hit 21 home runs and 49 RBI with a .293/.373/.556/.930 line. He did miss ovver a month at the end of the season, but had a productive first season as an everyday player.

With eligibility at both first base and outfield, he became an attractive mid-draft pick. His first two games of the 2015 season proved owners to be right. He went 3-for-7 (.429) with two home runs, three RBI, one walk and one strikeout.

Then the slump began.

From April 8 until today, Pearce is 4-for-40 (.100). He has no home runs, one RBI, three walks and 12 strikeouts. Pearce has been benched in favor of Jimmy Paredes in five of the last six games. Until he breaks out of this slump, Pearce will continue to ride the pine and appear as a pinch hitter.

Fantasy owners haven’t hesitated to drop him. His ownership percentage has dropped almost half in the last week, 95.5 percent to 48.4 percent. If you play in a standard 10-team league, Pearce can easily be dropped for a replacement-level player. In a deeper league, keep him on your bench just in case he becomes the player he was last season.

Again, three weeks is still fairly early label someone as a bust. However, with just four hits in his last 40 at bats, it’s pretty close. Pearce’s fantasy value is at an all-time low and should be one of the first players cut off your team if necessary.