Fantasy Baseball 2019: Players You Need to Cut Now

Here are five players you can safely drop from your fantasy baseball team and not look back if you are in a crunch and need to make a roster decision.

With two-plus months of the 2019 fantasy baseball season in books, we have a pretty good idea of what we should expect from players for the rest of the year. Most of them will continue to crush and meet their fantasy value. Some will continue to struggle and look forward to next season.

For those players in the latter category, if you own any of them, you need to cut your losses now and find a replacement for the for the final four months of the season. I don’t care if they have a “name” or you spent a high draft pick on them. If you have players you added off the waiver wire that are performing better than your high draft picks, you need to cut that player.

The season is long enough that you can cut bait on a high pick and still make a push for the playoffs. This is very different than fantasy football with 13 regular season games and then the playoffs. You need your top picks to work or else you’re looking up in the standings.

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If you have any of these five players, you should cut them loose now. I listed three hitters and two starting pitchers to give a bit of variety.

Jonathan Villar

Villar’s main source of fantasy value was his speed. He stole 62 bases in 2016, 23 in 2017 and 35 last season. He was on a good pace this season with six steals in April and five in May.

Unfortunately, Villar isn’t helping fantasy owners in any other hitting category. He is hitting .252 with seven home runs, 36 runs and 25 RBIs. The Orioles offense is middle-of-the-road offense.

If you need speed, Villar still needs to be rostered but if you don’t, try to trade him before cutting him.

Nicholas Castellanos

Castellanos hit at least 18 home runs and .272 in each of the last three seasons. This season as seen a drop in contact. He has six home runs, 23 RBIs and .261 average.

Granted, the average is higher than league average but with a lower than usual average should result in more power. It’s not as he’s striking out more. He has 63 strikeouts and on pace for 165, which would be a career high.

The struggling Tigers offense is contributing to his struggles, but if the team around him is bad, what else can Castellanos do to help his fantasy value?

Victor Robles

The former prospect has shown some power and speed, nine home runs and nine steals, but isn’t standing out from the crowd. Robles is slashing .235/.309/.419 in 247 plate appearances.

Over the last week, he hit .190 with a home run and three RBIs. The Nationals offense is hitting .242 in June and .250 on the season. Outside of Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto, there isn’t a hitter with an average over .280.

Robles was highly sought after but hasn’t lived up to his minor league performance…yet.

Carlos Carrasco

Carrasco’s inclusion is more about his health than his performance, but that hasn’t been good either. Carrasco was the 11th starting pitcher drafted in ESPN leagues with a 45.3 ADP. His 4.98 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 4-6 record are not top-12 level.

If he finished June with numbers like that, he would have been included. But Carrasco is stepping away from baseball due to a blood condition. There hasn’t been word from him or the Indians about his return.

Until any news is released, you can’t hold onto a pitcher in Carrasco’s situation.

Chris Archer

Archer has been on a decline since his All-Star season of 2015. His ERAs since that season were: 4.02, 4.07, 4.31, and 5.20 (this season). His WHIP, strikeout and HR/9 rates have followed a similar pattern. Yet, Archer was the 33rd starting pitcher drafted, SP4 in 10-team leagues.

Archer is still owned in 68.4 percent of ESPN leagues. Though, his ownership percentage has dropped 8.5 percent over the last week. The move to Pittsburgh and the NL Central isn’t doing him any favors. Long are the days of Archer, the strikeout machine.

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It’s never easy cutting someone you invested an early pick in, especially when you could have had someone playing well. But, them’s the breaks in fantasy baseball. Hopefully for you, there’s still time to make roster improvements.

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