We are just over two weeks into the 2018 baseball season.
You’re just starting to really get your lineup dialed in, but recent injuries probably threw a wrench into things. Middle infielders will start to be scarce on the waiver wire if they keep getting injured at this rate. Recent injuries to Rougned Odor, Jonathan Schoop and Elvis Andrus have left fantasy owners hurting for solid replacements.
We look at some players who started out hot, some who are struggling and maybe some guys who should be targeted in your free agent pool on April 15th, 2018.
I’ll be posting a weekly fantasy baseball F/M/K every Sunday this baseball season…so keep coming back!
Before I begin, let’s go over the F/M/K terminology. The guys that I list under “F*ck” are guys that are currently hot and you need to pick them up. “Marry”, are guys that you need to stick with the whole season, even if they are struggling a bit. “Kill”, are guys that need to be dropped for better players in the free agent pool.
SS/2B/3B Asdrubal Cabrera – New York Mets – 68.8% owned – Cabrera started the season off on a hot streak. He had a ten-game hitting streak snapped on Saturday, but is still hitting .347 with three homers and 12 runs on the season. Due to the amount of quality guys on the disabled list, Cabrera’s position-flexibility can help just about every team. Cabrera is playing every day and should be owned in all leagues while he’s this hot.
3B Matt Chapman – Oakland A’s – 88.2% owned – I usually stop mentioning a player in this section when their ownership eclipses the 80% mark, but we have to mention Chapman again. He is even hotter this week as he has raised his batting average to .358 with a total of five homers and twelves runs and RBI. He needs to be owned in all leagues. This could be the start of a pretty sweet year for the A’s slugger.
RP Keynan Middleton – Los Angeles Angels – 21.0% owned – It’s pretty nuts that a guy with four saves is only owned in 21% of leagues. The Angels are a good team, so he will get plenty of chances for saves. Middleton appears to have taken over the closer role from Blake Parker. Middleton has been a little shaky in some outings as he has walked at least one batter in all but one of his saves. I would add him right now as he could be the permanent closer if he keeps converting saves.
SP Zack Wheeler – New York Mets – 9.5% owned – Wheeler was once one of the most coveted pitching prospects in all of baseball. Injuries derailed some of those expectations, but he was my pick this preseason to be a breakout player for the Mets. He is battling for a permanent spot in the rotation and after a gem he threw in his first start of the season against Miami, he earned himself another start. This one will be against the Nationals, a much, much better team. The Mets are currently 11-2 and have the best record in the National League. If they keep playing this well, Mets starters will all be in line for a lot of wins this year.
SS Dansby Swanson – Atlanta Braves – 50.3% owned – I don’t recommend dumping someone with long-term upside for Swanson, but he could be added if you need middle infield help due to an injury. Middle infield is thin right now due to DL trips by Elvis Andrus, Rougned Odor and Jonathan Schoop. Swanson is currently hitting .340 with five runs and eight RBI. He will not be a guy who will help you across the board, but getting hits will help your team while you wait for your stud middle infielder to get healthy.
OF Mallex Smith – Tampa Bay Rays – 8.2% owned – Nearly everyone on the Rays is struggling (see my ‘Kill’ section). Smith has been getting better every week. He was hitting at the bottom of the order, but has moved to the leadoff spot. He had nine hits this past week. He may not be a source of power, but he has a lot of speed. If he keeps hitting at this rate (.343 batting average), his stolen base numbers should increase as well.
SP Sean Manaea – Oakland A’s – 70.3% owned – I mentioned Manaea last week and he had another solid start against the Dodgers (but took the loss). He currently has a 1.74 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP with 16 strikeouts in 20.2 innings. He’s still a young guy and could have a hiccup here and there, but he could develop into a guy to build your rotation around. You should add him now, and he especially should be owned in all dynasty leagues.
1B Yuli Gurriel – Houston Astros – 38.9% owned – Gurriel was just activated from the disabled list for the first time this season. His ownership will only increase from this point forward. He has already hit his first homer of the season in only his second game. He should be an everyday player for the ‘Stros with Marwin Gonzalez struggling early this year. He should hit for a very good average with ‘double-digit homer’ power.
OF Michael Brantley – Cleveland Indians – 32.1% owned – Brantley has been injured for most of the last two seasons. He has been very good when he’s in the lineup. It was only three seasons ago that he got some MVP votes and nearly had a 30/30 season for the Tribe. He has played in seven games since being activated from the disabled list and is hitting .286 with four RBI and a stolen base. He will be spelled by Rajai Davis about once every three or four games, but Brantley should be guy who will help you in every fantasy category. I expect his workload to increase as he builds up strength in his ankle.
2B/OF Ben Zobrist – Chicago Cubs – 25.2% owned – Anthony Rizzo is currently on the disabled list and Zobrist has filled in at that position for the Cubs. He has raised his batting average to .326 with six runs, a homer and five RBI. He is coming off his worst professional season last year and wasn’t expected to really make a huge impact this season, but he’s been good so far. If you have a spot to fill due to injury or need a player to stream in and out, Zobrist could be your guy right now. Zobrist may even gain first base eligibility this season.
SP Ian Kennedy – Kansas City Royals – 40.2% owned – Kennedy should be a two-start pitcher for those in weekly leagues. His first start will be at Toronto and his second will be a better match-up at Detroit. Kennedy currently carries a 1.00 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in his first three starts of the season. He would be owned in more leagues if the Royals were playing better. He is currently only 1-1 despite his stellar performances. He should be owned in all leagues right now.
SP Joey Lucchesi – San Diego Padres – 18.3% owned – This is a pick for NL-only leagues. Lucchesi is off to a great start with back-to-back starts without allowing a run. He has a 1.72 ERA and 1.02 WHIP, but his long-term prospects might not be the best. He doesn’t have much of a track record as he has never pitched above Double-A before this season. He is a risky play, but could payoff as a streaming candidate in NL-only leagues.
C Mike Zunino – Seattle Mariners – 56.7% owned – I’m still waiting for Zunino to come off the disabled list. It was pushed back a week and it looks like he will be starting his rehab assignment on Monday. If all goes well, he could be ready by their road trip to Texas. Catcher has been a weak position so far this season and Zunino could help just about every team.
1B Ryan Zimmerman – Washington Nationals – 72.9% owned – Zimmerman had a career year last season, but he started the year flat. He is finally starting to make contact. He is being dropped in a lot of leagues, but teams should stick with the guy. It probably doesn’t help that Matt Adams, his backup, already has a pair of dingers. I wouldn’t drop Zimmerman for a short-term play like Colin Moran or Tyler Austin.
SS Orlando Arcia – Milwaukee Brewers – 46.1% owned – Arcia hit .429 this Spring over his final ten preseason games, so it is odd to see him start the season in a slump. We are still waiting for the young shortstop to get dialed in. He did hit his first homer yesterday, so that’s a great things to see. He has also hit safely in four of his last five games. It’s only a matter of time before he’s getting on base and stealing a few bases as well. His backup is Eric Sogard, so don’t be worried about him losing his spot.
2B Jason Kipnis – Cleveland Indians – 39.1% owned – Kipnis may be hitting a lowly .164 without a dinger this season, but this can’t go on for much longer. He plays every game and his track record shows he’s a better player than his record shows. Kipnis is starting to see the ball better as he a three-hit games against Detroit this week. His bat will warm up as the weather in Cleveland gets warmer.
3B Nick Senzel – Cincinnati Reds – 14.6% owned – Senzel is currently the best prospect in the Reds farm system. Eugenio Suarez is out with a thumb injury and the Reds may pull the trigger on the start of the Nick Senzel Era in Cincinnati. I would compare him to a young Joey Votto. He hits for a very high average with some pop and speed. If you have Senzel on your team, you probably drafted him. Don’t cut bait just yet because I think the Reds will call him up soon.
OF Adam Duvall – Cincinnati Reds – 72.8% owned – Duvall is one of the reasons why the Reds are currently 2-12 on the season. He is one of the guys that needs to hit well if the Reds hope to be competitive. He’s currently batting .116 with two solo homers. He has a bad BABIP, so most of that is just bad luck. Things will jump back to his norm soon as you can’t be this unlucky for long. Duvall will be a 30+ homer guy by the end of the season.
RP Hector Neris – Philadelphia Phillies – 59.0% owned – We all know Phillies new manager Gabe Kapler is doing weird things to his pitching staff. He’s taking starting pitchers out early in games and eating up his bullpen. I expect the Phillies to be in the Wild Card hunt this season, so their closer should have plenty save chances. Neris is currently the guy and saved two games this past week. I realize there are some guys like Brad Boxberger and Hunter Strickland have been added from the waiver wire early this season. Neris hasn’t been as ‘sexy’ of a pick as those guys. I’d keep Neris for the time being.
OF Stephen Piscotty – Oakland A’s – 37.3% owned – Despite Piscotty’s four-game hitting streak, he is still being dropped. He has six hits in his last four games and knocked his first homer of the year. He’s going to have nice numbers by the end of the season, so I don’t quite get the low ownership percentage. If you have Manuel Margot or Delino DeShields on the DL, pickup Piscotty. He will probably stick on your team longer than you expect.
3B Eugenio Suarez – Cincinnati Reds – 52.6% owned – As I said before, Nick Senzel is coming soon and Suarez won’t have an everyday spot in lineup. He’s currently on the DL with a thumb injury and I have a feeling Senzel will be the team’s everyday third baseman by the time Suarez is healthy enough to come off the disabled list.
RP Mark Melancon – San Francisco Giants – 44.4% owned – Melancon received a stem cell injection in his pronator this week. He won’t be throwing for at least two more weeks. This is the same injury that ended his season last year. Interim closer Hunter Strickland is currently doing great and they also have Tony Watson if Strickland struggles. Melancon is not worth holding onto right now. I would dump him and picked up Hunter Strickland, Keynan Middleton or Hector Neris.
1B Logan Morrison – Tampa Bay Rays – 34.1% owned – I pushed for fantasy owners to ‘marry’ Morrison last week, but I haven’t seen the change I wanted to see from him. He was barely in the lineup and was only ‘blah’ when he was in the game. He’s only hitting .088 with two runs and two RBI. The slugger has yet to hit a homer this season. It’s time to cut bait. You just can’t have a guy hitting less than .100 on your team a few weeks into the season.
1B Yonder Alonso – Cleveland Indians – 53.9% owned – Alonso was a nice pickup the first week of the season, but he has cooled off. He’s only hitting .191 and hasn’t hit a homer since April 2nd. He’s fallen down to ‘streamable’ and I would rather have Yuli Gurriel, Ronald Guzman or Colin Moran right now.
C Brian McCann – Houston Astros – 65.0% owned – The catcher position is really thin right now, so it’s hard to pick a catcher to ‘kill’ off your fantasy team. McCann has nice numbers, but he’s not playing enough. He’s sitting two or three games a week. You need a catcher with better cumulative stats. I would even try to trade McCann to a team in a package to get injured Salvador Perez or J.T. Realmuto…especially while McCann’s stats look so good on paper. I would be looking for a catcher that played more than three of four times a week.
SP Jose Quintana – Chicago Cubs – 97.1% owned – I’m being a bit ballsy as Quintana was probably drafted in the first seven or eight rounds in your league’s draft. I have just been down on him as I liken him as more of a fourth starter. He’s currently 1-1 with an 8.16 ERA and 1.81 WHIP. What’s even worse is that he was beaten up by two of the worst teams in the Majors (Atlanta & Miami). Quintana is horrible when he can’t throw strikes. He already has ten walks in his first 14.1 innings. His next start is at Colorado, a place where he has a 5.06 ERA the last three seasons. I would dump him and free up a streaming spot…or at the very least, keep him on your bench until he starts to throw strikes again.
RP Alex Colome – Tampa Bay Rays – 80.2% owned – This is another ballsy pick as Colome was taken as one of the first ten closers in your draft. The Rays haven’t been very good this year (as Colome is the second of three Rays players on my ‘Kill’ list). He has already blown two saves and took the loss in his last appearance. He has a 10.80 ERA and a 3.20 WHIP. I’d rather have a slew of other closers at the moment. You could be shooting yourself in the foot as Colome is young and can turn things around in a hurry, but nothing I have seen so far looks like he’s going to turn it around right away. At the very least, keep him on your bench until he coverts a few saves or at least looks good in a single appearance. He has given up a run or walked a guy in every appearance since his first on March 29th.
OF Kevin Kiermaier – Tampa Bay Rays – 43.5% owned – As I hinted in the above paragraph, Kiermaier is the third Rays player on my ‘Kill’ section. He’s at risk of losing at-bats to Carlos Gomez and Denard Span. He’s lucky he’s great defensively or he would already be riding the pine. I’d rather own Mallex Smith than Kiermaier at the moment. I firmly believe Kiermaier checked out completely after seeing all his teammate gets shipped off for pennies on the dollar this Summer. He may get motivated again once he realizes that he can try to ‘hit his way off the team’ by becoming a hot trade asset. Maybe he is trying to do that, but is getting too eager at the plate? He has already struck out 18 times in his first 11 games.
Follow us on Twitter @Sweetbob & ‘LIKE’ us on Facebook!
About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.