Fantasy owners who have seen their teams struggle through the first seven weeks -- it's not time to get the hangman's noose loosened. There is still hope for a turnaround and we shall not be heading to the gallows just yet.
Alike many Fantasy owners, I have been in this situation before. In one of my Head-to-Head leagues last season, I drafted Jake Peavy and Felix Hernandez as my second and third round picks. Needless to say, we all know how their 2006 campaigns turned out. However, I managed to survive their season-long slumps and only lost out on the title based on a tiebreaker. So as much as it looks as though hope is lost, trust me, it's not time to throw in the towel.
As I promised last week, here is my list of players who have underachieved through the early part of the schedule and have given Fantasy owners plenty to moan about.
C: Ronny Paulino -- He was hitting everything under the sun during spring training to a tune of a .481 average. He quickly became America's sleeper at a thin catcher position. Well, he struggled out of the gate and is still hitting below .230 through Tuesday.
1B: Richie Sexson -- The obvious choices here would be Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard, but you don't need me to tell you that. However, Sexson has been disappointing for his lack of power and awful batting average. We expected him to hit around .250 or a little lower, but not .175. Perhaps, Fantasy owners might have dealt with the low average if the power numbers were there, but they are not (five home runs).
2B: Robinson Cano -- For a guy that was being scooped up in the early rounds, he sure hasn't performed up to standards. In some formats, he is being outproduced by the likes of Mark Ellis, Ryan Theriot, Craig Biggio and Ty Wigginton. Cano is a better player than a guy who is hitting around .250. He will right the ship. Don't bail on him just yet.
SS: Stephen Drew -- Felipe Lopez is just as deserving, but his six-RBI performance Tuesday knocked him down the list temporarily. Drew is supposed to be a future All-Star, but surely hasn’t produced like one. He has struggled adapting to the leadoff spot and has been bumped around the lineup. The kid can hit. We saw it at Florida State and in the minors. He is still a young player and will endure some struggles.
3B: Garrett Atkins -- It was a tie recently between Atkins and Ryan Zimmerman, but Big Z has caught fire in the last week and Atkins has not. The Rockies third baseman was drafted as a top-five player at his position, but he has produced like a guy that deserves to be claimed off waivers. Atkins plays in the thin air of Colorado, but he has more homers on the road (two) than he does in the Mile High City (one).
OF: Alfonso Soriano -- He was a first-round lock in all Fantasy formats, but has struggled to produce like a top 10 Fantasy outfielder -- let alone top 50.
OF: Ryan Freel -- Rotisserie owners were going crazy for this kid because of his ability to swipe bases. He has just eight steals and even lost his outfield spot with the emergence of Josh Hamilton.
OF: The Yankees outfield (Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui) -- All three were projected top 25 Fantasy outfielders and they have combined to hit eight homers through Wednesday. Not to mention they are all hitting under .300.
SP: Rich Harden -- We know Harden has a ton of potential, but we also know he has a propensity to land on the DL. He is great when healthy, but it appears he can't stay active for an entire season.
RP: Mariano Rivera -- B.J. Ryan is a close second but he gets the benefit of the doubt because an injury was the cause of his poor start. Rivera has three saves through Tuesday and two of them came on the same day -- May 3 -- during a doubleheader against the Rangers. The numbers just don't match up with where he was drafted.
Now, on to this week's questions ...
I liked your list of overachievers, but I thought you missed by not listing Gil Meche. He has been an absolute ace. He was put in a similar situation to Gary Matthews -- set up to fail. -- Rob Desselle, Grain Valley, Mo.
MH: Meche has been doing a great job in 2007 and has surpassed expectations, but I still feel James Shields gets the nod here because he came out of nowhere to be outstanding.
Dave Bush was being touted as a great breakout candidate because of his K/BB ratio. As of today, he has broken out a 5.56 ERA, while spewing mediocrity in every other category. Should I wait on Bush a little longer or is it time to head to the free agent list? -- Joe Brodesk, Virginia Beach, Va.
MH: Unfortunately, NL-only owners will have to endure Bush's struggles, but mixed-league owners should play the waiver wire. Not all breakout candidates pan out and you have to know when to cut ties. Bush's early season numbers fall short of expectations, and he has shown little consistency. I would have no hesitation in dropping him for a better option on the free agent market.
What should I do with Scott Kazmir? He's got too much potential to just sit on the bench, but he's killing me every week with these high pitch counts, low strikeout numbers and no decisions. Do I trade him? Sit him and wait? Or just keep on starting him and chalk this one up to a draft pick gone sour?
MH: There is no way you want to sit Kazmir despite his recent struggles. The adage with lefties is that they take longer to develop. Kazmir has two full seasons in the majors, but his 2006 campaign was cut short due to injury. So he is still a fairly young pitcher. I think his stats will be solid by season's end, but I have no issues with trading Kazmir. He still has great value that could bring back some help in other areas if your pitching staff is solid.
Is it time to give up on Scott Rolen? -- Peter Stanford, Milwaukee, Wis.
MH: I guess when Brandon Inge starts to outproduce Rolen, it is time to look for help elsewhere. If you can afford to stash Rolen on the bench, do so. If not, I would recommend trading him for something instead of just cutting him outright. Injuries are always a concern with Rolen, who is getting up there in age (32 years old). A turnaround might be coming, but you can't bank on it.
What are the prospects of Zack Greinke being the closer in Kansas City? Greinke seems to be getting it done out of the bullpen and is striking out more than one batter per inning.
MH: Zero. Now that Octavio Dotel is back from injury, he will get the chance to close out games. If he falters, the team will go to Joakim Soria, who was outstanding in Dotel's absence. Greinke's physcological issues last season indicate he doesn't have the mental makeup to close out games, and he is still being groomed to return as a starter.
Do you think Cameron Maybin will see some playing time this year? -- Tom Cheles, USA
MH: Maybin might make his MLB debut when rosters expand toward the end of the season. He won't be up with the team during the summer unless there is a rash of injuries that strike the Tigers outfield. The organization is bringing Maybin along very slowly and don't want to rush him up too soon. He is still just a raw talent, but a good one at that.
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