Hello Fantasy friends and foes. Welcome back to the Fantasy Six Pack's Weekly Drop List.
Are you superstitious? Do you believe that the number 13 is unlucky?
I am definitely neither superstitious or nor do I believe a number is unlucky or lucky. Now if believing in any of those gets you to where you want to go in life, then more power to you. However, I will not find myself avoiding certain numbers or creating scenarios in which I need to focus on one number or a set of numbers to make it in this crazy world. The only luck I believe in is to make your own luck. I like to try new things and I ask a LOT of questions, just ask the people I work with outside of the fantasy universe.
I know four players who are now out of luck. These four players are in this week's Drop List. Who are these unlucky players? Find out that and more in the 2018 Fantasy Baseball Week 13 Drop List.
2018 Fantasy Baseball Week 13 Drop List
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Hitters
Greg Bird, 1B, New York Yankees
Quite simply, Greg Bird has been awful this season. In the 26 games entering Tuesday, he has a .677 OPS. That would be the worst among qualifying first baseman if Bird had enough plate appearances. He is hitless in his last 14 at-bats with eight strikeouts and brought a .186/.293/.384 slash line into Tuesday with 28 strikeouts in 86 at-bats and a -0.1 WAR.
The Yankees have been infatuated for years with Bird, who is still only 24-years-old. He has shown it in flashes including the playoffs last year. However, Bird has yet to find his stroke since coming back from ankle surgery this spring. It's not like the Yankees don't have options at first base. They have veteran Neil Walker, who is actually hitting about the same as Bird by slashing .190/.267/.266 and no one thinks Walker is the answer or fantasy relevant. There is another veteran that definitely should get an opportunity, and that is Brandon Drury.
The right-hand hitting Drury lost his chances to start with the Yankees to the rookies Miguel Andujar (third base) and Gleyber Torres (second base) blossoming after he landed on the disabled list in early April with migraines. With no room on the big league roster, Drury was sent to the minors and is hitting .321 with a .919 OPS at Scranton this season, while getting starts at first base.
The Yankees have received zero offensive production from first base this season. Greg Bird should be trying to get his swing back in the minors, not while playing for the first-place Yankees. Furthermore, Drury might not even be the answer, and the answer might not even be on the current Yankees roster. However, one thing is for certain, Greg Bird is not the answer for a contending Fantasy roster.
Miguel Sano, 3B, Minnesota Twins
Miguel Sano was an All-Star last season when he hit .264/.352/.504 with 28 homers and 77 RBI. This year has been a complete nightmare for him, with a .203/.270/.405 split with only 7 homers to boot. He recorded a team-high 66 strikeouts in just 148 at-bats.
The Minnesota Twins needed to do something with Sano to get him back on track. The surprise is that Sano didn't end up in Triple-A Rochester, but he is going to Single-A Fort Meyers. The Twins want him to have all of the facilities available to him as he needs to get back into shape. Another reason for this destination is hitting instructor, Freddy Guerrero. Sano and Guerrero are very close and now will have a chance to work closely with each other again.
Sano has never played 120-plus games in his three seasons because of injuries. So his stay at Single-A will assist his overall health and approach, both physically and mentally.
While we may see Miguel Sano again in a Twins uniform this season. It would be difficult for my fantasy roster to hold on to him just in case he comes back. He is better suited on the waiver wire to let someone else take the plunge and hope he returns to something close to the 2017 form.
Pitchers
Kelvin Herrera, RP, Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals got a jump on other teams looking for bullpen help and acquired former All-Star closer Kelvin Herrera from the Royals for three minor leaguers. Despite serving as the Royals closer, Herrera will primarily pitch as a setup man to Sean Doolittle. Doolittle has been arguably the best reliever in the NL this season. He has been successful in 21 out of 22 save opportunities while sporting a 1.60 ERA, 0.53 WHIP, and striking out 44 batters in 33.2 innings this season.
Herrera has also been lights out so far this season. He has recorded a 1.57 ERA, 0.84 ERA while saving 14 games so far in 2018. Perhaps the most impressive stat is that he leaves 98.9% of base runners on base!
The Nationals now have tons of flexibility on the back end of their bullpen. Herrera has a good bit of experience in the seventh and eighth innings. He spent a few seasons setting up for the likes of Wade Davis and Greg Holland during the Royals' World Series runs. His postseason experience will benefit the Nationals in October. He has pitched to a 1.26 ERA in 22 postseason appearances.
However, here is the bad news for Fantasy owners. Herrera will no longer be a closer and therefore he will lose tons of fantasy value. He might help in leagues that utilize holds and saves combined but with as many options as the club possesses, it will be difficult to depend on only Herrera providing those stats. Therefore, Kelvin Herrera can safely be dropped in the majority of fantasy formats.
Joe Musgrove, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates got off to a fantastic start this season but now they have come back to earth quite a bit. They have lost four consecutive games and lost 23 out of their last 33 games. The Pirates now 36-40 fell to a season-low four games under .500.
Joe Musgrove came off the disabled list with a sore shoulder in May and made two dazzling starts while going 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA and pitched seven innings in each outing. Unfortunately, the month of June wasn't as kind to Musgrove. He has a 0-3 record and a 7.45 ERA in four starts. In those four June starts, he has failed to go longer than six innings. Overall, he is now 2-3 with an ERA of 4.59 and a 1.41 WHIP. He has 31 strikeouts and nine walks in 33.1 innings.
Musgrove was a hot fantasy commodity in May after his two brilliant starts. However, he has been awful in June along with the Pirates team. Don't go down in the sinking ship with him, stay away from Joe Musgrove.
Who should you pick up now that you have your list on who to drop? Take a look and see who Tyler Gettmann suggests, 2018 Fantasy Baseball Week 13 Waiver Wire: They’re Back!
Check out the rest of our great 2018 Fantasy Baseball content.
1 comment
[…] FantasySixPack.net explains why Greg Bird, Miguel Sano, Kelvim Esobar, and Joe Musgrove are droppable in redraft leagues. […]