Fantasy Baseball Advice: 4 Big Name Players You Can Safely Drop

It’s early, and yet sometimes we can see the writing on the wall very quickly for some players. Below are a few widely-owned players that can be dropped. It won’t be fun to drop these players, and in some cases it’s sad that their greatness has faded to this degree, but fantasy sports are cruel and unforgiving.

**Ownership percentages are courtesy of Yahoo.

Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Tigers (72% Owned): Cabrera is one of the best, purest hitters in baseball history. He was once one of the safest picks possible, and a perennial first rounder. That time is long gone. Cabrera, now 36, is a shell of himself. He’s begun to lose chunks of time to injury, beginning in 2017, and he’s been sapped of all his power. In 2017, when his fade began, he only managed 16 home runs in 130 games, while batting just .249. For context, he hadn’t batted below .313 for the previous eight seasons. In 2018, he looked back on track, slashing .299/.395/.448, but he only got through 38 games. Now, Miggy is hitting a soft .250, and has failed to hit a single home run through Detroit’s first 17 games. His slugging percentage has dropped to a figure (.281) that once would’ve been a subpar batting average for him. And before you shrug it off as a temporary power outage for a slugger who is past his prime, but still useful, consider this—Cabrera’s strikeout percentage has leapt to 26%. He hasn’t posted a strikeout percentage higher than 21% since 2004, his first full MLB season. With his power drained, and his ability to make contact slipping, he’s just not worth a spot in any roster beyond those playing in 14-team or deeper leagues.

Robinson Cano, 1B/2B, Mets (85% Owned): Much like Cabrera, Robinson Cano has been a pillar of excellence and consistency for a long time. While Cano was never quite at the heights Cabrera reached, he was long the gold standard for a traditionally shallower position (2B), and even as his grip on the top spot lessened, he’s aged gracefully and remained useful. Those days are looking like they’re over.

Cano’s power has been in decline since he left the Yankees in 2016, save for a 39-HR spike in 2016, but he’s continued to be an asset in batting average, runs and RBI. Last season was cut short for Cano due to a hand injury, followed by a bombshell suspension for PED use; he returned and hit the ball well, but at 36 it is fair to wonder if his longevity has been bolstered illegally. In his first season with the Mets, it’s been ugly. He’s currently slashing .192/.253/.329 with two home runs, with a strikeout percentage that has jumped to 22.8%. For context, Cano’s strikeout percentage has NEVER been above 15.9% in his career, which is in its 15th year. It remains possible for Cano to still be a batting average plus; right now his BABIP is at .226, indicating very poor luck, and he hasn’t seen a drop in his hard hit rate. However, due to his diminishing power and plummeting contact rates he doesn’t profile as an overall roster-worthy player moving forward.

Robbie Ray, SP, Diamondbacks (86% Owned): Ray is a strikeout machine. He’s posted a 10.97 K/9 this year, and even in a disastrous 2018 campaign he was setting down more than 12 batters per nine on strikes. In 2017, Ray put that stuff to magical use, striking out a little more than 12 per nine innings and posting a sparkling 2.89 ERA. His FIP (3.72), however, indicated that his ERA was a bit misleading. He followed up that breakout season with a campaign in which his ERA (3.93) was serviceable, but his 5.09 BB/9 and disgusting 1.36 WHIP were not. This season his strikeouts are down – 10.97 per nine but still – and somehow he’s walking more batters (6.33 per nine). It’s really REALLY hard to just cut bait on someone who strikes out so many major league hitters, but his walks just can’t be controlled. The issue has plagued him throughout his career, even in the minors, and you simply can’t walk MLB hitters at this rate without getting lit up on a regular basis. 2017 was super cool, but it was a total aberration. Feel free to let someone else be frustrated every fifth day.

Andrew Miller, RP, Cardinals (61% Owned): Miller isn’t owned in as many leagues as the previous players listed, but his non-closer status makes his ownership percentage particularly egregious. Jordan Hicks entered the season as a question mark at closer, but his performance thus far has solidified him. And even if it didn’t, Miller’s performance would knock him out of the running. Once dominant, it’s possible high usage has exacted its toll on the soon-to-be 34-year-old’s left arm. His ERA sits at an unsightly 6.75, and his FIP (9.70) is even more dire. He’s walking more than six batters per nine right now, and that’s following a 2018 campaign in which he walked 4.75 per nine. The drop off from 2017 to 2018 was sudden and severe, and now it looks like it was permanent. Miller only throws fastballs and sliders. He’s gradually lost velocity over the past three seasons, and now both of those pitches are below average. The decrease in effectiveness has been drastic; his fastball was 6.3 runs above average just two seasons ago, while his slider was 15.5 runs above average. Now, the fastball is three runs below average, while the slider has basically become neutral. He’s simply no longer an elite pitcher, and if he’s not going to get saves, there’s absolutely no reason to hold him.