Fantasy baseball is now in the back half of the season. Like every year, there are some notable players either declining or just having a rough season. Other players may be injured. Some of these guys may be hard to drop from rosters, but sometimes it has to be done if teams want to succeed. Here are some players to consider dropping with a player that can replace them:
Molina went to the IL with a thumb tendon strain in early July and should be out until August. It may not be worth keeping him until then if there are other reliable catchers available. He’s having an alright year hitting wise, slashing .261/.286/.368. Molina still has an own percentage of about 73 in ESPN leagues.
Replacement: Jorge Alfaro, C, Miami Marlins
The underappreciated Jorge Alfaro is having another solid year in the bigs. In his first season as a Marlin, he’s slashing .273/.316/.434 through 75 games played. Miami’s backstop usually finds himself batting about sixth or seventh, giving him a decent amount of RBI opportunities even if he’s on the Marlins. He could be added whether it’s as a replacement or not as he is a dependable catcher. He has an own percentage of about 28.
Image courtesy of sfexaminer.com
Stephen Piscotty injured his knee in late June and should be returing in about a few weeks. He’s struggling this season, slashing .242/.306/.391. The 28-year-old is questionably still owned in over 50 percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues. This is likely because of his solid 2018 where he had a .821 OPS. Dropping Piscotty could be a smart move for fantasy owners.
Replacement: Tyler O’Neill, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
Tyler O’Neill has been on a tear in July. Through his first 13 games of the month, he is hitting.388 with four of his five total homers. He’s become an everyday starter on St. Louis, and he’s proven why. The 24-year-old has an own percentage of about 11 in ESPN leagues.
Easily having the worst season of his career, Odor should be dropped in just about all circumstances. He’s hitting below .200 with a slugging percentage near .400. There are definitely some more reliable options at second base than Odor, especially at this point of the season.
Image courtesy of Flip Board
Replacement: Keston Hiura, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers
Rookie Keston Hiura is living up to the hype. He’s slashing .326/.386/.598 through his first 35 games as a big leaguer. The 22-year-old also has an advantage in that he hasn’t faced too many big league pitchers, so they won’t know exactly how to pitch to him yet. Hiura has an own percentage of about 33.
Image courtesy of ESPN
Age is starting to catch up to the 37-year-old Miguel Cabrera. He’s still getting base hits as his average is up near .290. However, his slugging percentage is way down below .400. There are plenty of first basemen hitting for more power than Miggy this season, and picking one up is probably a wise choice. The likely Hall-of-Famer is owned in a little less than half of ESPN leagues.
Replacement: Garrett Cooper, OF/1B, Miami Marlins
Garrett Cooper is one of the few Marlins having a great season at the plate. The 28-year-old has a line of .311/.385/.514 through his first 58 games of the season. He only has 11 homers, but that’s because he’s dealt with multiple different injuries. Cooper could definitely be useful in fantasy baseball, and he is only owned in about 20 percent of leagues.
Feature image courtesy of Bleacher Report.
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