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Monday night was not a good night for Travis Shaw and Greg Bird. They each went to the plate four times. They each walked back to the dugout four times after striking out.
The dreaded golden sombrero.
What makes it even worse is that neither Shaw or Bird is off to a very good start to the season. Shaw is hitting .171, has a 30% strikeout rate, and just one extra base hit. Bird is hitting .192 with an absurd 43.3% strikeout rate. So just how long should we hold on to these guys? That's the type of question all Fantasy owners are asking themselves right now.
For me there are a few factors. You have to consider the player's track record, the likelihood they'll turn it around, the replacement cost at their position, and the likelihood someone else will pick them up. The specific cases I'm referring to make it pretty clear; you hold Shaw and drop Bird. And here are a few guys you could drop him for.
Four players to add from Monday
- Daniel Vogelbach (26%) — Like Bird, Vogelbach came in to the season with playing time concerns. And once Kyle Seager returns those aren't totally gone. But he's not going anywhere the way he's hitting right now. He hit his fifth home run on Monday and now has an OPS over 2.000.
- A.J. Minter (32%) — Minter picked up his first save on Monday and it certainly won't be his last. The Braves have been very cautious with Arodys Vizcaino this spring. No one seems to feel comfortable with his shoulder and the team hasn't allowed him to pitch back-to-back games yet. This is likely a committee for the time being but Minter has an opportunity to seize the job.
- Trevor Cahill (25%) — Cahill was a part of Shaw's bad evening, whiffing eight Brewers over six innings and picking up his first win of the season. After a rough season debut Cahill has put together two quality starts in a row. It's tough to trust he'll stay healthy, but he was very useful in the 110 innings he gave us in 2018.
- Ben Zobrist (35%) — This one's for those of you playing in daily lineup leagues. Zobrist is going to get a lot of days off this season but I expect him to rake when he plays. And so far he's living up to that. He should be a good source of average and OBP and I'd expect his run production to be good when he's in the lineup.
Winners and Losers from this weekend
Winners
- Jordan Hicks — Hicks picked up his second save of the season and his second in as many days. He had one blowup at Miller Park, but he hasn't given up a run or a hit in his other four outings. Hicks is solidifying himself as the Cardinals closer.
- Willy Adames — Adames started this season ice cold, but he had three hits on Monday and now has six hits in his last three games. I expect him to be a solid middle infielder moving forward.
- Rhys Hoskins — Hoskins' two-homer game Monday gives him five long balls for the season. He also has 15 RBI in nine games, which seems absurd until you remember who's hitting in front of him.
- Clint Frazier — Frazier picked up two more hits on Monday night, continuing his torrid stretch. Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton aren't that far away so Frazier needs to continue to be out-of-this-world to have a chance to stick with the big league club long-term.
Losers
- Anyone who rosters a Phillies reliever — Pat Neshek became the second Phillie to record a save on Monday night. In the same game Seranthony Dominguez pitched the sixth and David Robertson pitched the eighth. The Phillies do not have a closer.
- Hyun-Jin Ryu — We knew he wouldn't last all season, but I'd at least hoped he'd make it through April. Ryu injured his groin on Monday and is likely headed to the IL. The only bright side is that this probably keeps Julio Urias in the rotation for a few more weeks.
- Mike Zunino — Zunino took another 0-fer on Monday and is now two-for-29 on the season. He already has four games this season with multiple strikeouts, and has zero extra base hits. I'm not spite-dropping him, these types of streaks happen with a hitter like Zunino; but I'm not holding him in a 12-team points league either.
- Carlos Rodon — There were encouraging numbers from this start (nine strikeouts), but the walks reared their ugly head again. He'd walked only two batters in his first 12.1 innings but gave away five free passes in 4.2 innings on Monday. I'm not dropping him, but understand if you can't start him.
- Madison Bumgarner — I really think he's done. Not "droppable" done, but "never again a top-25 Fantasy starter" done. His ERA still looks okay, so it might be time to see if you can get someone with upside for him. He generated 15 swinging strikes in his first start. That's his total from the last two.
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