Is there anything worse than a slow start to the fantasy baseball season? After entering the year feeling comfortable and confident, there are plenty of owners wondering what they need to do to turn things around following awful starts. When it comes to the star players that are off to terrible slow starts, there isn’t really much to do other than to hang in there and wait for them to turn it around. Here is a look at the four biggest early season fantasy baseball disappointments.
SP: Rick Porcello, Boston Red Sox
The 2016 AL Cy Young award winner was bound to regress at least a little bit after recording 22 wins and a sparkling 3.15 ERA for the Red Sox last season. However, even those that felt his numbers were due for a correction couldn’t have expected such an awful start to the year. Porcello has allowed at least three earned runs in each of his first three starts of the season, including eight earned runs allowed in a 10-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in his last outing. Porcello’s strikeout upside has remained strong but his 1.74 WHIP is awful. The good news is that Porcello should be due for another correction following this brutal start. However, until he finds his game it will be difficult for fantasy owners to trust him as one of their starting pitchers.
C: Russell Martin, Toronto Blue Jays
Martin was expected to be a strong pick at a position that is potentially lacking in quality fantasy talent. After failing to record a hit in his first six games, it was clear something was wrong. Martin has recorded four hits over his last five games to raise his average to .114 and he did hit a home run in Tuesday’s loss to Boston. While the small sample size offers reason for concern, it should be only a matter of time before Martin gets on track. He still has decent power and the Blue Jays as a team should bounce back following a slow start. At a position that is extremely thin, there might not be another viable choice other than holding on to Martin and hoping he comes around soon.
1B: Edwin Encarnacion, Cleveland Indians
It isn’t just the current Blue Jays that are struggling as Encarnacion is off to a slow start with his new club. Encarnacion has hit .212 with two home runs and five RBI through his first 52 at-bats this season. While those numbers aren’t as terrible as Martin’s, they aren’t elite by any means. Encarnacion was likely selected in the first two rounds of your fantasy baseball league draft so it’s safe to say his start has been disappointing for whoever owns him. It might just be adjusting to his new digs in Cleveland and it should be only a matter of time before EE comes around.
OF: Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates
McCutchen currently ranks outside the top-40 among fantasy baseball outfielders. That is pretty disappointing considering he is expected to be among the elite hitters at his position. McCutchen has hit .268 with two home runs and seven RBI. Those aren’t terrible numbers but like EE, McCutchen was drafted high with the expectation that he would put up big numbers this year. After showing signs of regression in each of the last two seasons since he produced a .314 average with Pittsburgh in 2015, it’s clear the 30-year-old McCutchen is headed in the wrong direction and it could be more than just a slow start.
OF: Starling Marte, Pittsburgh Pirates
McCutchen isn’t even the most disappointing member of the Pirates so far this season. That tag belongs to Marte following his 80-game suspension for PED use. Marte was hitting .241 with two home runs and seven RBI through 13 games with Pittsburgh when the news was announced. It’s one thing to struggle out of the gate. It’s another thing to struggle out of the gate and then be forced to sit for 80 games. Unless your league offers an exception spot for non-active players, Marte will be hard to keep on your roster. After a disappointing start, Marte already has to be considered among the biggest fantasy busts of the season following his suspension.
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