Some usually consistent players are off to unusually bad starts this season. Who should you keep and who should you move on from?
Through a little over a month of the season there are some underperforming players, as there are every year. Let’s take a look at some of them and see who might be the next Adam Duvall or a guy who might bounce back.
American League
Jose Ramirez, Cleveland — The consensus No. 3 pick in mixed league formats, Ramirez has gotten off to a very slow start this year (.270 BA, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 9 SB) in everything but stolen bases. That said, he did the same thing last year. He ended up with a career-high 39 HR, 105 RBI and 34 SB.My advice: Keep him. He’s due to break out of his season-long slump in a major way.
Marwin Gonzalez, Minnesota — Gonzalez is hitting a paltry .173, 5 HR and 16 RBI. He has shown regression each of the past two seasons after his break out in 2017 (.303, 23 HR, 90 RBI). My advice: Cut bait, he is 30 years old and Miguel Sano is coming back soon to play 3B on a regular basis for an upstart Twin team.
Yonder Alonso, Chicago White Sox — While no one has ever referred to him as Babe Alonso, Yonder has actually hit a combine 51 HR the past 2 seasons. While he does have 5 HR this season, his .173 average and a increasing strike out rate leave a lot to be desired. As the Chicago White Sox season goes, they will become sellers at the deadline, meaning Alonso will most likely be traded to a team which needs a left headed bat off the bench. My advice: Keep Alonso around for a little while as he could give you a cheap course of power. Once he gets traded into a timeshare situation, that will be the time to cut him.