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Fantasy baseball: Should you jump ship on underachieving stars? – Metro US

Fantasy baseball: Should you jump ship on underachieving stars?

Fantasy baseball: Should you jump ship on underachieving stars?

Last week, we discussed some of the first half’s most pleasant surprises for fantasy owners. Today we turn our attention to a few players who have fallen short of preseason expectations. Will they perform better during the season’s second half?

Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Detroit Tigers

One of baseball’s most reliable and durable stars for the last decade-plus, Cabrera hasn’t lived up to that standard thus far in 2017. He’s already landed on the disabled list once and is reportedly still playing through at least one injury. That likely explains his underwhelming performance: .262/.363/.436 with only eight home runs. Encouragingly, though, three of those homers have come in his last 10 games. Cabrera’s track record is unimpeachable, and if he holds up physically, he should get his numbers. That’s a bigger if than in years past, of course, but there aren’t many players with Cabrera’s upside. Hold.

Carlos Gonzalez, OF, Colorado Rockies

Gonzalez typically starts slow, but he has also usually reeled off a hot streak by this point of the season. Alas, we’re nearly halfway through June and he’s shown no signs of life. Gonzalez has struggled to the tune of a .221/.300/.348 batting line, and has just six home runs to his name. Factoring in the adjustment for Coors Field, Gonzalez has been one of the worst hitters in baseball. He’s seen the bench a little more than usual in recent weeks, and could be in danger of losing playing time as the Rockies are unexpectedly contending for the best record in the National League. If you can sell another owner on his track record and the potential for a second-half surge, you would be wise to do so. Sell.

Julio Teheran, SP, Atlanta Braves

Teheran bounced back nicely last season from a disappointing 2015, but the pendulum has swung even further in 2017. He carried ugly ratios (4.76 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) and a putrid 6.1 K/9 into a start against the Brewers on Sunday. He’s regressed badly in both walk and home run rate, and the latter has particularly been an issue at home during the Braves’ inaugural season in their new stadium. Those were the bugaboos for him in 2015, but this season’s been even more of a struggle thanks to a big drop in strikeout rate. Only nine qualified starters in MLB have a lower K-BB% than Teheran, and he’s pitched beyond the sixth inning just four time in 15 starts.

Kyle Bishop is a lead MLB columnist at RotoBaller.com. His articles are your secret weapon for winning fantasy leagues