We will be discussing several MLB hitters who have been going in a bad direction with their play over the past few weeks.
Yesterday we looked at some of the MLB hitters who are trending in a positive direction, but now it’s time to discuss some hitters who are trending in the opposite direction.
The last time I wrote an article like this was in early June, and there were some big names on the list. Let's take a look back at the last 15 days and discuss the worst performing hitters, with a focus on the big names in fantasy, of course.
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Struggling hitter
Among qualified hitters, the St. Louis Cardinals have the lowest batting average (.070).
That translates to three hits in his last 43 at-bats. One of those hits was a home run, but he only had three RBI and two runs scored in that span. Gorman also stole four bases, walked three times, and struck out a whopping 22 batters in that span.
Gorman was a popular player on the waiver wire right up until this recent downturn, but he shouldn't be owned in regular leagues and probably shouldn't be a starter in any other league either. He could potentially bounce back at some point, so Gorman is still a player worth keeping an eye on.
The Kansas City Royals product has five hits in his last 45 at-bats for a .111 batting average.
Garcia has only one extra base hit (a triple) in the past 15 days, but he has two RBIs and four runs scored. Garcia has also stolen three bases, walked four and struck out 14 times.
Garcia was owned in almost every fantasy league before his downturn, but now his ownership rate has dropped to around 85%. His ownership rate will continue to drop until he gets another at-bat. He's a very solid fantasy option when he's hitting well, so he's another player to keep an eye on in standard leagues for when that happens.
The Seattle Mariners player is arguably the most well-known name in today's conversation. He's batting .143 over the past 15 days.
Rodriguez had six hits in that span (including a home run), three RBIs, three runs scored, no stolen bases, four walks and 11 strikeouts.
Rodriguez has been a huge disappointment in fantasy this season. Still, he's owned in almost every fantasy league, and his big name alone would make him more of a trade candidate than a drop candidate.
You probably won't get as much value in return as you would get early in the season, but you'll at least have confidence that the guy will actually start and put up decent numbers in fantasy, something Rodriguez doesn't currently have. Personally, rather than trying to let him go, I'd stick with him and hope he starts hitting again at some point.
The New York Yankees are another big name that has struggled recently.
Soto has six hits in his last 37 at-bats for a .162 batting average over the last 15 days. Among his hits are one double, two home runs and three RBIs. Soto has walked 17 times in that span and contributed to 10 runs scored. He has also struck out 11 times in that span.
Soto is great in leagues that value on-base percentage and walks, but in fantasy leagues, walks probably aren't as important as doubles, home runs or even singles.
He still commands some of the best trade value in the league, but it has dropped off significantly in recent weeks, and if his walks and on-base percentages aren't good enough for your league, most fantasy owners will ignore his recent low averages and offer Soto a big payoff — just make sure you get enough in return, because if his averages improve even a little, he'll be a top fantasy option.
The Atlanta Braves' average over the last 15 days is .167.
Albies had nine hits (three doubles, one triple and two homers) with seven RBIs and runs scored during that span. He also had one stolen base, three walks and 11 strikeouts during that span.
His overall numbers aren't bad, but he certainly isn't a great fantasy second baseman in the game. Like Rodriguez and Soto, he's still owned in almost every league and is a starter for most fantasy owners. I might put his name on the trade list, but I also expect him to bounce back at some point, so I think it would be much better to bench him for now and move him back into the starting lineup when he's good at the plate again.
The Texas Rangers average over the last 15 days is .170.
Semien recorded nine hits (including three doubles), seven RBIs, three runs, one stolen base, three walks and seven strikeouts during that span.
Semien isn't striking out a ton, but he's not offering big totals in fantasy either. He's also owned and started in just about every league and is more of a save-and-wait candidate than anything else. You could try to trade him, but his trade value is also lower than when he was first drafted, so I would prefer to wait rather than sell him low.
Not only are the Milwaukee Brewers struggling with a .175 batting average, they are tied for second in strikeouts (19) over the past 15 days.
Hoskins had seven hits, including a double and a home run, and drove in eight RBI with a grand slam, but he only walked five times and scored three runs in the process.
Hoskins was owned in over 70% of leagues for a while, but is now down to around 50%. He is a good fantasy backup in standard leagues when he is performing well enough at the plate, but at this point he should only be rostered/played in deeper leagues.
Milwaukee's batting average over the past 15 days is .191, with nine hits in 47 at-bats.
Adames has recorded one double, two home runs and seven RBIs during that span. Adames has walked 10 times, contributing to eight runs scored. He has also struck out 10 times.
Despite his lower batting average, Adames has proven to be a more patient hitter this season, which has increased his overall fantasy value. Even during his hitting down periods, he has still been able to make positive fantasy contributions.
His trade value is high and I made the case for selling him high last week, but after his recent slump at the plate and still-decent fantasy numbers, it wouldn't be a bad bet to take Adames.
Texas is hitting .191 over the past 15 days.
During that span, he had 9 hits in 47 at-bats, including two doubles, three RBIs and four runs scored. Seager also had one stolen base, walked two and struck out 11 times.
Seager has had a disappointing season this year despite being drafted so high. He still has half a season to turn things around, but he's on pace to be mediocre overall (for a big name fantasy player). He's another guy I'd be pinning my hopes on rather than trying to let him go. A low return for a guy picked that early just isn't good enough.
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